Los Angeles wildfires latest: At least 10 dead as crews struggle to contain blazes

LOS ANGELES - Several wildfires continued to burn across the Los Angeles area on Thursday, destroying homes and businesses, closing schools, clogging roadways and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee.

Roughly 180,000 people were under evacuation orders.

The Palisades Fire broke out on Tuesday morning and ripped through Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood, a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity residences and memorialized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit "Surfin' USA." 

RELATED: Paris Hilton among celebrities to lose homes in LA fires

Late Thursday evening, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed there had been at least 10 deaths related to the fires.

A second fire, dubbed the Eaton Fire, broke out Tuesday evening near Pasadena. FOX 11 Los Angeles’ crew was at the scene in Altadena as a group of nursing home residents were being evacuated from the area. In addition to family members and loved ones living in nursing homes, animals were also seen being escorted out of the dangerous fire. 

Meanwhile, firefighters were battling a third blaze, called the "Hurst Fire," that started around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. It quickly prompted evacuations in Sylmar, a San Fernando Valley community that is the northernmost neighborhood in Los Angeles. 

At least three additional fires, the Tyler Fire in Riverside County, the Woodley Fire around the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve in Encino, and the Sunset Fire in the hills above Hollywood Boulevard, broke out on Wednesday – adding to the dire situation for firefighters working to contain the flames. 

Flames were being pushed by Santa Ana winds topping 60 mph in some places. The winds were expected to increase overnight, producing isolated gusts that could top 100 mph in the mountains and foothills — including in areas that haven’t seen substantial rain in months.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency. The situation also prompted the Los Angeles Fire Department to take the rare step of putting out a plea for off-duty firefighters to help. It was too windy for firefighting aircraft to fly, further hampering the fight.

Palisades Fire

The Palisades Fire broke out around 10:30 a.m. local time and had burned 17,234 acres with 0% containment as of Wednesday afternoon.

Several evacuation orders and warnings were put in place, including Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica, according to FOX 11.  

Over 100 cars were abandoned on the road as people fled on foot, the news station reported. The traffic jam that occurred on Palisades Drive prevented emergency vehicles from getting through. A bulldozer was brought in to push the abandoned cars to the side and create a path. 

Eaton Fire

As firefighters battled the massive fire in the Pacific Palisades, the Eaton Fire erupted shortly after 6:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday near the Altadena-Pasadena area. 

It quickly exploded to 13,690 acres with 0% containment as of 10:45 a.m. PT on Wednesday, according to the Angeles National Forest X account. The fast-moving fire prompted evacuations, FOX 11 reported, and more than 100 structures have burned so far.

Kenneth Fire

The Kenneth Fire sparked Thursday afternoon and the Los Angeles Fire Department issued a mandatory evacuation order as the blaze quickly grew to 50 acres. 

The fire is burning south, according to LAFD, and an immediate evacuation order has been issued for residents who live in Vanowen south to Burbank Blvd. and County Lane Road east to E. Valley Circle Blvd.

Lidia Fire

The "Lidia Fire" broke out on Soledad Canyon Road in Acton, an area between the San Gabriel Mountains and the Sierra Pelona Mountains on Wednesday afternoon.

Cal Fire said crews are shutting down the areas impacted by the Lidia Fire to public access. At last check, the fire burned over 348 acres with 60% of it contained, according to Angeles National Forest. 

During a press conference on Thursday morning, officials said forward progress has stopped. 

Sunset Fire

During a news conference on Wednesday evening, officials announced a new fire located in the Hollywood Hills located on N. Solar Dr., according the Los Angeles Fire Department. 

Mandatory evacuation orders were in effect for Laurel Canyon Blvd. to Mulholland Dr., stretching east to the 110 Freeway and south to Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Erik Scott urged residents to evacuate early, saying, "If you see smoke, you smell smoke, get into that ready-set-go."

The fire has since been contained and all evacuation orders have been lifted. 

Hurst Fire in Sylmar

The Hurst Fire in Sylmar – the third to break out on Tuesday in the area – was first reported a little before 10:15 p.m. local time, according to FOX 11. 

The fire quickly stretched to over 855 acres with 10% containment, according to Angeles National Forest, and officials with the Los Angeles Fire Department warned it was rapidly spreading.

Evacuation orders were reduced for residents who were issued an evacuation warning Thursday afternoon. Residents who were returning have been advised to not drink the tap water until they are notified to do otherwise by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. 

Tyler Fire

A fourth fire, dubbed the Tyler Fire, began around 3:25 a.m. local time in Riverside County, officials said.

It had burned about 15 acres and was 100% contained by Wednesday afternoon, according to Cal Fire updates. 

Officials in the area said affected residents were being evacuated, and two structures were destroyed. 

Woodley Fire

A fifth wildfire in Southern California, called the Woodley Fire, broke out in Los Angeles County around 6:15 a.m. local time Wednesday in the Encino area, according to Cal Fire. It had burned about 30 acres around the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve and was 0% contained. 

The Woodley Fire is located between the massive Palisades Fire to the south, and the Hurst Fire to the north, officials say. 

Federal response

Five U.S. Forest Service large air tankers have been assisting with fire-containment operations in Southern California, with another tanker on the way, according to a White House tweet. 

President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the federal government will pay for 100% of the disaster response costs from the wildfires devastating neighborhoods across the Los Angeles area for the next six months. Speaking from the White House, Biden also said he plans to ask Congress for additional funding to support long-term recovery efforts.

The federal assistance will cover expenses such as debris removal, temporary shelters, and first responders' salaries. Biden highlighted the federal government’s deployment of resources to Southern California, including 400 federal firefighters and 30 firefighting planes.