ENVIRONMENT

10 people have died in the wildfires spreading across Southern California

January 10th, 2025

Fires continue to rage on in Southern California, as tens of thousands of acres of land have been decimated, and the flames have been partially contained.

The fires
More than 35,000 acres have been burned, with the Palisades and Eaton fires driving the destruction, according to the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

"Unfortunately I think the death toll will rise," LA Sheriff Robert Luna said. "I hope I'm wrong. But I think it will rise."

About 8,000 personnel are responding to the fires from local, state, out-of-state and federal agencies, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said.

The Los Angeles Unified School District closed its schools throughout the week, and will continue to do so Friday.

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The NBA has postponed a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets to an unannounced date, while the NFL has moved a game between the Vikings and Rams from Inglewood, Calif., to Glendale, Ariz.

Twenty people have been arrested for looting in LA, a number Luna said is likely to go up.

The forecast
Wind speeds have slowed down some but are "will still be strong enough to be of concern" in the next few days, with a range of 20 to 60 miles per hour until Friday morning, the National Weather Service said.

The losses so far
More than 10,000 structures have been destroyed, according to Cal Fire.

On Thursday, AccuWeather, a commercial company that provides data on weather and its impact, increased its estimate of total damage and economic loss to the region at between $135 billion to $150 billion.



Curated By

Sarah Jenkins
Police Officer | Police Department Public Information Officer | Investigative Reporter/Crime Correspondent
Sarah Jenkins brings two decades of street experience to her reporting, offering blunt, no-nonsense perspectives from real police work. Her true crime and local governance coverage cuts through political posturing and academic theory to focus on what actually happens in communities. Known for critiquing ivory tower thinking, she prioritizes dogged investigation and common-sense analysis over pretty theories that don't hold up in the real world. Her cynicism reflects hard-earned wisdom from seeing how systems actually work. Readers trust her straight talk from someone who's experienced the messy truth of urban life firsthand. "Twenty years on the force taught me that the truth is rarely simple, but it's always worth fighting for."

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