Los Angeles wildfires updates: Fears rise of more ‘explosive’ fire growth

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For more on why the wildfires are still burning in and around Los Angeles – and why they have been so destructive – check out our explainer here.

And for a look at how a Malibu beach camp has been transformed to house firefighters on the frontlines of the wildfire fight, have a look at our photo gallery here.

We’re about to close this live page. Here’s a look at what happened today:

• Authorities in Los Angeles County have warned that an expected wind surge could further fuel massive wildfires that have already killed 24 people and destroyed more than 12,000 structures.
• LA County Sheriff Robert Luna urges residents to heed official instructions as 84,800 people are under evacuation warnings.
• Thousands of firefighters have been deployed to the two main blazes still burning in and around Los Angeles, the Palisades and Eaton fires.
• Community members continue to rally support for the victims, including residents who lost everything in the fast-moving fires and have sought refuge at local shelters.

That’s according to Luna, the LA County sheriff.

As we’ve been reporting, search teams using cadaver dogs have gone house-to-house to search for dozens of people still unaccounted for amid the wildfires.

“The good news was that no other remains were found yesterday. Hopefully that happens again today,” Luna said. “We don’t want the death toll to continue to go up.”

At least 24 people have been killed in the blazes so far, according to officials.

With thousands of structures destroyed around Los Angeles, search-and-rescue teams face the long and arduous task of combing through the rubble for the injured and dead.

Grey ash covers the landscape, making the recovery of remains difficult. The job requires helmets and heavy-duty face masks to protect workers from contaminants mixed in with the rubble.

See some of the latest images from the neighbourhood of Altadena below.

Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has slammed Republicans in the House of Representatives for focusing on passing legislation curtailing the rights of transgender athletes over providing California wildfire assistance.

“Bigoted folks love this bill. Assaulters love this bill, but also, CEOs loves this bill,” she said of the legislation, which – if signed into law – would ban transgender female athletes from taking part in girls’ sports.

“Because Los Angeles is on fire right now and this is the number one priority this [Republican] majority has.”

.@RepAOC @AOC: "Bigoted folks love this bill. Assaulters love this bill. But also, CEOs love this bill because Los Angeles is on fire right now and this is the number one priority this majority has." pic.twitter.com/AJdnJImc9m

— CSPAN (@cspan) January 14, 2025

We’re starting to feel the breeze here in Pacific Palisades, but that’s nothing compared with the wind reported and forecast for other areas.

Here, in this area, the signs of disruption from that incredibly violent, wind-whipped firestorm that swept almost everything away in this area are all around us.

There could be more disruption on the way. There are winds in the mountains and some of the valleys reported up to more 100km/h (62 mph). That is expected to be the case for another 12 to 24 hours.

The areas of greatest concern are in the mountains and the valleys in northern Los Angeles County and neighbouring Ventura County…

Everyone here in Los Angeles and beyond is waiting and watching nervously, hoping that this windstorm will pass over without igniting another terrible fire.

The California governor has pushed back on a claim that California is conditioning wildfire assistance on condition that $50m is set aside for potential legal challenges involving the incoming Trump administration.

“False,” Newsom wrote on X. “I am not conditioning disaster aid on any other priorities.”

Politico reported this week that Newsom and California Democrats had reached a deal to set aside $50m for any possible litigation once Trump takes office next week, including to fend off a possible mass deportation effort.

Trump has routinely attacked Newsom – one of his top Democratic Party critics – since the wildfires broke out in Los Angeles last week, accusing the governor of failing to adequately prepare and mishandling the crisis.

False. I am not conditioning disaster aid on any other priorities. https://t.co/el0f5Wyx56

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 14, 2025

Al Jazeera’s Soraya Lennie explains the debate around California’s use of incarcerated people to fight wildfires, in our video below.

Almost 1,000 US prisoners are fighting wildfires in Los Angeles for pay as little as roughly a dollar a day. The practice has been likened to modern day slavery, but is it that simple? Al Jazeera's @soraya_lennie explains ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/WjzQGaZ9kd

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 14, 2025

Gavin Newsom says that positioning hundreds of firefighters and resources to key areas in advance allowed crews to quickly extinguish 11 new fires that broke out overnight.

That includes the Auto Fire in Ventura County, the governor said in a social media post.

Thanks to the prepositioning of hundreds of personnel and firefighting equipment across Southern California, 11 new fires that broke out overnight were quickly extinguished — including the Auto Fire in Ventura County. pic.twitter.com/LLutx8vKyZ

— Governor Newsom (@CAgovernor) January 14, 2025

The US president has shared a photo on social media from a briefing at the White House on Monday night to discuss the California wildfire response.

“Local, state, and federal firefighters are making progress containing the fires and beginning the recovery process,” Biden said.

Last night, I convened another briefing on the full federal response to the wildfires across Southern California. Local, state, and federal firefighters are making progress containing the fires and beginning the recovery process.

To the people of Los Angeles: We remain with you. pic.twitter.com/lKTnphKVkJ

— President Biden (@POTUS) January 14, 2025

In an outlook for weather conditions later this week, the agency says “confidence continues to increase that strong offshore winds and high-end critical fire-weather conditions will be ongoing” at the start of Wednesday morning.

“Fire-weather concerns will remain high through the day before winds decrease overnight” into Thursday, the NWS’s Storm Prediction Center said in an update at 11:19am Los Angeles time (19:19 GMT).

1:20pm CST #SPC Day2 #FireWX Critical: portions of southern ca https://t.co/LEoXKVkNcs pic.twitter.com/l7TuozmJpg

— NWS Storm Prediction Center (@NWSSPC) January 14, 2025

The two centres, which opened a few minutes ago at 1pm local time (19:00 GMT), will help those affected by the wildfires access resources.

“At a disaster recovery center, residents and business owners can apply for federal assistance and access other available resources from local, state and non-profit agencies,” authorities said.

“These can include learning about disaster assistance programs, find housing and rental assistance information, meet with state agency representatives, and get help from non-profits.”

The centres are located at UCLA Research Park West in Los Angeles and at Pasadena City College Community Education Center in Pasadena.

In partnership with @fema and @CountyofLA, two Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) are opening in LA County to assist those impacted by the Hurricane-Force Firestorm. Learn more: https://t.co/So0t6sGW4k #PalisadesFire #EatonFire #LosAngeles #LAFires pic.twitter.com/SUWrjiUVjn

— California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (@Cal_OES) January 14, 2025

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says more than $8.4m in disaster assistance is available for “individuals & households in California”.

FEMA has warned against the spread of misinformation related to government aid after the wildfires, a phenomenon that also occurred following Hurricane Helene’s devastation across several US states last year.

“We are seeing that,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said when President Biden asked about misinformation during a White House briefing on the wildfires on Monday.

Robert Fenton Jr, regional administrator for FEMA Region 9, said at the news conference earlier today that about 40,000 people have applied for assistance from the agency so far.

But Fenton said that everyone will need to file insurance claims. FEMA aid is designed to help with unmet needs — after insurance claims are paid. Fenton said the maximum amount of aid FEMA can provide is $43,600.

Biden has said the federal government would pay 100 percent of the firefighting and recovery costs in the first 180 days, but Fenton noted that doesn’t mean FEMA will cover 100 percent of individual families’ costs.

Over $8.4M disaster assistance funds have been approved to individuals & households in California.#LosAngelesFires survivors can start their recovery by applying online at https://t.co/gryh5A6N9X, via the FEMA App, or call 800-621-3362. Help is available in multiple languages. pic.twitter.com/rZsCf2m8qh

— FEMA (@fema) January 14, 2025

The winds are starting to blow now in areas to the north and to the west of where I am.

In the San Gabriel Mountains and over in Ventura County, which is north of LA County, winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour (62mph) have been reported.

But the winds are less in intensity than they were one week ago – exactly one week ago – when the worst of the fires broke out and scorched so many thousands of hectares.

Together with the extreme low humidity, [today’s wind] promises the potential of an explosive fire event.

It’s 10:30am in Los Angeles (18:30 GMT) and here are the latest developments:

• With stronger winds expected later in the day, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley urges residents “to remain alert as danger has not yet passed”
• LA County Sheriff Robert Luna says 88,000 people are still under evacuation orders while 84,800 others are under evacuation warnings.
• Firefighters have been deployed to “high fire-risk areas” in and around Los Angeles, officials say, as crews continue to carry out house-to-house searches in burned-out neighbourhoods.
• “Critical to Extremely Critical fire-weather conditions” are expected to continue across parts of southern California today through Wednesday, the National Weather Service says.