Los Angeles fires live updates: 10 killed, 10,000 structures destroyed as Palisades, Eaton and other wildfires continue to burn in California

The Walt Disney Company announced Friday that it is committing $15 million to any immediate response teams helping out in the Los Angeles area. The announcement also mentioned that Disney will be offering any essential services necessary for groups on the ground, including the American Red Cross, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

“As this tragedy continues to unfold, The Walt Disney Company is committed to supporting our community and our employees as we all work together to recover and rebuild from this unbelievable devastation,” CEO Bob Iger said in a statement. "Walt Disney came to Los Angeles with little more than his limitless imagination, and it was here that he chose to make his home, pursue his dreams and create extraordinary storytelling."

The IRS announced today that tax relief will be given to individuals and businesses who have been affected by the wildfires that started in the Los Angeles area on Jan. 7.

People who qualify do not need to contact the IRS to get the tax relief; the IRS said it will automatically be filing it to taxpayers with an address in any disaster zone.

Those who qualify are not expected to file their taxes and make payments by April 15; instead, they have until Oct. 15 to do so.

Over the past week, drought conditions have continued to worsen in the areas in Southern California where wildfires have destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.

A large swath of the state that includes Los Angeles and San Diego is now experiencing "severe drought" intensity, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Just days ago, the Drought Monitor had classified those same areas as experiencing "moderate drought."

Since May, the National Weather Service said, downtown Los Angeles has received just 0.16 inches of rain. Over the next 10 days, there is just a minimal chance of rain, according to the Weather Channel.

On Thursday, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced a one-year moratorium on insurance companies canceling or not renewing homeowner insurance policies in or adjacent to areas affected by the wildfires.

“Losing your insurance should be the last thing on someone’s mind after surviving a devastating fire,” Lara said of the order. “This law gives millions of Californians breathing room and hits the pause button on insurance nonrenewals while people recover.”

Under state law, such an action can be put in place after the governor declares a state of emergency. Gov. Gavin Newsom did so on Tuesday.

In an effort to stem the cancellations of coverage by private insurers and the flood of new policies being written by the FAIR Plan (California's insurer of last resort), Lara cut a deal last month that obliges private companies to offer coverage in fire-prone areas equal to at least 85% of their market share throughout the state. In exchange, insurers will be able to factor in the cost of purchasing reinsurance into those policies. Additionally, the companies will be able to account for the future risks posed by climate change to a specific property, and that means coverage costs are likely to soar.

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said Friday that she would try to get answers within the next 24 hours regarding claims that some people have already been denied assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Barger said people are being denied right after filling out the online FEMA form.

“I’m following up on that to find out what is going on because it is completely mind-boggling to me that people who lost everything are filling out a form, as told, and then are getting an immediate denial,” she said at a news conference.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that he had ordered an investigation into why fire hydrants in areas of Southern California battling wildfires ran dry as flames engulfed homes and businesses.

"We need answers to how that happened. Therefore, I have directed state water and fire-fighting officials to prepare an independent after-incident report examining the causes of lost water supply and water pressure in municipal water systems during the fire events, and to identify measures that local governments can implement to provide adequate water supply for emergency response during future catastrophic events," Newsom said in a letter to the heads of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the Los Angeles County Public Works.

In a social media post on Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump appeared to blame the fast-moving wildfires on Newsom, who he said had "refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way."

In response, Newsom said his "message to the incoming administration" was simple: "Please don't play any politics." In a letter sent Friday, Newsom invited Trump to tour the devastation first-hand.

Water experts, such as Pacific Institute co-founder Peter Gleick, dispute Trump's claims.

“There is no connection whatsoever between California’s water policies and the water available for firefighters in Southern California," Gleick told the Washington Post. "They’re unrelated issues. Trump's using scientific misinformation to try to make a political point, and it’s irresponsible."

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said there were 100,053 residents under evacuation orders as of Friday afternoon, which includes areas impacted by the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Kenneth and Lidia Fires.

Assistant Sheriff Myron Johnson told reporters Friday that about 166,800 residents are under evacuation warnings. About 57,830 structures also remain at risk.

A curfew remains in effect for mandatory evacuation zones of the Palisades and Eaton Fires from 6 p.m. local time Friday through 6 a.m. until further notice to help prevent looting and burglaries. "Anyone found in violation of the curfew will be subject to arrest for a misdemeanor," Johnson said. If convicted, the penalty could include up to a $1,000 fine and jail time.

It’s been a major source of controversy and criticism for days now: Why did hydrants run dry in the Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, when firefighters needed them most?

A new report in the Los Angeles Times details the dynamics that have become familiar to anyone who’s been following this developing story: ferocious Santa Ana winds grounded firefighting helicopters and fanned the exploding blaze at precisely the same time, forcing groundwater demand to quadruple for 15 straight hours.

But the L.A. Times also digs deeper, explaining why the area’s infrastructure might need to change in the future:

California National Guard troops have arrived in areas of Los Angeles County, including Altadena, Pasadena and Santa Monica to largely assist in helping to prevent looters from burglarizing evacuated homes.

At least 20 people have been arrested for looting in wildfire evacuation zones, authorities said Thursday.

"I promise you, you will be held accountable," said L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. "Shame on those who are preying on our residents during this time of crisis."

FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell told reporters on Friday at a White House press briefing that her agency had enough money to respond to fund the immediate needs arising from the wildfires in Southern California.

"With the recent supplemental, FEMA received $27 billion, and so we are now able to continue to support the ongoing recovery efforts for all of the disasters that we've been supporting, to include now the immediate response and the initial recovery efforts that are going to be needed here in California," Criswell said, appearing via video link.

While it was still too early to calculate the financial impact of the disaster, Criswell acknowledged that "this is going to be billions."

"Thanks to the bipartisan support of Congress, we have enough funding to support this recovery effort and these response efforts," she added.

Regarding immediate aid FEMA could offer California residents whose homes have been destroyed, Criswell offered some advice.

"There's two things — they need to register for assistance with FEMA so that they can get in our system and we can continue to work with them on a case-by-case basis," she said, "because we know that everybody is going to have an individual and unique need. And they need to contact their insurance company, because their insurance company may also provide alternate living expenses."

After Hurricane Helene destroyed thousands of homes in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, misinformation was spread by President-elect Donald Trump and others about FEMA's ability to fund housing needs for displaced residents.

At Friday's press conference, Criswell made sure to assure Californians that FEMA could help cover immediate housing needs.

"One of the biggest tools and the best resources we have is reimbursing individuals either for the hotel costs that they are experiencing right now or, if they find a place to rent, reimbursing them for rental assistance," Criswell said.

The Archer brush fire that flared up in the Granada Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles late Friday morning has been halted in its tracks, according to the L.A. Fire Department.

With forward progress stopped at 31.5 acres, a mandatory evacuation order for the area bounded by Balboa and the 5 freeway to the east, Tampa to the west, Sesnon to the south and Sunshine Canyon Road to the north has been downgraded to an evacuation warning.

The wider evacuation warning previously in place for the surrounding areas has been lifted.

Five people have died in the Eaton Fire that started in Altadena, Calif., on Tuesday night. One of those who died as a result of the wildfire was 83-year-old Rodney Nickerson, a grandfather who was discovered dead in his bed by his family amid the rubble and fire destruction.

"We found his bones, his whole body was intact," his daughter Kimiko Nickerson told the local CBS News affiliate.

Kimiko said she, her son and neighbors all tried to get him to evacuate, but he insisted that he was going to be fine. "That was the last thing he verbally said to me was, 'I'll be here tomorrow,'" she said.

Photographers have captured striking images showing just some of the devastation and heartbreak caused by the Los Angeles-area wildfires, which have scorched more than 30,000 acres and reduced entire neighborhoods to ash.

Click here to view.

The Los Angeles Fire Department has issued a mandatory evacuation for the Archer Fire in parts of Granada Hills. The areas that should immediately evacuate include: Balboa and the Interstate 5 freeway, Tampa, Sesnon and Sunshine Canyon Road.

The worst of the Santa Ana wind storm appears to be over, according to weather forecasters. Those ferocious downslope winds, which packed gusts over 100 mph that spread wildfires across the Los Angeles region, are expected to continue to recede throughout the day.

USA Today spoke with AccuWeather senior meteorologist Heather Zehr about the forecast:

Zehr added that the return of the Santa Ana winds expected Monday through Wednesday will not be "a replica of the winds from earlier this week." Instead, they will be much milder.

Read more from USA Today.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is vowing that the city will “aggressively rebuild” homes and structures lost in this week’s wildfires.

"With so many homes and businesses lost, we are already putting plans in place to make sure that we aggressively rebuild,” Bass said at a Friday-morning press conference. “My office is leading the city effort to clear the way. Red tape, bureaucracy, all of it must go. This will be an enormous undertaking, but we will be ready for it."

But a home builder who spoke with Yahoo News questioned how quickly that would happen.

“A person whose house burned down yesterday, let’s say, they submit their plans,” Jeff Whiteman, the proprietor of his own Los Angeles construction company, said in a phone interview. “They’re going to look at, at least, 18 to 24 months before they’re basically even looked at by the city. They could be three years [before being approved].”

Whiteman, who had just completed a home in Malibu for a client that was destroyed in the Palisades Fire this week, pointed to the speed of the rebuilding effort following 2018’s Woolsey Fire. That blaze destroyed 1,643 structures and left three people dead. Since then, the city of Malibu says it has issued 296 permits to rebuild homes and that just 396 applications to rebuild have been approved by the planning commission.

Bass did not specify which red tape she was hoping to cut to speed up the permitting process.

“This part of California is incredibly difficult to build in because of permitting and regulations and then you add in areas like the Palisades and Malibu where you then have to deal with the coastal commission,” said Whiteman, who added that he was skeptical that would change.

“Nobody is going to see anything positive from this for several years at the minimum,” he said of contractors like himself, adding, “The people that service that area — I’m talking gardeners, housekeepers, service people — are now out of work.”

Wildfires in Southern California have caused tens of thousands of residents to flee their homes. Many Los Angeles residents are returning to the rubble and remnants of their homes, including celebrities.

Actor Milo Ventimiglia returned to the charred remains of his Malibu home during a CBS News interview. It's an eerie reflection of the fate suffered by his "This Is Us" character, who dies from smoke inhalation after his home burns down.

The 47-year-old is expecting a baby with his wife any day now. "We got good friends and we got good people we're working with and we'll make do. Wife and baby and dog, most important," Ventimiglia said.

Mel Gibson told TMZ that his Malibu home was "perfectly burnt" and you could put the ashes "in an urn." Gibson says he's grateful his loved ones weren't harmed in the fire.

Paris Hilton wrote on Instagram Wednesday that when she stood at the site of what was once her home, it felt like her heart had "shattered into a million pieces," and that knowing other people have also lost everything "breaks my heart even more."

Water companies in Southern California concerned about the safety of the water supply right now have issued advisories and are encouraging customers to either boil tap water or use bottled water instead. Here are the latest advisories:

• Altadena: Lincoln Avenue Water Company, Las Flores Water Company and the Rubio Cañon Land and Water Association advise their customers not to use tap water until further notice. Customers should only use bottled water for drinking, personal hygiene and cooking and should not try to treat the water by boiling or filtering.

• Malibu: L.A. County Waterworks District 29 advises customers to only use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking purposes to avoid stomach or intestinal illness until further notice. Customers affected are in the neighborhoods of Sunset Mesa, Big Rock and Carbon Mesa. This does not include areas in Topanga Canyon more than a mile from the beach.

• Pacific Palisades: Customers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power have been under a boil water notice since Wednesday. Customers should only use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking purposes. Areas include zip code 90272 as well as adjacent communities north of San Vicente Boulevard.

• Pasadena: Customers located in certain areas serviced by Pasadena Water and Power should only use bottled water for drinking, personal hygiene and preparing food until further notice. Customers should not try to treat the water by boiling or filtering You can check the map of affected areas from the advisory here.

• Near Angeles National Forest: Customers of Kinneloa Irrigation District living in hillside and canyon areas north of Altadena should only use bottled water for drinking or cooking and should not use tap water.

• San Fernando Valley: Now that evacuation orders for the Hurst Fire have been lifted, Cal Fire advises residents returning home to avoid drinking tap water until the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power advises that it's safe to do so.

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Friday pledged to protect the FAIR Plan, the state's insurer of last resort, in the wake of the catastrophic wildfires that have destroyed roughly 10,000 structures so far.

“Once the fires are brought under control, we will get data directly from the insurance industry and the Fair Plan,” Lara said, adding that his staff would work on “maintaining the Fair Plan’s financial health while getting people back to the regular market where they belong.”

California and Florida are in the midst of an insurance crisis, in which private insurance companies have either canceled or refused to issue new homeowners policies due to the rising risks born of climate change. As a result, the number of customers who have turned to the FAIR Plan has exploded.

"As of September 2024 (current fiscal year-end), the FAIR Plan’s total exposure is $458 billion, reflecting a 61.3% increase since September 2023 (prior fiscal year-end)," the FAIR Plan says on its website.

Ironically, the FAIR Plan, which is administered by the state and offers bare bones, relatively expensive coverage, is underwritten not by taxpayers but by the same insurance companies that have been denying policies to thousands of residents. When big natural disasters like the current fires in Southern California tap the plan's reserves, those companies will be obliged to dramatically raise rates on all existing policies to help shore up the losses.

“In California, just as in Florida, ordinary homeowners who have car insurance policies, life insurance, will be on the hook for the failures of the insurance in that state,” Susan Crawford, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former science adviser to President Obama, told Yahoo News in September.

Satellite images taken before, during and after the wildfires in Los Angeles capture just some of the sheer size of the destruction they've caused.

The following, taken over Pacific Palisades, shows an entire neighborhood on Oct. 20, 2024, and then again on Jan. 9, in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire. (Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters)

The director of L.A. County's Office of Emergency Management apologized for the evacuation alerts that were mistakenly sent to millions of residents on Thursday and Friday.

“There is an extreme amount of frustration, anger, fear, with regards to the erroneous messages that have been being sent out through the wireless emergency alert system across L.A. County," Office of Emergency Management Director Kevin McGowan told reporters at Friday's press briefing. "I can’t express enough how sorry I am for this experience.”

McGowan said that the erroneous alerts were not caused by human error.

"I want to clarify: This is not human-driven. There is no one sitting at a desk right now initiating emergency alerts," he explained. "I want to restate that right now, as these alerts are being issued, they are not being activated or initiated by a person.”

McGowan said that he is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fix the problem.

“We have every technical specialist working to resolve this issue and to find the root cause,” he said.

The Los Angeles Police Department announced Friday that it has set up resources for people trying to locate missing persons specifically related to the Palisades Fire.

A family assistance center has been set up at Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, at 2551 Motor Ave. in Los Angeles, assistant chief Dominic Choi told reporters.

It will be open Friday, Jan. 10 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. local time and Saturday, Jan. 11 from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. local time.

"We will have 10 officers there ready to receive anyone who needs to report a missing person related to the Palisades Fire," Choi said.

The American Red Cross, the mayor's crisis response team, the L.A. County Medical Examiner's Office and L.A. County Department of Mental Health will be there to provide support, answer questions and provide additional information related to peoplemissing in the Palisades Fire.

At the press briefing, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said that approximately 153,000 residents are currently under mandatory evacuation orders, while another 166,800 are under evacuation warnings, which means there's a potential threat to life or property.

More than 57,000 structures are at risk as a result of the wildfires, Luna said.

And an overnight curfew order that was established for areas affected by the Palisade and Eaton fires and mandatory evacuation zones will again be in effect tonight at 6 p.m., he said.

Investigators determined that there was not enough probable cause to arrest a man who was taken into custody by police near the Kenneth Fire on suspicion of arson on Thursday, Los Angeles Police Department Assistant Chief Dominic Choi told reporters.

The man, whose name was not released, was instead arrested for felony probation violation, he said.

Police had responded to a report of a male suspect attempting to light a fire in the Woodland Hills area around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Choi said. People in the neighborhood held the man down until officers arrived.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing, Choi added.

The cause of the Eaton Fire, which has burned nearly 14,000 acres, more than 4,000 structures and is 3% contained, remains unknown, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said at a press conference on Friday.

More than 1,500 firefighting personnel have been deployed to battle that fire, he said. One firefighter who suffered "a significant fall injury" was hospitalized and is in stable condition.

He confirmed that the Eaton Fire threatened Mount Wilson on Thursday, but he said the observatory "is OK thanks to firefighters and observatory staff, and no buildings have been destroyed."

Marrone said the Kenneth Fire, which erupted late Thursday afternoon near Woodland Hills, "has been stopped."

The fire is currently listed at 1,000 acres and 35% containment, he said, adding that no structures have been reported damaged or destroyed.

Los Angeles County has issued a public apology after at least two evacuation alerts were mistakenly sent to residents in the last 24 hours.

"We are aware of the reports of erroneous messages, and we apologize for the disruption," the county said in a brief message posted on X. "We are working with FEMA to investigate the issue."

On Thursday afternoon an evacuation alert was mistakenly sent to 10 million people in Los Angeles County.

Residents in Beverly Hills received another erroneous evacuation alert from the L.A. County Fire Department at 4 a.m. Friday.

The National Weather Service says conditions should be more favorable today for firefighters battling the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif.

There's still a red flag warning in effect until 6 p.m. local time for the area. "The good news is that red flag warning is mostly just for those high elevation stations," NWS meteorologist James White said during a Friday morning briefing.

"Those winds are going to die down pretty quick through the day," he said, adding that conditions will still be very dry.

"Overall the weather should be pretty favorable for you all to make progress today, take advantage of it," White said.

Over 600 California National Guard troops have been deployed to assist first responders and local law enforcement, largely to prevent looters from stealing from evacuated homes.

"Taking advantage of evacuated communities is absolutely sick," California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X while announcing their arrival. "Looting will not be tolerated."

Among the more than 7,500 personnel currently fighting the wildfires in Los Angeles, nearly 800 are incarcerated.

California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said in a statement on Thursday that it has deployed 783 incarcerated firefighters to help cut fire lines and remove fuel to slow the fires from spreading.

The firefighters, who participate voluntarily, earn $5.80-$10.24 per day plus $1 an hour when responding to active emergencies, the CDCR said.

U.S. states have long looked to prison labor to respond to natural disasters. And, as NPR notes, California has relied on incarcerated firefighters since 1915.

The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) has provided multiple updates about the five active wildfires in Los Angeles County:

• Palisades Fire: 20,438 acres, 8% contained

• Eaton Fire: 13,690 acres, 0% contained

• Kenneth Fire: 960 acres, 35% contained (L.A. and Ventura counties)

• Hurst Fire: 771 acres, 37% contained

• Lidia Fire: 394 acres, 75% contained

At least 130,000 people were under evacuation orders early Friday, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The wildfires have led numerous school districts in Los Angeles County, including the Los Angeles Unified School District, to close schools for another day.

Here's the updated list of closures as of 6:30 a.m. local time:

• Alhambra Unified School District

• Arcadia Unified School District

• Burbank Unified School District

• Culver City Unified School District

• Duarte Unified School District

• El Monte City School District

• Glendale Unified School District

• La Canada Unified

• Los Angeles County Office of Education: Barry J Nidorf and Campus Kilpatrick

• Los Angeles Unified School District

• Monrovia Unified School District

• Mountain View School District

• Pasadena Unified School District

• Rosemead Unified School District

• San Gabriel Unified School District

• Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District

• South Pasadena Unified School District

• Temple City Unified School District

A Canadian firefighting plane had to be grounded Thursday after it was struck by a drone flown by a civilian, a Los Angeles fire official said.

The plane, known as a "Super Scooper," was being used to drop water on the Palisades Fire. It "sustained wing damage and remains grounded and out of service," Erik Scott, public information officer for the L.A. Fire Department, wrote on X.

No one was reported injured, Scott said, and the incident is under investigation by the FAA.

"We would like to remind everyone that flying a drone in the midst of firefighting efforts is a federal crime and punishable by up to 12 months in prison or a fine of up to $75,000," he added.

The National Weather Service has extended its red flag warning for portions of Los Angeles and Ventura counties through 6 p.m. local time on Friday, as gusty Santa Ana winds and extremely low humidity continue to complicate firefighting efforts.

Gusts of 35 to 55 mph are likely Friday, with locally higher gusts in the mountains and hills, according to the alert. Winds are expected to become calmer later in the day.

"The threat doesn't end after Friday however," the weather service warned on its website. "Offshore winds will continue into early next week, peaking Sunday and Tuesday/Wednesday. There is a 40-50% chance for Red Flag Conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday. Continue to practice fire safety by avoiding work that creates sparks, report any smoke, and stay informed. Gather items you will need, should you be evacuated."

Hours after an evacuation alert was mistakenly sent to 10 million people in Los Angeles County, residents in Beverly Hills received another erroneous evacuation alert from the L.A. County Fire Department.

"At approximately 4 a.m. today, some residents in Beverly Hills may have received another evacuation alert from the LA County Fire Department," the City of Beverly Hills explained in a post on X. "The County’s Office of Emergency Management has confirmed this was another error. There are no evacuations currently affecting BH."

A man was arrested on suspicion of arson late Thursday afternoon in the area of the Kenneth Fire in Woodland Hills, Calif., police officials said.

According to KTLA, residents spotted the man attempting to light a fire with what appeared to be a “propane tank or a flamethrower” and held him down until police arrived.

His identity has not been released, and authorities have not confirmed whether the incident was connected to the Kenneth Fire or any of the other active wildfires in Los Angeles County.

Wildfires continue to burn in Los Angeles, destroying thousands of homes, scorching tens of thousands of acres, forcing hundreds of thousands of evacuations and leaving at least 10 people dead, officials say.

• There are at least five active wildfires in Los Angeles County, according to Cal Fire:
  
  Palisades Fire: 19,978 acres, 6% contained
  Eaton Fire: 13,690 acres, 0% contained
  Kenneth Fire: 960 acres, 0% contained (L.A. and Ventura counties)
  Hurst Fire: 771 acres, 37% contained
  Lidia Fire: 394 acres, 75% contained
  

• At least 130,000 people were under mandatory evacuation orders, according to the Los Angeles Times

• More than 10,000 homes and other structures have been destroyed

• More than 250,000 customers remain without power

• Santa Ana winds that have fueled the fires are expected to calm Friday and Saturday before picking up again Sunday

The Los Angeles area remained under siege Thursday from multiple wildfires that continued to burn despite a slight break in the Santa Ana winds helping to spread them.

Here's a look at what transpired on the third day of the "wind event" that has helped lead wildfires to destroy thousands of structures and has left at least six people dead.

• The Kenneth Fire erupted Thursday afternoon and quickly spread to more than 500 acres

• "The devastation out there is catastrophic," President Biden said during a Thursday news conference

• Vice President Kamala Harris called the fires "apocalyptic"

• Over 360,000 people are under mandatory evacuations

• Late Thursday, evacuations were ordered for the West Hills neighborhood as a new blaze, the Kenneth Fire, grows

• Air quality remains a worry, health officials say

• Firefighters from neighboring states and Canada have been flooding into L.A. to help fight the fires

• The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department confirmed the death of a person in the Palisades Fire

• A "technical error" resulted in thousands of residents receiving a misleading evacuation notice

• The Los Angeles Lakers canceled their game Thursday against the Charlotte Hornets

• Lakers coach JJ Redick is one of thousands of Angelenos whose homes were destroyed in the fires

• The Woodley Fire and the Sunset Fire are now both 100% contained, but the two largest blazes remain 0% contained

• Another Santa Ana wind event has been forecast for Monday and Tuesday

An emergency message received on the phones of thousands of residents in the Los Angeles area "was mistakenly issued countywide due to a technical error," Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn clarified in a message on X.

"It was meant to be for the areas impacted by the Kenneth Fire in Woodland Hills," she explained in a follow-up.

A second message asking residents to "disregard" the mistake was sent out minutes later.

The wildfires in Los Angeles have destroyed more than 2,000 structures, fire officials say. And Hollywood stars are among the many who have lost homes.

Billy Crystal and his wife, Janice, lost their home of 46 years in Pacific Palisades, where the Palisades Fire has been deemed the most destructive in L.A. history.

“Words cannot describe the enormity of the devastation we are witnessing and experiencing," the couple said in a joint statement to the Hollywood Reporter. "We ache for our friends and neighbors who have also lost their homes and businesses in this tragedy. Janice and I lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can’t be taken away. We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this."

According to Yahoo Entertainment, other celebrities who have lost homes include:

• Anna Faris

• Adam Brody and Leighton Meester

• Melissa Rivers

• Paris Hilton

• Mandy Moore

• Cary Elwes

• Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag

• Ricki Lake

• Cameron Mathison

• Sandra Lee

Read more: California wildfires: Billy Crystal, Paris Hilton, Mandy Moore among celebrities who lost homes

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna announced Thursday afternoon that all neighborhoods affected by the raging Palisades and Eaton fires will soon be subject to a mandatory 6 p.m.-to-6 a.m. PT curfew.

"Our goal is to try and implement it tonight," Luna said, adding that legal requirements to "notify the community" could briefly delay the order.

Luna cited recent arrests for looting as part of the reason for requiring residents to remain in their homes overnight.

"Preliminarily, we have about 12 arrests related to looting," he said, noting that the exact number has yet to be confirmed and may be as high as 16. "That is unacceptable behavior."

Going forward, Luna expressed hope that federal law-enforcement resources — including about 400 members of the National Guard set to arrive as soon as Thursday night — will help "send a stronger message" of deterrence "so we don't continue to victimize those who have lost their homes."

In response to the rapidly growing Kenneth Fire, the Los Angeles Fire Department has issued a mandatory evacuation order for parts of the West Hills neighborhood, which is located at the edge of the San Fernando Valley and L.A. County. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass posted the evacuation boundaries in a post on X:

The Kenneth Fire erupted Thursday afternoon, and has now burned roughly 50 acres.

A FEMA official updated the number of people who have been evacuated so far in the ongoing wildfires in Southern California.

"Over 360,000 [are] under mandatory evacuations, hundreds of thousands more with warnings," Robert Fenton, FEMA Region 9 Administrator, told President Biden on Thursday. "What we're doing now is ensuring that we're able to provide any support to provide mass care to individuals," Fenton said, including assistance for sheltering and feeding people.

"I appreciate what you're doing," Biden told Fenton. "Like you said, 360,000 people have been evacuated so far."

Since the outbreak of the wildfires across the L.A. area this week, the air quality in the region has plummeted.

Dr. Afif El-Hasan, an asthma specialist at Kaiser Permanente, told KTLA News Thursday that the poor air presents serious health concerns.

"It can cause difficulty breathing when the ash goes down into the lungs," El-Hasan said, adding, "Long term, we are concerned the more and more people are exposed to this kind of pollution, it can cause long-term inflammation, long-term issues."

El-Hasan noted that "some of the smaller particles can actually get down into the lungs and even the lower lungs."

"There's another problem we have to deal with because man-made objects are getting burned as well. It's not just vegetation causing ash and the chemicals from that. These fires are also burning plastics and metals that are found in houses, so people are also inhaling chemicals as well and those can go down even further into the lungs and into the bloodstream."

Hasan advised residents to wear N-95 face masks and to use air purifiers in the home.

After being briefed at the White House Thursday afternoon, President Biden spoke to Americans about the wildfires that continue to raze neighborhoods across the Los Angeles area.

"The devastation out there is catastrophic," Biden said.

He went on to say that the federal government would pay for anything and everything firefighter groups needed for the next 180 days as they continue to fight fires and help victims and evacuees.

"We are with you," he said to Californians hours after delivering a eulogy at the funeral of former President Carter at Washington's National Cathedral. "We are not going anywhere."

Biden had previously been scheduled to speak in the Coachella Valley on Tuesday to announce the creation of two new national monuments that would honor Native American tribes. The event ended up being canceled because of the strong Santa Ana winds that have fueled the wildfires.

Vice President Kamala Harris joined Biden at the White House briefing.

"What we have seen in California, particularly in Southern California, is apocalyptic," Harris, sitting next to Biden, told the press. "This is something that's going to have an impact for months and years to come."

In addition to fire agencies from Northern California who have traveled to Los Angeles County to help contain the ongoing wildfires, several outside groups and states have sent fire crews and aid personnel.

At a media briefing Wednesday night, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said that Oregon was sending 60 firefighter teams, Washington state was sending 45, Utah was sending 15, New Mexico was sending 10 and Arizona was sending "numerous" teams to the Los Angeles area.

Red Cross workers from Oregon and southwestern Washington are expected to fly to Southern California sometime Thursday afternoon to help staff some of the shelters housing wildfire evacuees.

The federal government is also trying to support firefighting efforts, with Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh telling reporters on Wednesday that the Nevada National Guard would be working with the California National Guard and that 10 Navy helicopters with water delivery buckets were sent to California.

Twenty-three members of the Navajo Scouts, which is based in the Navajo Nation reservation in New Mexico, would be traveling to Los Angeles to help out too, Navajo Nation president Bu Nygren said in a post on social media Thursday.

Outside of the U.S., the Quebec government in Canada sent multiple firefighting aircraft and crews to L.A. to help support the community.

The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department on Thursday confirmed the first death in the Palisades Fire, NBC News reported. The identity of the victim has not been released.

This brings the total number of deaths reported so far to six. Five people have been reported killed in the Eaton Fire in Altadena and Pasadena.

As multiple wildfires continue to burn throughout the Los Angeles area, nearly 180,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes — and many are not sure if they will have a home to return to.

If you are someone following the horrific news from afar and unsure of how to help, several organizations are accepting donations to continue helping the affected communities and people.

From California Community Foundation's Wildfire Recovery Fund to verified GoFundMe fundraisers and Pasadena Humane, here's a list of organizations that are helping the victims of the fires.

Read more from Yahoo News.