Los Angeles residents were under evacuation orders again on Jan. 22 as a new wildfire broke out in the Golden State, bringing more dread and hearache to its beleaguered residents who have already been through so much.
On Jan. 7 at around 10:30 a.m. Pacific time, a very large wildfire broke out in the Santa Monica Mountains in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. The fire went on to spread over 23,000 acres and caused widespread damage throughout Pacific Palisades as well as the nearby area of Topanga and the neighboring city of Malibu. So far, 11 people have died in the Palisades Fire and seven people are still unaccounted for. At least 6,528 structures have been damaged by the Palisades Fires.
As of Jan. 22, the fire is 63 percent contained. The cause of the Palisades Fire remains under investigation. The Palisades Fire is now the most destructive fire to ever occur in the Los Angeles area.
Later on Jan. 7 at 6:18 p.m., another wildfire broke out in Los Angeles County. This wildfire broke out in the Eaton Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains in the neighborhood of Altadena. By the next morning, the fire had spread to over 14,000 acres and caused a significant amount of damage to the Altadena area as well as parts of the nearby city of Pasadena.
There have been 17 confirmed deaths from the Eaton Fire, and 24 people are still unaccounted for, making it the fifth deadliest wildfire in California history. At least 9,418 structures have been damaged by the Eaton fire. As of today, the Eaton Fire is 89 percent contained. The cause of the fire remains under investigation; however, some people believe that faulty power lines from Southern California Edison may have caused the fire.
During the Palisades fire, several thousand people had to be evacuated. Of those people who were evacuated, many have lost their homes, but others did not. Maria Alden, a 67-year old woman from Pacific Palisades, was watching the news when she saw her home and learned it had been spared by the fires. But, the homes around hers were burned to the ground.
“I’m living with this kind of survivor’s guilt, to tell you the truth. I can’t even allow myself to be happy about it,” Alden told USA Today.
The Eaton fire caused significant amounts of damage to the Altadena community. Residents of Altadena said that they have seen several fires over the years. However, when this fire erupted, they already had a bad feeling about it.
“I’ve seen a ton of fires on the hillside. When I saw this, when I came out in the street and I saw the flames up on the hillside, something just told me this was different,” Altadena resident Justin Christie told Fox News Digital.
The Palisades and Eaton fires are still being contained, while a fire in Northern Los Angeles County near Castaic Lake, has just begun as of today.
The people from these affected areas need urgent help. The American Red Cross is helping those who lost their homes in the wildfires and needs donations to help. Call the American Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS or text the word CAWILDFIRES to 90999 to make a donation. Every donation will help the Red Cross give the people affected by the wildfires the assistance that they need.