Wildfires swept across Los Angeles County this week, leaving historic devastation in their wake. Two of those fires, the Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills and the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, have affected Beverly Hills and regions nearby.
The Sunset Fire broke out around 6 p.m. on Jan. 8 on the 2300 block of Solar Drive and soon encompassed 43 acres, according to Cal Fire. Evacuations were ordered between Laurel Canyon Boulevard on the west, Mulholland Drive on the north, the 101 Freeway on the east and Hollywood Boulevard on the south.
An evacuation warning was in place for areas north of Sunset Boulevard and east of Coldwater Canyon Drive, which encompasses parts of Beverly Hills.
All of those evacuation orders were lifted by the morning of Jan. 9. A statement from the city of Beverly Hills indicated, “As of approximately 7:30 a.m., the city of L.A. lifted its voluntary evacuation order that impacted the area north of Sunset and east of Coldwater Canyon Dr. related to the Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills. The Beverly Hills Fire Department continues to work closely with its neighboring partners and is monitoring any updates that could impact Beverly Hills.”
The Palisades Fire was first reported on Jan. 7 in the area of Piedra Morada and Monte Hermoso drives. Unrelenting Santa Ana winds have continued to propel the fire, which has burned more than 20,000 acres and destroyed or damaged more than 5,000 structures. One fatality has been reported in Malibu as a result of the fire. As of press time, the Palisades Fire continues to burn with 0% containment.
“It is safe to say that the Palisades Fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles,” said Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley at a Jan. 9 press conference. During that conference, L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna indicated that at least 20 arrests had been made for suspicion of looting. Also present was L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who warned that looters will be prosecuted under the fullest extent of the law.
“Not since the 1990s when Los Angeles was hit with the fires, the flood, the earthquake and the riots have I seen such disaster in our city,” said Hochman. “But like back then, Los Angeles has true grit, it has resilience.”
Mandatory evacuation orders were still in place as of Jan. 9 across Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica and Malibu. Schools in the central and eastern part of Los Angeles Unified School District were closed on Jan. 8. All LAUSD schools were closed Jan. 9 and will remain closed Jan. 10. All school campuses in the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District were closed Jan. 8 and 9. Schools in the Beverly Hills Unified School District were closed on Jan. 9.
Road closures have effectively blocked all of the Pacific Coast Highway between the Santa Monica Freeway and Topanga Canyon. Historic and iconic structures that have been reported damaged or destroyed by the Palisades Fire include the Reel Inn, Cholada Thai, the Will Rogers historic ranch house and the Topanga Ranch Motel.
Further east, a fire in Altadena, which is being called the Eaton Fire, also continued to burn as of Jan. 9. Five people have been reported dead from the blaze, which had burned almost 14,000 acres and was 0% contained as of press time. As of Jan. 9, the blaze was also approaching dangerously close to the vital transmission towers set up at Mt. Wilson.
More than 32,500 residents were placed under evacuation orders in regions close to the Eaton Fire, including parts of Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, Glendale and Altadena. Erratic winds grounded aerial firefighting assets, and ground crews were unable to keep pace with the flames’ advance overnight. Firefighting aircraft were able to resume flights on Jan. 8.
As a result of the fire, classes were canceled Jan. 8 and 9 for schools in the Pasadena, Glendale, Alhambra, South Pasadena, San Marino, La Cañada, Burbank, Arcadia and Monrovia Unified School Districts.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said that in addition to the five fatalities, there were “a number of significant injuries” due to the Eaton Fire. He also said that roughly 1,000 structures had been “damaged or destroyed.” Among the structures destroyed was the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center.
In Sylmar, the Hurst Fire has burned more than 850 acres with 10% containment as of press time. Evacuations were ordered for the area north of the 210 Freeway from Roxford Street to the 5 Freeway and 14 Freeway split, according to the LAFD.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, whose Third District includes Beverly Hills, has issued frequent notifications to constituents. “There are now four major fires in the County and three in the Third District: The Palisades, Hurst, and Sunset Fires. The Red Flag warning will remain in place through 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10,” Horvath said in one communique.
She also joined the ranks of those in the line of fire, literally, after receiving an evacuation warning for her own residence.
The ongoing fires have thrown a wrench into Hollywood’s awards season, with some events postponed or altered.
The 30th annual Critics Choice Awards ceremony, which was scheduled for Jan. 12 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, was postponed until Jan. 26. The American Film Institute’s annual AFI Awards luncheon that had been scheduled for Jan. 10 at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills was also postponed. No new date was immediately announced.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that in light of the Southern California wildfires, the nomination voting period for the Oscars that began Jan. 8 and was scheduled to end Jan. 12 has been extended until Jan. 14. The Oscar nominations announcement that had been scheduled for Jan. 17 was pushed back to Jan. 19.
The wildfires are set to be the costliest in United States history, analysts said on Jan. 9, as the initial estimates of damage from the infernos soared. Total economic losses from the fires are now pegged at close to $50 billion, double the previous estimate.
