LOS ANGELES — A pair of massive wildfires menacing Los Angeles from the east and west were still burning unchecked early on Thursday, two days after they ignited, but firefighting crews made progress overnight in controlling a smaller blaze burning in the hills overlooking Hollywood Boulevard.
The Palisades fire between Santa Monica and Malibu on the city’s western flank and the Eaton fire in the east near Pasadena are already the most destructive in Los Angeles history, burning nearly 28,000 acres—an area exceeding the size of Disney World. At least five people have been killed and thousands of structures have been incinerated.
A helicopter flies as smoke and flames rise from the Sunset Fire in the hills overlooking the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, US on January 8, 2025. REUTERS/David Swanson
The twin blazes—part of a pincer around the city so expansive that it was visible from space—remained entirely uncontained as of 6:30 a.m. (1430 GMT), according to Cal Fire.
“This firestorm is the big one,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told a press conference after rushing back to the city, cutting short an official trip to Ghana.
he wind whips embers from a burning house, as powerful winds fueling devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area force people to evacuate, at the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Los Angeles County, California, January 8, 2025. REUTERS/ Fred Greaves
Firefighters, assisted by helicopters dropping retardants and water, managed to make gains in battling the Sunset Fire, which had forced mandatory evacuations in Hollywood and Hollywood Hills—including famous show-business locations such as the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Walk of Fame—late on Wednesday.
