Palisades Fire

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After the 'Unimaginable,' Hollywood Steps Up to Help

Halle Berry donates 'entire closet' to wildfire victims; Sharon Stone, other celebs also boosting efforts

(Newser) - As firefighters desperately work to contain the Palisades Fire and other blazes breaking out in Southern California, locals are trying to help, too —even stars like Halle Berry, who decided she was going to donate all the clothes she owns to help, reports USA Today . "I'm packing...

Police Say LA Looters Are Impersonating Firefighters

'We have people who will go to all ends to do what they do,' LAPD chief says

(Newser) - What's lower than looting homes evacuated amid the Los Angeles wildfires? How about looting homes while dressed as a firefighter? Police say at least one of the dozens of looting suspects arrested over the weekend was in disguise. "We are turning him over to LAPD because he was...

Dad-Daughter Duo Tell Neighbors if Houses Survived

Vanessa and Aluizio Prata stayed behind, do drive-bys to let neighbors know if they still have a home

(Newser) - As the fire roared toward their Altadena home, Vanessa Prata and her parents hurried to pack their car. But they didn't leave, reports the AP . Instead, the Pratas remained in their family home of 27 years, which is somehow still standing even as homes just over a block away...

Heidi Montag's Old Song Is No. 1 Again After Fire

Reality star's 'Superficial' shoots to No. 1 on iTunes after blaze destroys couple's LA-area home

(Newser) - Reality TV stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt have a small bit of consolation after the California wildfires. Variety reports that on Friday, Pratt, 41, posted a bunch of photos on TikTok showing him in front of their scorched, destroyed home, along with a plea for fans to stream Montag'...

Weather Service Issues Highest Alert Level in LA Area

Strong winds expected to return Monday night

(Newser) - Firefighters have been making progress against the deadly wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area—but that progress is being threatened by dangerous winds that have caused the National Weather Service to issue its most severe fire warning . The NWS says another round of Santa Ana winds will cause a...

Screenwriter&#39;s LA Lament: We Could Use a Hero
Screenwriter's LA Lament:
We Could Use a Hero
OPINION
Jan 13, 2025 11:21 AM CST

Screenwriter's LA Lament: We Could Use a Hero

Amy Chozick says leadership is sorely lacking amid the wildfires

(Newser) - Writer Amy Chozick, who had to flee the California wildfires with her family, voices a complaint about the experience in a New York Times essay:
  • "People keep saying the scenes out of Los Angeles look like something from a movie. Except they don't, not really. Movies need a
...

After Trump Jr. Tweet, Zelensky Pledges Help to LA

Ukrainian president offers his nation's firefighters to fight California's deadly wildfires

(Newser) - Last week, Donald Trump Jr. weighed in on the Los Angeles-area wildfires thusly: "Oh look of course The LA fire department donated a bunch of their supplies to Ukraine," the eldest son of the president-elect posted Wednesday on X , retweeting a few 2022 headlines noting that the LA...

To Rebuild Fast, Newsom Halts Environmental Rules

California's stringent regulations have been suspended for the time being after fires

(Newser) - With massive rebuilding needed in the Los Angeles area after a series of devastating wildfires, including the deadly Palisades Fire , Gov. Gavin Newsom has already made a big move to expedite that process. The New York Times reports that Newsom has given his OK to a "broad" executive order...

Pro vs. Private Firefighters: 'We Consider Them a Liability'

Private firefighters inspire controversy as they protect the rich, insurance firms, government agencies

(Newser) - As the Palisades Fire raged last week, wealthy local entrepreneur Keith Wasserman put out a tweet he's come to regret. "Does anyone have access to private firefighters to protect our home?" he posted in the since-deleted tweet. "Need to act fast here. All neighbors houses burning. Will...

Palisades Fire May Have Started at Site of New Year's Blaze

Fireworks are believed to have started first fire, which was extinguished quickly

(Newser) - Not long after midnight on the first day of the new year, firefighters were called to a fire in the Santa Monica Mountains near the southern California community of Pacific Palisades. Believed to have been sparked by New Year's Eve fireworks, it spread slowly amid relatively light 15mph winds,...

California Braces for a 'Lot More' Deaths

Firefighters make progress before high winds return

(Newser) - Crews worked to contain wildfires still out of control in the Los Angeles area on Sunday before the winds pick back up this week. A red flag warning that was issued Saturday evening was extended till Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Times reports, as was a fire watch warning. The...

Trump Blames 'Incompetent Pols' Over Wildfires

Firefighters trying to keep the biggest fire from jumping the 405

(Newser) - With four major wildfires still burning in the Los Angeles area, President-elect Trump amplified his criticism early Sunday:
  • "The fires are still raging in L.A.," he wrote on Truth Social . "The incompetent pols have no idea how to put them out. ... This is one of the
...

What's Behind LA Fire Chief's Spat With Mayor

Kristin Crowley has been faulting the city for budget cuts, and taking flak herself on DEI issues

(Newser) - Kristin Crowley was elevated to Los Angeles fire chief in 2022 at a time of turmoil in a department consumed by complaints of rampant hazing, harassment, and discrimination among its 3,400-member ranks. As a career firefighter, she was portrayed by the then-mayor as a stabilizing force. Three years later,...

Palisades Fire Spreads, Threatens More Neighborhoods

Concerns grow for Brentwood, Encino, the Getty, and UCLA

(Newser) - A shift in winds expanded the Palisades fire in the Los Angeles area, triggering an air and ground battle in Mandeville Canyon to keep the flames from reaching previously spared neighborhoods. Evacuation orders were issued covering much of Brentwood and parts of Encino and Tarzana. Helicopters and planes flew a...

LA Fire Chief Keeps Job After Ripping Mayor's Administration

Karen Bass calls Kristin Crowley in, but everyone says the chief wasn't fired

(Newser) - After a meeting so long that Mayor Karen Bass missed her Friday night media briefing on the crisis, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley emerged still in the job despite blaming the administration's budget cuts for the failure to contain the raging wildfires. Bass said this week that the...

Blind Former Child Actor Dies in LA Fires
Former Child Actor
Killed in LA Fires
Jan 11, 2025 11:30 AM CST

Former Child Actor Killed in LA Fires

The Australian actor was blind and had cerebral palsy

(Newser) - A former child actor is tragically among the victims of the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. Rory Sykes, who was on the British TV show Kiddy Kapers in the '90s, died at his family's home in Malibu on Wednesday, according to his mother, Shelley Sykes. He was 32....

Smoke From LA Fires Is Especially Dangerous

Hazardous chemicals likely released as fire rips through urban areas

(Newser) - "Wildfires in California aren't all wild anymore," the Wall Street Journal reports, meaning it's not just trees and brush going up in smoke. The fires burning throughout Los Angeles County have decimated urban areas, charring roads, homes, and commercial buildings, sending out particles likely to be...

Climate Scientist: I Got Out of LA 2 Years Ago
Climate Scientist: I Got
Out of LA 2 Years Ago
OPINION
Jan 10, 2025 2:35 PM CST

Climate Scientist: I Got Out of LA 2 Years Ago

Peter Kalmus writes that he feared a disaster like the one now unfolding

(Newser) - As a climate scientist, Peter Kalmus is monitoring the wildfire catastrophe in the Los Angeles area with concern. But in a New York Times essay, Kalmus explains that his concern has a personal twist: He uprooted his family from Altadena two years ago because the warning signs kept stacking up,...

Powerball Winner's Mansion Destroyed in Palisades Fire

Newish billionaire Edwin Castro loses $3.8M luxury home in Malibu

(Newser) - Edwin Castro's good-luck streak has ended. The California man—who won $2.04 billio n in a 2022 Powerball drawing, scooped up tens of millions of dollars' worth of luxury real estate, and won a lawsuit alleging he wasn't the rightful owner of the winning Powerball ticket—has...

Why the Hydrants Ran Dry in LA
Why the Hydrants Ran Dry in LA
Jan 10, 2025 12:55 PM CST

Why the Hydrants Ran Dry in LA

'You could fill a Rose Bowl with water and it wouldn't be enough water'

(Newser) - Fire hydrants ran dry as crews battled the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles Tuesday night—and while critics have blamed California's water management policies, officials say infrastructure simply wasn't designed to cope with the scale of the emergency. Those who "designed the system did not account for...

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