Firefighters Race to Contain Los Angeles Wildfires with Menacing Winds Forecast to Return

 An helicopter flies as smoke billows from the Palisades Fire at the Mandeville Canyon, in Los Angeles, California, US, January 11, 2025. (Reuters)
An helicopter flies as smoke billows from the Palisades Fire at the Mandeville Canyon, in Los Angeles, California, US, January 11, 2025. (Reuters)
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Firefighters Race to Contain Los Angeles Wildfires with Menacing Winds Forecast to Return

 An helicopter flies as smoke billows from the Palisades Fire at the Mandeville Canyon, in Los Angeles, California, US, January 11, 2025. (Reuters)
An helicopter flies as smoke billows from the Palisades Fire at the Mandeville Canyon, in Los Angeles, California, US, January 11, 2025. (Reuters)

Firefighters raced Saturday to cut off spreading wildfires before potentially strong winds return that could push the flames toward the world famous J. Paul Getty Museum and the University of California, Los Angeles, while new evacuation warnings left more homeowners on edge.

A fierce battle against the flames was underway in Mandeville Canyon, home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities not far from the Pacific coast, where swooping helicopters dumped water as the blaze charged downhill. Firefighters on the ground used hoses in an attempt to beat back leaping flames as thick smoke blanketed the chaparral-covered hillside.

At a briefing, CalFire Operations Chief Christian Litz said a main focus Saturday would be the Palisades Fire burning in the canyon area, not far from the UCLA campus.

"We need to be aggressive out there," Litz said.

County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the LA area "had another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak, and even more Angelenos evacuated due to the northeast expansion of the Palisades Fire."

Only light breezes were fanning the flames, but the National Weather Service warned that locally strong Santa Ana winds — the nemesis of firefighters — could soon return. Those winds have been blamed for turning wildfires into infernos that leveled entire neighborhoods in the LA area, where there has been no significant rainfall in more than eight months.

The fire also was threatening to jump over Interstate 405, a main traffic artery through the area, which could become a gateway to densely populated areas in the Hollywood Hills and San Fernando Valley.

The hunt for bodies continues

Even as the fires spread, the grim work of sifting through the devastation continued Saturday, with teams conducting systematic grid searches with cadaver dogs, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. A family assistance center also was being set up in Pasadena, said Luna, who urged residents to abide by curfews.

"We have people driving up and around trying to get in just to look. Stay away," he said. "We understand that this is extremely stressful and absolutely challenging, but we appreciate the public’s cooperation as we work together to get through this crisis."

The fires have consumed about 56 square miles (145 square kilometers) — an area larger than San Francisco. Tens of thousands of people remained under evacuation orders and new evacuations were ordered Friday evening in an area that includes part of Interstate 405 after a flare up on the eastern side of the Palisades Fire.

Since the fires first began popping up around a densely populated, 25-mile (40-kilometer) expanse north of downtown LA, they have burned more than 12,000 structures, a term that includes homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles. No cause has been identified yet for the largest fires.

Survivors return to the wreckage of their homes

On Friday, many residents returned in a state of shock. For some, it was a first look at the stark reality of what was lost as the region of 13 million people grapples with the ominous challenge of overcoming the disaster and rebuilding.

Bridget Berg, who was at work when she watched television coverage of her house in Altadena erupt in flames, came back for the first time with her family two days later "just to make it real."

Their feet crunched across the broken bits of what had been their home for 16 years.

Her kids sifted through debris on the sidewalk, finding a clay pot and a few keepsakes as they searched for Japanese wood prints they hoped to recover. Her husband pulled his hand out of rubble near the still-standing fireplace, holding up a piece of petrified wood handed down by his grandmother.

"It’s OK. It’s OK," Berg said as much to herself as others as she took stock of the destruction, remembering the deck and pool from which her family watched fireworks. "It’s not like we just lost our house — everybody lost their house."

City leadership accused of skimping on firefighting funds

Allegations of leadership failures and political blame have begun and so have investigations. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered state officials to determine why a 117 million-gallon (440 million-liter) reservoir was out of service and some hydrants had run dry. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said city leadership failed her department by not providing enough money for firefighting. She also criticized the lack of water.

"When a firefighter comes up to a hydrant, we expect there’s going to be water," she said.

At least 11 people have been killed, five in the Palisades Fire and six in the Eaton Fire, according to the LA County medical examiner's office. Officials said they expected that number to rise as cadaver dogs search leveled neighborhoods and crews assess the devastation, and on Friday authorities established a center where people could report the missing.

The disaster took homes from everyone — from waiters to movie stars. The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage, but private firms have estimated it will climb into the tens of billions. The Walt Disney Co. announced Friday it will donate $15 million to respond to the fires and help rebuild.

The flames hit schools, churches, a synagogue, libraries, boutiques, restaurants, banks and local landmarks including the Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House and a Queen Anne-style mansion in Altadena that was commissioned by wealthy mapmaker Andrew McNally and had stood since 1887.

Progress made on fighting the Eaton fire

Firefighters for the first time made progress Friday afternoon on the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena, which has burned more than 7,000 structures. Officials said most evacuation orders for the area had been lifted.

LA Mayor Karen Bass, who faces a critical test of her leadership as her city endures its greatest crisis in decades, said several smaller fires also were stopped.

Crews earlier Friday had been gaining ground on the Palisades Fire, which burned 5,300 structures and is the most destructive in LA's history.

California National Guard troops arrived on the streets of Altadena before dawn to help protect property in the fire evacuation zone, and evening curfews were in effect to prevent looting after several earlier arrests.

The level of devastation is jarring even in a state that regularly confronts massive wildfires.

Meghan and Harry visit On Friday, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan visited the Pasadena Convention Center to help hand out food to evacuees.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who live about 90 miles (145 km) north of the Los Angeles area, also listed organizations supporting fire victims on their website.



China Hopes Aging Dalai Lama Can 'Return to Right Path'

People stroll in Guozijian Hutong alley in Beijing on February 9, 2025. (Photo by Pedro PARDO / AFP)
People stroll in Guozijian Hutong alley in Beijing on February 9, 2025. (Photo by Pedro PARDO / AFP)
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China Hopes Aging Dalai Lama Can 'Return to Right Path'

People stroll in Guozijian Hutong alley in Beijing on February 9, 2025. (Photo by Pedro PARDO / AFP)
People stroll in Guozijian Hutong alley in Beijing on February 9, 2025. (Photo by Pedro PARDO / AFP)

China hopes the Dalai Lama can "return to the right path" and is open to discussions about the Nobel Peace laureate's future as long as certain conditions are met, the foreign ministry said on Monday.

The exiled leader of Tibetan Buddhism, who turns 90 this year, fled Tibet in 1959 for India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, but has expressed a desire to return to Tibet before he dies.

China is open to talks about the future of the Dalai Lama as long as he abandons his position of splitting the "motherland," a foreign ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, told a regular press conference, according to Reuters.

Guo was responding to a request for comment on the death of the spiritual leader's elder brother Gyalo Thondup, who had previously acted as his unofficial envoy in talks with Chinese officials.
Gyalo Thondup died on Sunday, aged 97, in his home in the Indian town of Kalimpong.
The Dalai Lama needs to openly recognize that Tibet and Taiwan are inalienable parts of China, whose sole legal government is that of the People's Republic of China, Guo said, using the country's official name.
The Dalai Lama stepped down in 2011 as the political leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile, which Beijing does not recognize. Official talks with his representatives have stalled since.
As the Dalai Lama ages, the question of his successor has also become increasingly urgent. China insists it will choose his successor as Tibet's spiritual leader.
But the Dalai Lama says he will clarify questions about the succession, such as if and where he will be reincarnated, in line with Tibetan Buddhist belief, around the time of his 90th birthday in July.
A new book by the Dalai Lama, due out in March to coincide with the anniversary of the uprising, is expected to outline a framework for the future of Tibet "even after I am gone", he has said.