Fire burns near Mountain Wilson in Angeles National Forest; Death toll in CA expected to rise | LIVE
6 fires are burning around LA County, prompting sweeping evacuations. At least five people are dead and many more injured.
LOS ANGELES -- The Eaton Fire, which has left five people dead in the Pasadena and Altadena areas, is now burning near the famed Mount Wilson Observatory and communication towers in the Angeles National Forest.
MORE: Before, during and after photos show scenes of destruction from CA wildfires
ABC7 Los Angeles' AIR7 chopper was over the fire Thursday morning. A large plume of smoke over the area made it difficult to assess whether the flames had destroyed Mountain Wilson.
If the fire compromises the site, which houses antennas and transmitters, that could affect your ability to watch the ABC7 Los Angeles Eyewitness News broadcast. You can watch continued streaming coverage on the ABC7 website or by downloading the ABC7 Los Angeles app.
Thousands of structures are destroyed or damaged after several fires broke out across Southern California amid historically dry and windy conditions.
The death toll is expected to rise, officials said on Thursday.
"At one point, we'll be able to do a more thorough search of these impacted areas, some of them look like a bomb was dropped in them, where we will be able to bring in canines and other things to help us," said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, who added he is not able to confidently give an update on additional fatalities at this time. "Unfortunately, based on the preliminary information I've seen, at least in the two large fires that we're dealing with on each side of the county, unfortunately, I think the death toll will rise."
More than 7,500 firefighters have been deployed to battle at least six major wildfires dotted around the Los Angeles area, along with several smaller blazes.
The wildfire emergency in southern California shows no signs of slowing as crews battled new wildfires overnight on Wednesday, including one in the Hollywood Hills, which is not far from landmarks like the Dolby Theater and "Hollywood Walk Of Fame."
All evacuation orders in the Hollywood Hills area have been lifted, fire officials said Thursday morning.
Nearly 2,000 homes and buildings have been destroyed and nearly 400,000 homes and businesses have lost power.
More than 100,000 people were under evacuation orders across Southern California.
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Another round of Santa Ana winds is forecast to sweep into Los Angeles on Thursday night into Friday morning, putting most of the region under a critical fire risk, as emergency responders battle to contain five quickly spreading wildfires.
Red flag and high wind warnings have been issued through Friday afternoon for wind gusts 40 to 60 mph, with 70 mph possible in the mountains.
Relative humidity could drop to as low as 5% for Southern California.
Because of the dry and windy conditions anticipated, a critical fire risk has been issued for much of the area for the next 24 hours.
Mayor Karen Bass deflected when asked about the city's preparation for the fires and her decision to travel to Ghana for its president's inauguration while serious warnings were in place for wildfires.
Bass said that should not be the focus at the moment.
"We have to protect lives, we have to save lives and we have to save homes. Rest assured, when that is done, we will absolutely do an evaluation to look at what worked, what didn't work," Bass told reporters Thursday.
"My focus right now is on the lives and on the homes," Bass said.
Bass was also asked about a reduction in budget for fire, to which she highlighted the serious budget deficit and said the numbers cited could be misleading because some funding could initially be held back. She said she did not believe reduced funding had any detrimental effect on fighting these wildfires.
"I'm not here to talk about our budget," Bass added.
Across Los Angeles, it's too early to know the true scale of the damage as video and photos show unimaginable scenes.
The fire in Pacific Palisades is now the most destructive in Los Angeles history, leveling entire blocks and reducing grocery stores and banks to rubble.
The flames tore through highly populated and affluent neighborhoods, where mansions were reduced to flaming embers.
Video recorded from sister station ABC7 Los Angeles' AIR7 chopper on Thursday morning showed the widespread destruction in Pacific Palisades after a wildfire that has grown to more than 17,000 acres ripped through the area.
"It's hard to describe the destruction down here," ABC7 helicopter reporter Scott Reiff said. "It's just so devastating. I didn't think this was going to happen. We came up over the hill, the smoke cleared, and what we're seeing down here is destruction on a scale that we've never seen anything close to this.
"Not the '92 earthquake, nothing like this," Reiff said
Flare-ups overnight Wednesday illuminated the Santa Monica Mountains above Pacific Palisades.
The toll from the fires is still being calculated. At a Thursday morning news conference, L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said the Palisades Fire along the coast burned thousands of structures. "It is safe to say that the Palisades fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles," she said.
A map shows the multiple wildfires raging across Los Angeles County, which are being fueled by dry conditions and a rare wind event, with gusts up to 100 miles per hour.
The "Eaton Fire" exploded to more than 10,000 acres in just 24 hours, with the flames marching down the mountains into densely packed communities, killing at least five people.
The power, transportation and sewer systems have been "significantly damaged" in the fires, Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella said during the briefing, as they focus on utility restoration.
There is also a "tremendous amount of debris" that needs to be cleared, he said, warning that some debris may be hazardous and toxic.
Maxar satellite before and after images capture the destruction from the blazes.
The city of Pasadena has issued an unsafe water alert, warning people not to drink tap water.
He said the reservoirs are full and "continue to be ready and at the disposal of our firefighting friends," though the municipal water system "continues to suffer poor water quality" due to the ash and debris.
"I would just say, with all caution, anyone who's remained behind, if there is any residence in your area that is burned to the ground and you are still there, you should just go ahead and boil water," he said.
Residents are being asked not to drink tap water and to drink bottled water only.
"Bottled water should be used for all drinking (including baby formula and juice), brushing teeth, washing dishes, making ice, and food preparation until further notice," the city's alert said. "This also applies to pets and domestic animals."
The city is also urging people not to try to treat the water themselves.
Officials said boiling, freezing, filtering, adding chlorine or other disinfectants, or letting water stand will not make the water safe.
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The California National Guard activated more than 600 service members in what's being called a "massive response."
Military police are helping law enforcement and firefighters.
Events across the Southern California region have been canceled or rescheduled. The NBA is postponing Lakers-Hornets game Thursday at Crypto Arena due to raging wildfires across the Los Angeles area, sources tell ESPN.
The full scope of the damage may be unknown for days.
Take a look at the latest stories and videos about the deadly California wildfires here.
ABC7 Los Angeles contributed to this report.
