California wildfires rage in LA County, killing at least 10 and destroying thousands of homes

The City of Calabasas said all evacuation orders and warnings for the Kenneth Fire, which began Thursday afternoon, have been lifted.

The announcement came at 8:22 p.m. local time on Thursday, about five hours after the fire ignited on Victory Boulevard. The cause for the fire, which burned about 1,000 acres, remains under investigation.

For those unable to return home, an evacuation shelter is open at Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village, according to the city. Recreational facilities and activities within Calabasas remain closed until further notice.

All evacuation orders and warnings related to the Palisades Fire remain in effect.

Fox News' Bill Melugin, who is covering the wildfires in Los Angeles County, shared a video from the Pacific Palisades area early Friday morning showing complete devastation on Monument Street.

"Virtually every single house has been wiped out," Melugin wrote on X. "Some of the rubble is still burning."

He added that it is "eerily quiet" and law enforcement is taking looting "very seriously."

"Constant patrols & roadblocks. Been asked for our credentials many times," he wrote.

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says they sent a team of firefighters to assist with the devastating fires in the Palisades Wednesday and Thursday. 

DNR sent two strike teams of 35 people and 10 fire engines.

There have also been nine task forces consisting of 146 people from other departments across the state. Puget Sound Fire has sent two fire engines and there has also been assists from Valley Regional Fire, South King Fire and Rescue, the Seattle Fire Department, as well as a strike team leader from Eastside Fire and Rescue. In addition, there is a four-man engine crew from the Shoreline Fire Department.

Oregon has also said they have sent 370 firefighters from 21 strike teams from the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office and Oregon Department of Forestry, and they are not the only state to pitch in.

Neighboring states Nevada, Oregon, and Arizona, are also deploying resources.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom sent out a warning on Thursday to anyone who is thinking about looting the areas impacted by the wildfires in Los Angeles County.

Newsom said the California National Guard has arrived in the area to assist local law enforcement in protecting evacuated areas.

"Taking advantage of evacuated communities is absolutely sick," Newsom wrote on X. "Looting will not be tolerated."

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said deputies have arrested at least 20 looters since the wildfires forced residents to flee their homes.

"It's unfortunate that we have to assign people to do that task, but we have, and we have made arrests behind that," Luna said when talking about the agency's "looter suppression" group.

LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has also emphasized that looters will be prosecuted without hesitation.

The Los Angeles Fire Department says that one of its essential aircraft, the “Super Scooper Quebec 1," was flying in the Palisades Fire area, when it was struck by a civilian drone that was not assigned to the Palisades Fire.

Quebec 1 is one of two aircraft assigned to the LAFD on lease from Canada and they say it sustained wing damage and remains grounded and out of service.

While they report no injuries, there is an ongoing catastrophic fire event and they reminded the public that “flying a drone in the midst of firefighting efforts is a federal crime and punishable by up to 12 months in prison or a fine of up to $75,000.”

The incident is under investigation by the FAA.

Keleigh Teller, wife of actor Miles Teller, is one of the latest celebrities to take to social media in the wake of the raging fires sweeping Southern California.

The two lost their home in the Palisades Fire and Keleigh took to her feed to show photos of her once dream home and to express her gratitude for the support and optimism moving forward for their strong community.

“snapped this driving out..

To everyone reaching out I can’t thank you enough, your kind hearts have meant the world, I’ll never forget them. Community has come out stronger than I could imagine, pacific palisades I love you beyond measure you are a little slice of heaven, we will come back stronger than ever. If you’re in the LA area PLEASE get out if you can. I wish I grabbed my wedding dress .. wish I did a lot different but it doesn’t matter, stay safe, get out. there are no words. THANK YOU to the first responders fighting.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called out a reporter for the lack of blame being placed on California leaders for the devastating wildfires, pointing out that it's in stark contrast to how Republican leaders are often treated in the wake of disasters.

DeSantis, and all other Republican governors, had just wrapped up a dinner with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday when the heated exchange with a reporter took place.

The reporter appeared to be asking another governor if it was appropriate for Trump to be criticizing Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom as deadly wildfires rage throughout the state.

The question prompted DeSantis to step up and say, "Is it appropriate for people in your industry to try to create division and to try to create narratives any time these things happen?"

"Now, you're not as interested in doing that because Newsom is a D. If Newsom was a Republican, you guys would go try ... you would have him nailed to the wall for what they're doing over there," he continued.

The Florida governor, who has managed multiple disasters during his tenure, said he has often been criticized for things that were out of his control and has been blamed for incidents before facts came out, as in the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse.

"I think your track record of politicizing these things is very, very bad," DeSantis said.

He said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass would be treated much differently for her trip to Ghana while fires were high risk if she were a Republican.

"You should have been there preparing and doing that, and yet I don't see a lot of heat being directed [toward her]," DeSantis said. "I'd like to see some balance on how this is done. You can criticize the president-elect but you also have to hold these other people accountable and I have not seen that."

A Malibu neighborhood fire brigade member who helped save nearly a dozen homes during the Palisades Fire said, while communities can band together to save property during natural disasters, more needs to be done by California officials to curb wildfires.

Matt Diamond, a local surfer, formed the brigade in his neighborhood following the 2018 Woolsey Fire - which scorched nearly 100,000 acres of land, claimed three lives and forced nearly 300,000 people to evacuate - because of what he described as a need to become "self-sustaining firefighters."

"We didn't have any fire support for that one, and it was kind of all the Malibu residents who had to band together," Diamond told Fox News Digital. "We stayed and the city manager wouldn't allow resources in, so we had to vote on provisions. We had axes, shovels, firefighting equipment, and food and water boated into Paradise Cove, and we set up a makeshift camp. We became fully operational and started patrolling the neighborhood, doing spot-fire checks and saving neighbors' homes."

Now, he said, the Los Angeles Fire Department sees the brigade as a vital resource in saving homes and managing fires, because firefighters who are sent in from other locations don't know the area.

Find out more about the neighborhood fire brigade.

This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch.

The wildfire that has ravaged the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles since Tuesday morning is now at 6% containment, according to CAL FIRE.

The Palisades Fire, which has burned just under 20,000 acres in about 60 hours, is the largest of five fires still raging in Los Angeles County.

The Eaton Fire, which has claimed five lives since it began late Tuesday night in the Altadena/Pasadena area, remains at 0% containment as it spreads across 13,690 acres.

The Hurst and Lidia fires, which are significantly smaller, are at 37% and 60% contained, respectively.

The Kenneth Fire, which kicked off Thursday evening, is 0% contained and has impacted nearly 1,000 acres.

A Los Angeles resident who posted a video of a power line arcing against trees as wildfires burn across LA County, was reportedly told by the fire department to “call us if something actually catches fire.”

The video posted by X by a user named Kyle shows the sparks lighting up the dark sky, and at the end of the video, ashes from nearby fires could be seen blowing around by high winds.

“This is our neighbor’s backyard in Los Angeles right now. Power lines sparking against trees,” he wrote. “Neighbor and I have been trying to call 911 and [the] Fire Department for 45 min with no answer (as instructed by [the] Power Company).

“Yes, a lot is going on, but the city is failing us,” Kyle continued. “Finally spoke to them, and they said, ‘call us if something actually catches on fire.’”

The city of Las Vegas cited the current wildfires in Los Angeles County for potential service disruptions.

“The CalNev Pipeline is the key line that brings gasoline and other types of fuels from refineries in California to Las Vegas," the City of Las Vegas said in a statement. "It is over 560 miles long.”

“We have assessed fuel reserves for emergency response vehicles and are confident we will continue to provide emergency services for the duration of this event," the city said. "Residents should reconsider heavy driving while the pipeline is potentially disrupted.”

The Los Angeles Police Department arrested a man on Thursday who was allegedly “attempting to light a fire,” as wildfires continued to ravage the area.

Officers responded to a call at about 4:30 p.m., for a possible arson suspect on the 21700 block of Ybarra Road.

Initially, LAPD officer Charles Dinse was quoted in a News Nation report telling a reporter that a suspect was detained in Rolling Hills by citizens, and when asked if the suspect purposely set the Kenneth Fire, he said, “at this time that’s what we believe, yes.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the LAPD for confirmation and was told the message did not come from them.

Fox News’ Matt Finn said he has spoken to the LAPD twice and they confirmed someone was arrested at about 4:30 p.m. in the Topanga division of LA, however the LAPD would not confirm the person was arrested for starting the Kenneth Fire.

Finn also spoke with Dinse, who said a person was arrested in proximity to the Kenneth Fire.

But Dinse also agreed with what the LAPD said, which was that at this time, they do not have a direct link between the person who was arrested and the Kenneth Fire.

The police chief in Santa Monica said his officers have arrested people inside fire evacuation zones who were found with weapons, stolen property and wanted for serious crimes.

Chief Ramón Batista warned potential criminals looking to target homes that have been evacuated that they will not be allowed to prey on residents.

“We have arrested individuals in our evacuation zones and evacuation warning zones that were in possession of weapons, stolen property or wanted for serious felony crimes in our region,” he said in a video message.

He said the department was actively monitoring the evacuation zones and that all officers have transitioned to a tactical alert.

President-elect Trump questioned whether those who have lost their homes in Los Angeles County because of the wildfires will ever live in the region again.

Trump was hosting a gathering of Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago when he commented on the wildfires still burning in Southern California.

“I think it's one of the great catastrophe movies in the history of our nation. This is not just in Los Angeles. I've never seen anything like that devastation,” Trump said. “People, and very influential people worldwide, I don't know that they ever go back either because, you know, they weren't happy with California.”

“They weren't happy with their whole lifestyle there with the crime being out of control, all the other problems, they were not happy," Trump added.

Trump also criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, both of whom he called “incompetent.”

“I think that Gavin is largely incompetent, and I think the mayor is largely incompetent, and probably both of them are just stone cold incompetent. What they've done is terrible,” he said.

An aircraft helping firefighting efforts in Los Angeles County struck a drone while flying over the Palisades Fire on Thursday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

In a press release, the FAA said fire officials reported that the aircraft was able to land safely after the collision.

The FAA has opened an investigation into the matter, as it is a federal crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, to interfere with firefighting efforts on public lands.

In addition to jail time, the FAA said it can impose a civil penalty of up to $75,000 against drone pilots who interfere with wildfire suppression efforts when temporary flight restrictions are in place.

While crews continue to try to get several wildfires under control in the LA area, the FAA says nobody unaffiliated with the LA firefighting operations have been authorized by the FAA to fly drones in areas with temporary flight restrictions.

The death toll from wildfires in Los Angeles County has risen to at least seven people, after the LA County fire chief announced two additional fatalities from the Palisades Fire late Thursday.

On Wednesday night, police in Malibu found human remains inside a home on Wednesday night, according to LA County Sheriff’s Detective Keith Collinsworth.

Five deaths had been reported due to the Eaton fire prior to the two fatalities announced on Thursday.

Additionally, local officials said over 10,000 structures had been destroyed by the fires.

During a press conference on Thursday evening, LA Mayor Karen Bass, Sen. Adam Schiff and others urged the public to follow orders to evacuate when issued.

“If you're told to evacuate, then get the hell out. You might think you can outrun a fire. You are not going to outrun these fires. You're just not,” Schiff said. “The way they are moving, the unpredictability of how they're moving, the swiftness with how they're moving. You are not going to outrun these fires if you stay, you're going to die in them, and it's not worth it. So if you're told to evacuate, get the hell out.” 

U.S. Northern Command, on Thursday, activated eight C-130 aircraft equipped with Modular Aerial Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS), and associated personnel to support firefighting efforts in the Los Angeles area.

According to a press release from Northern Command, the crews of the aircraft will relocate from their home stations to the Channel Islands in Southern California, and some of the aircraft will begin operating as early as Friday, with all ready to perform missions before Sunday.

The C-130 planes are coming from the 146th Airlift Wing in California, 152nd Airlift Wing and 192nd Airlift Squadron in Nevada, 153rd Airlift Wing and 187th Airlift Squadron in Wyoming, and the 302nd Airlift Wing and 731st Airlift Squadron in Colorado.

“U.S. Northern Command immediately took action as we watched and learned more about the fires in the Los Angeles area.  Providing support to civil authorities is a valued part of our homeland defense mission,” Gen. Gregory Guillot, Commander of U.S. Northern Command said. “We’re well-practiced and in position to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Interagency Firefighting Center (NIFC), and the state of California to assist the many citizens in need.”

Northern Command also said it is prepared to provide rotary wing support, ground and air search and rescue, commodity distribution, emergency route clearance, incident awareness and assessment, and medical capabilities, if requested.

Monday's upcoming Wild Card playoff game between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams has been moved to Arizona, the NFL said Thursday.

The NFL said the move was in “the interest of safety.” The game was supposed to be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

The game will now be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, home of the Arizona Cardinals.

“The decision was in consultation with public officials, the participating clubs and the NFLPA,” the NFL said.