Hollywood Hell: Los Angeles fire chief admits city was unprepared for scale of blaze

The Los Angeles County Department fire chief said that the department was not prepared for this many fires raging across the city as fires rage across the county, resulting in people having to flee their homes.

“The L.A. County Fire Department was prepared for one or two major brush fires, but not four, especially given these sustained winds and low humidities,” Chief Anthony C. Marrone said Wednesday.

Officials on Wednesday morning said at least two people have died in the spreading wildfires across Los Angles County.

Kevin McGowan, director of the county's Office of Emergency Management, at a press conference described the size and scope of the fires that started Tuesday "historic."

President Joe Biden is expected to give a wildfire briefing at the Santa Monica station later in the day. 

The fires are spreading quickly in large part because the lack of rain in the region has resulted in parched and powerful Santa Anna winds. A fourth fire spawned Wednesday morning. 

Officials during a press conference have issued warnings about looting happening amid all the chaos. At least two people have already been arrested for looting. 

Tens of thousands have been evacuated, with the high winds keeping observation and water-carrying planes grounded.

The four fires are named Eaton, Hurst, Tyler and Woodley. 

County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said the two fatalities occurred at the Eaton Fire in the Pasadena and the Altadena area of the county, NBC News reports. 

The most recent wildfire, Woodley Fire, broke out near the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve and Woodley Park and has already burned about 75 acres, CBS News reports.

The intense winds in Santa Ana have caused power outages in 200,000 homes and businesses in Los Angeles. 

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reports that about 127,000 customers have lost power. First responders are also reportedly running out of water as fire hydrants are drying up.

The largest blaze, Palisades, erupted on Tuesday morning in Los Angeles. It has already burned more than 2,900 acres, forcing the city of Los Angeles to issue an evacuation order.

Universal Studios announced that its park in Hollywood and Universal CityWalk would be closed due to the conditions "as a result of the extreme winds and fire conditions."

Many residents were reportedly forced to abandon cars between Malibu and Santa Monica as flames jumped a highway and residents considered using a beach as a refuge.

Workers also raced to evacuate residents from a nursing home in Pasadena as flames raced closed by, officials said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency Tuesday evening, and said his request for federal funding, which would cover 75% of local firefighting costs, was approved. 

"I’ve proclaimed a state of emergency to support the communities impacted by the Palisades Fire," the governor posted on X. "Southern California residents: stay vigilant, take all necessary precautions, and follow local emergency guidance."

Two more fires have erupted in Los Angeles County, on north of San Fernando that quickly burned 500 acres and and the other in Altadenaburst across 1,000 acres in just a few hours. 

More than 200,000 homes and buildings in California’s most populous county were left without power.

The National Weather Service  issued a critical fire risk alert for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties for a massive windstorm with winds  projected to reach 60 mph and gusts as high as 80 to 100 mph in mountains and foothills.

Newsom on Monday said he would mobilize state resources to tackle the storm, including assigning 65 fire engines, seven water tenders, seven helicopters and 109 specialized workers to the mission.

“We are no strangers to winter-time wildfire threats, so I ask all Californians to pay attention to local authorities and be prepared to evacuate if told to go,” Newsom said.

The weather service also issued a stark warning ahead of the storm.

"Strong winds are coming. This is a Particularly Dangerous Situation – in other words, this is about as bad as it gets in terms of fire weather," the service said in a post on X.

The weather service said fire threats are expected to continue through Friday. The windstorm and fires come after the end of fire season in Southern California, which usually ends in October. However, a particularly dry and warm Santa Ana wind season, along with very low humidity has created the perfect conditions for spreading fire.