SAN DIEGO (KGTV)—Fire crews in Los Angeles responded to a new fire in the Hollywood Hills Wednesday night, adding to the major blazes firefighters are working tirelessly to put out. More than 130,000 people are under evacuation orders, affecting communities from the Pacific Coast to inland Pasadena.
In San Diego, the Red Flag Warning for inland and mountain communities has been extended until at least 6 p.m. Friday, so our county remains on high alert due to the elevated fire risk.
ABC 10News is bringing you extensive coverage on both the Los Angeles fires and how our area is preparing for the worst in this edition of the Wake Up Call newsletter.
TODAY'S TOP STORY:
San Diego is still under a severe fire threat as Santa Ana winds whip across the county. A High Wind Warning has been extended for inland neighborhoods like Alpine, where wind gusts could reach 75 mph in the next couple of days, until 2 p.m. Friday.
Additionally, San Diego Gas & Electric is continuing its public safety power shutoff, leaving more than 7,000 homes and businesses without energy Thursday morning.
Take a look at the outage map:
According to Cal Fire, the combination of strong wind gusts and dry vegetation creates an environment ripe for a fast-moving fire. SDGE says the power outages could last until Saturday night, and as many as 70,000 customers around the county could be impacted.
The following school districts were closed Thursday due to the high winds and potential power outages:
- Julian Union Elementary School District
- Julian Union High School District
- Mountain Empire Unified School District
- Warner Unified School District
ABC 10News reporter Moses Small was live from Alpine in our 5 a.m. show to expand on the issue:
MICROCLIMATE FORECASTS:
Coasts
Inland
Mountains
Deserts
BREAKING OVERNIGHT
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A fast-moving fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday night, threatening one of Los Angeles' most iconic spots as firefighters battled to get under control three other major blazes that killed five people, put 130,000 people under evacuation orders and ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to inland Pasadena.
The Sunset Fire was burning near the Hollywood Bowl and about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The streets around Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and Madame Tussauds were packed with stop-and-go traffic as sirens blared and low-flying helicopters soared by on their way to dump water on the flames. People toting suitcases left hotels on foot, while some onlookers walked toward the flames, recording the fire on their phones.
Winds eased up some Wednesday, a day after hurricane-force winds blew embers through the air, igniting block after block, and hundreds of firefighters from other states have arrived to help, but the four fires burning out of control showed the danger is far from over.
ABC 10News reported on the latest from LA in our 5 a.m. show:
CONSUMER:
Millions of dollars of property went up in flames in Los Angeles County as the Palisades and Eaton fires continued to rage on. Some of that is recoverable through insurance but for others, this could mean a financial disaster because people lost some or all of their insurance coverage.
"When an insurance company experiences loss above what they've predicted for the year, then they're going to reassess what those rates are going to be in those wildfire zones. So that could, in turn, raise the rates, we don't know," said Michael Kiefer.
Kiefer is a southern California insurance broker and said in places throughout the state, insurance coverage could be influx and see rates rise. Others may be dropped by their insurance company.
The California Fair Plan is an option for people who've lost coverage and struggle to find it somewhere else. Since September 2020, policies have increased by more than 120% with the Fair Plan, showing the need for coverage throughout the state.
One of the top neighborhoods for coverage for the option is Pacific Palisades, which has largely been destroyed this week.
See the full report from ABC 10News' Jane Kim below:
WE FOLLOW THROUGH:
As fire hydrants ran dry when crews in Los Angeles responded to the Pacific Palisades fire, our newsroom decided to take a closer look at how those water systems work in the first place.
ABC 10News reporter Aaron Dickens spoke to Jeremy Davis from the Lakeside Fire Protection District about the issue. The LA water system was pushed to its limit; officials there say it experienced four times the normal demand during the response to the Palisades and Eaton fires.
“Just alone on the Eaton fire last night, in a 40-minute time period, they requested 40 strike teams of engines. That equates to 200 fire engines. Put that with the local resources alone, 200 fire engines connected to a fire hydrant, trying to get water out of a pipe at the same time. The pipes are only designed to flow so much water," Davis said.
Watch Dickens' story below to hear Davis' full explanation.
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