5 Dead, More Than 2,000 Structures Burned

AP Photos

More than 2,000 homes, businesses and other buildings have been damaged or destroyed and at least five people are dead in wildfires scorching communities across Los Angeles County, making this one of the most destructive firestorms to hit the region in memory.

The five bodies were found in three structures in Altadena, where the Eaton fire exploded Tuesday night, giving residents little time to flee. It is estimated that more than 1,000 structures have been destroyed in the Palisades fire and another 1,000 either damaged or destroyed in the Eaton fire, according to the L.A. County Fire Department.

This is what #Altadena looks like right now as the #EatonFire burns over 2,200 acres and has claimed 2 lives: https://t.co/7qvUoHUjZn pic.twitter.com/j05J0N1Xt0

— KTLA 5 Morning News (@KTLAMorningNews) January 8, 2025

Weary Los Angeles firefighters are dealing with new fires that broke out Wednesday night in the Hollywood Hills and Studio City.

Several homes appear to have caught fire in Studio City just before 9 p.m.

#BREAKING: A four-story structure fire in Studio City quickly spread to at least one other hillside home and ignited brush in the area. Watch Live: https://t.co/B9GkqKuYCN pic.twitter.com/rsh1uAMZnK

— KTLA (@KTLA) January 9, 2025

The Los Angeles Police Department responded to a call for a structure fire at a four-story home at 3656 N. Sunswept Drive at 8:52 p.m.

“Firefighters are in the defensive mode against the fire unit with priority of defending the exposures and preventing extension into the brush,” the department said.

Aerial footage captured by KTLA News showed firefighting crews blasting water at multiple burning structures situated on winding hill roads with lots of surrounding vegetation.

Residents watch the #PalisadesFire as flames erupt on a nearby hillside and threaten homes https://t.co/mMvw6Xeg6V pic.twitter.com/PVZbFUihK3

— KTLA (@KTLA) October 21, 2019

The other fire, near Runyon Canyon in the Hollywood Hills, was creating massive traffic jams as residents rushed to evacuate the densely populated area.

The Sunset fire was reported at 2350 N. Solar Drive shortly after 5:30 p.m. and had spread to 50 acres in less than three hours, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley received word of the blaze while speaking at an evening news conference on several other massive fires burning in the region.

The fire is burning near a dense urban area of apartments, condos and homes at the base of the Hollywood Hills.