The death toll from devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area has climbed to 24, according to the city’s medical examiner on Sunday, January 12.
Of the fatalities, 16 were linked to the Eaton Fire near Pasadena, while eight resulted from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades district. These two fires have been the most severe among several blazes ravaging the region since Tuesday.
Officials fear the numbers may rise as emergency services face significant delays in accessing areas engulfed by flames. Firefighters and city officials warn the wildfires could rank among the worst natural disasters in U.S. history.
The U.S. National Weather Service has issued a dire forecast, predicting wind speeds of up to 110 kilometers per hour. Combined with dry vegetation, the winds are expected to fuel the rapid and unpredictable spread of existing and new fires.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) has extended a “critical fire weather” warning through Wednesday, highlighting life-threatening winds and dangerously low humidity from Ventura to San Diego.
“Rapid fire spread is a significant risk,” Cal Fire stated on X (formerly Twitter), urging residents to avoid activities that could spark new fires, such as mowing lawns, parking on dry grass, or leaving campfires unattended.
Since Tuesday, nearly 163 square kilometers of land—an area almost the size of Washington, D.C.—have been consumed by flames. Approximately 12,300 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, Cal Fire officials reported.
California Governor Gavin Newsom described the wildfires as potentially the worst natural disaster in U.S. history in terms of scale, scope, and financial cost. He has signed an executive order to temporarily suspend environmental regulations for rebuilding homes and businesses destroyed in the fires.
With no immediate end in sight, Los Angeles braces for what could be another wave of destruction as strong winds threaten to exacerbate the crisis.
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