Biden approves major disaster declaration for California amid wildfires  Compiled from Contributing Writers and News Services  Los Angeles residents were fleeing for their lives on Wednesday as blazing wildfires engulfed their homes and businesses.  Here’s what to know about the origins of the fires and the threats they pose. All information was compiled as of Wednesday afternoon:  • Multiple wildfires broke out on Tuesday, starting with one at around 10:30 a.m. on Palisades Drive. By Tuesday night, the Eaton, Hurst and Tyler fires threatened residents in Altadena, the San Fernando Valley community of Sylmar, and Coachella.   • Two new, smaller blazes were reported on Wednesday. The Woodley fire, located off of Woodley Avenue in Los Angeles, was around 30 acres in size. The Olivas fire, about 11 acres in size, was burning in Ventura on Olivas Park Drive.  • More than 22,000 acres have been burned by the various fires.  • The Tyler fire is fully contained, as of late Wednesday morning. All other fires are at 0% containment.  • Five people have died in connection with the Eaton fire, and “a high number of significant injuries” have been reported in relation to the Eaton and Palisades fires, according to officials. The injured include residents who did not evacuate and firefighters.  • Some 80,000 residents, including Vice President Kamala Harris, are under evacuation orders as of Wednesday.  • Twenty-three school districts across Los Angeles County are closed due to weather conditions.  • More than 401,000 are without power.  • More than 1,100 structures have been destroyed by the fires.  • The National Weather Service has extended its red flag warning into Thursday.  An aerial view of the Palisades Fire on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. Courtesy of ABC7. Biden Approves Major Disaster Declaration for California  President Joe Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for California as the southern end of the state continues to battle multiple devastating wildfires.  The declaration will allow affected residents immediate access to funds and resources for their recovery efforts.  “As the fires continue to devastate communities, President Biden is focused on mobilizing life-saving and life-sustaining resources across the region,” the White House said in announcing the declaration on Wednesday.  Biden, who was in California on a pre-scheduled trip, received a briefing on the fires earlier in the day from federal, state and local officials at a Santa Monica fire station.  In addition to the disaster declaration, the administration has mobilized certain assets to aid state and local firefighters, including five U.S. Forest Service large air tankers and 10 federal firefighting helicopters.  Biden also directed the Department of Defense to provide additional firefighting personnel, 10 Navy helicopters with water delivery buckets, and four modular air firefighting system units. Those resources will build upon assistance provided by National Guard troops from California and Nevada.  Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency stands ready to conduct air quality assessments.  Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell will travel to California on Friday to assess other damage.  This camera feed from a peak in Topanga Canyon shows the Palisades Fire as it burns out of control on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. Photo: ALERTCalifornia. 400,000 Without Power in California as Wildfires Spread  High fire risk conditions prompted Southern California Edison to preemptively cut power to more than 153,000 customers as a safety precaution on Wednesday.  The widespread shutoffs stretched from the Santa Barbara area over to Lancaster and down to Temecula.  Another 69,000 customers were experiencing outages due to the fierce wildfires spreading throughout the region.  The utility is mulling an additional 433,000 public safety shutoffs as weather conditions are expected to continue to pose a safety risk into Thursday.  More than 401,000 California electricity customers are currently without power before noon Wednesday, according to poweroutage.us.  Newsom Deploys National Guard to Help Fight Blazes  California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called in the California National Guard to assist first responders in fighting the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires.  Announcing the move in a social media post, Newsom’s office said Wednesday that the California National Guard and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection share “a unique partnership unlike any other state — skilled, trained personnel with vast wildfire fighting experience.”  The state has also secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from FEMA to help suppress the Hurst fire, which started in Sylmar and prompted evacuations in the Newhall Pass as well as evacuation warnings in southern portions of the Santa Clarita Valley.  The grant, provided through FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, will allow agencies responding to the fire to apply for 75% reimbursement of eligible related costs.  Newsom declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, which remains in effect.  Sheriff’s Deputies Arrest 2 Suspects for Allegedly Looting Amid Fire  Two suspects were arrested by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies Wednesday on suspicion of looting in an area evacuated in the Eaton Fire, according to Sheriff Robert Luna.  The department was unable to identify the two people arrested Wednesday afternoon.  “It’s always sad when I have to say this, but part of our responsibility is to make sure no one loots or steals from our residents and community members,” Luna said in a morning news conference.  He warned members of the public to stay away from evacuated homes and businesses.  “If you are thinking about coming in any of these areas to steal from our residents, let me tell you something, you’re going to be caught, you’re going to be arrested, and you’re going to be prosecuted,” Luna said. “Don’t do it.”  Areas of Altadena, Pasadena, Duarte, Arcadia and Monrovia were under evacuation orders after the Eaton Fire started Tuesday night in the city located about 15 miles east of Los Angeles.  The department’s local station in Altadena was also evacuated Tuesday night.  Deputies were trying to evacuate the building while residents ran up to them from different locations asking for help, the sheriff said.  “From what I understand, they were barely able to get people out before these structures started burning,” Luna said.  One sheriff’s vehicle was destroyed by the flames, but the deputy was unharmed, according to Luna.   Los Angeles Area Records 100 mph Winds  Weather service meteorologists in Los Angeles recorded life-threatening and destructive winds reaching 100 mph in the mountains on Mount Lukens Truck Trail Wednesday, amid multiple wind-fueled wildfires in the region.  Magic Mountain Truck Trail recorded its strongest wind gust at 90 mph, while gusts at the Hollywood-Burbank Airport were recorded at 84 mph.  Eaton Canyon, where the Eaton Fire continued to burn Wednesday, recorded gusts up to 70 mph, according to the National Weather Service.  Most homes in the Los Angeles area are designed and built to withstand wind forces seen this week with the strong Santa Ana winds, according to the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California.  “Modern construction methods, including reinforced roofing and framing systems, ensure that homes are highly resistant to wind damage,” said Nancy Liu, a spokeswoman for the association.  Schools Closed; Malibu Restaurant Destroyed in Palisades Fire  More than 20 school districts in Los Angeles County were closed Wednesday and possibly Thursday, including school campuses in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, according to the county Office of Education. Officials were expected to reevaluate conditions each day to determine when they might reopen campuses.  In Malibu, north of Pacific Palisades, Pepperdine University was also closed Wednesday.  Malibu City Hall was closed and all city programs were also canceled until further notice, according to an update posted by the city of Malibu on Facebook.  Several sections of the Pacific Coast Highway were also closed by officials as the fire continued to spread Wednesday, according to the Malibu Office of Public Safety.  Owners of the iconic Malibu seafood restaurant the Reel Inn, which opened in 1986, confirmed the building had been destroyed by the fire Tuesday night.  “We are so grateful for the 36 years we’ve been a part of the community,” the restaurant’s owners Teddy and Andy Leonard posted on Instagram. “Grateful to all of our customers. We are heartbroken and unsure what will be left. Hopefully the state parks will let us rebuild when the dust settles.”  Fire Chief: LA County Fire Unprepared for ‘Widespread Disaster’  None of the 29 fire departments in Los Angeles County were prepared “for this type of widespread disaster,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told reporters on Wednesday.  At a press conference with other local officials, Marrone said his department had pre-positioned personnel in the Santa Monica mountains and was prepared for “one or two major brush fires,” but not four.  “There are not enough firefighters in L.A. County to address four separate fires of this magnitude,” he said.  The fire chief noted that low humidities and the gusting Santa Ana winds had made rescue operations more challenging.  “This is not a normal red flag alert,” he said. “People were calling for help. We tried to get them the help that they needed.”  The National Weather Service has forecasted that extreme fire conditions will continue into Thursday.  “L.A. County right now, like the L.A. City Fire Department, is prioritizing life safety, but we are also engaging in structure defense, perimeter control, and aerial operations,” Marrone said.  “We’re doing the very best we can. But no, we don’t have enough fire personnel in L.A. County, between all of the fires, to handle this.”  Fire Officials Call for Reinforcements in Palisades  Fire officials requested an additional 10 strike teams, including 50 fire engines, to the Saddle Peak Road area of the Palisades on Wednesday as the fire continued to destroy buildings.  Air attack teams asked for four large air tankers and one larger air tanker to fly over the fire and drop retardant and water.  Southern California remains under a red flag warning, meaning strong wind gusts and low humidity pose extreme fire danger throughout the region on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.  Forecasters expect wind gusts, reaching 50 to 80 mph, to continue downing and uprooting trees and causing power outages.  Trump Blames Newsom for ‘True Disaster’  President-elect Donald Trump weighed in on the unfolding fire devastation in Southern California, blaming Gov. Gavin Newsom for the spread of the wildfires.  Trump noted in a Wednesday social media post that the state’s environmental policies prevent “millions of gallons of water” from excess rain and snowmelt from flowing into the drier areas of California, “including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way.”  State and federal regulations require California to direct some of that runoff into the ocean to protect the habitat of the endangered delta smelt fish. Trump attributed those regulations to Newsom.  “On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!” Trump wrote.  The president-elect said he would press Newsom to change the policy.  The Eaton Fire burns on the hills of Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Jan. 7, 2024. Photo by John Fredricks Locals Express Worry, Fear for Affected Neighbors  A group of people gathered at a viewpoint in Playa Del Rey, looking at the Palisades Fire burning across the city on Wednesday.  “I have so many clients that live over there; I hope they all got out because that fire looks bad,” said Mario Benitez, a real estate agent. “A lot of them are elderly, and that has me worried.”  Moments later, a violent gust of wind sent a dust of debris toward the group, with most retreating back to their cars.  Staying back, one elderly man still holding his small camera against the wind said he had never seen the wind so bad in the area.  “I’ve lived here for almost three decades now, and this [wind] is absolutely horrible and making this fire worse and worse,” he said. “God help those poor people.”  The post At least 5 dead, 80,000 ordered to evacuate in LA County as wildfires rage  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.