January 13, 2025 • 53 mins
The Latest: Los Angeles wildfires press conference regarding:
- Palisades (Pacific Palisades)
- Eaton (Altadena)
- Kenneth (West Hills)
- Hurst (Sylmar)
- Creek (Tujunga)
- Palisades (Pacific Palisades)
- Eaton (Altadena)
- Kenneth (West Hills)
- Hurst (Sylmar)
- Creek (Tujunga)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to Bill Handle on demand from KFIAM six forty.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
All right, we're going to go to that press conference
that is getting underway out with updates on the fires.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
We gained no acreage yesterday, which is a very good thing.
We know that over seven thousand structures are damaged or destroyed,
and we have three thousand, four hundred and eight firefighting
personnel assigned to the incident. Twenty six percent of our
damage inspections for dwellings have been completed. Impacted residents may
(00:38):
visit Recovery dot LA County dot gov to view preliminary
maps showing damage assessments. Please note that the preliminary maps
have been posted and are.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
Being updated daily.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
If there is not a color icon on your address,
it means the building has not yet been inspected. Severe
fire weather conditions will continue through Wednesday. Please be assured
that all fire departments and all law enforcement agencies in
(01:16):
the area will be prepared. The anticipated wins, combined with
low humidities and low fuel moistures, will keep the fire
threat in all of Los Angeles County critical. I ask
all Los Angeles County residents in wildfire prone areas to
understand that the necessary public safety power shutoffs are important
(01:43):
for our collective safety in preventing the next wildfire natural disaster.
I did want to to spell one rumor. The LA
County Fire Department has never turned down any offers for
muture will aid assistance and resources. Repopulation will not occur
(02:08):
until all areas are safe. Additionally, our Col four point
fifteen super Scooper that was damaged because of a drone
incursion is reportedly going to be flying tomorrow morning. It
has been repaired and we're waiting for the FAA to
(02:29):
give us approval to fly again.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
Thank you to.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Board Chair Supervisor Catherine Barger and Supervisor Lindsey Horvath for
your unwavering leadership and continued support throughout this unprecedented disaster.
And finally, to all the Los Angeles County residents affected
by this catastrophe, please be assured your firefighters continue to
(02:54):
work towards full containment of these wildfires from the air
and on the ground. We stand alongside each of you
as you begin the repopulation of evacuated areas when safe,
and the rebuilding of your homes, your communities, and your lives.
Speaker 5 (03:15):
Thank you, Good morning everyone, Kristan Crowley, Los Angeles City
Fire Department Fire Chief. But to start off with just
a moment to share with everybody out there that's been
impacted by these wildland fires, that the entire LAFD family,
(03:39):
sworn and civilian, our city family, mayor, Bass City leadership, everybody,
our thoughts and hearts and prayers go out to you
as we continue to push forward and mitigate this emergency.
We understand the impacts, and we're working and will continue
to work very, very very hard for everyone. Another point
(04:00):
I want to make is that also we are so
very grateful for the firefighters and the first responders that
have already arrived and continue to arrive in the southern
California region. We absolutely know that we cannot do this
on our own, and we are tremendously appreciative of all
(04:21):
of your continued support as the increasing wind event is
upon us as we speak, the Los Angeles City Fire
Department has maximized our resource capabilities and response capabilities. All
available LAFD resources.
Speaker 6 (04:38):
Have been staffed.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
I have strategically prepositioned engine strike teams and task forces
which are dedicated to rapid response for any new fire
that breaks out in the city. In addition, I've directed
the Fire Prevention Bureau to augment wildfire patrols in high
hazard areas the Palisades fire. Your LFD remains committed to
(05:04):
this fire and we have significant number of engines that
have been dedicated.
Speaker 7 (05:08):
To this fire.
Speaker 5 (05:10):
The crews that are involved, we have crews from up
and down the state outside of the state, have made excellent,
excellent work overnight mopping up flare ups and hotspots. Their
primary focus last night was on the Mandeville Canyon area,
and this fire is now at twenty three thousand, seven
hundred and thirteen acres with fourteen percent containment. With five thousand,
(05:32):
one hundred and twenty three personnel assigned to the Palisades incident.
Firefighters will continue to work diligently throughout the day to
increase containment and prevent further fire spread. Again, I want
to focus our my comments on the amount of resources
that are here in the Palisades, from the first responders
(05:53):
all the way up to our incident command teams. Again,
we're going to keep working really, really hard for you.
Just a brief comment on the Hearset fire. It's been
held to seven hundred and ninety nine acres with ninety
five percent containment. Again, thank you to the community members
that are out there for remaining vigilant.
Speaker 7 (06:13):
We are not in the clear.
Speaker 5 (06:14):
I want to make sure of that we are not
in the clear as of yet, and we must not
let our guard down as we have right now extreme
fire behavior, and we need to make sure that the
community is staying updated with the most information updated information
as well, follow all evacuation warnings and orders without delay,
(06:39):
and please please stay safe. I would now like to
introduce our next speaker, and that is Sheriff Luna.
Speaker 8 (06:45):
Thank you, Robert Luna, Sheriff of Los Angeles County.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Regarding our deployment, we still have well over one thousand
of our Los Angeles County deputies out there working on
twelve hours ships. We have one hundred and seventy two
California Highway Patrol officers. I'd like to thank the Commissioner
who was with me yesterday, Chanderie, for all of his assistants.
(07:13):
I also want to thank Major General Beavers. I was
with him as well, and he has fortunately been able
to increase the amount of National Guard assistance that he
is giving us up to six hundred and he told
me yesterday. If we need more, we can ask for more,
and we are strategically looking at that, analyzing it and
(07:35):
we'll ask as needed. Evacuations we have approximately this is
some good news because it's dropped. We have over ninety
two thousand people who are under evacuation orders and approximately
eighty nine thousand people who are under evacuation warnings. I
want our community to know this, and Chief Maroney did
(07:57):
talk about this for a second. In every conversation we're
having about evacuations warnings, whether they're they're weren't going to
implement them or take or take them away, the conversation
about repopulation is.
Speaker 8 (08:15):
On all of our minds.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
I know that we are attending staffs, attending community meetings,
whether they be out in the Palisades fire area in
Malibu for US at Ali County Sheriffs in the Altadena area.
We are hearing our community loud and clear, and we
want to get you in there as soon as possible.
But I want to reiterate what is holding us up.
(08:39):
This is very important. We are still for the Altadena area,
we are in the third day of grid searching.
Speaker 8 (08:48):
It is a very grim.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Task and we unfortunately every day we're doing this, We're
running across the remains of individual community members.
Speaker 8 (08:59):
That is not work.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Very sad to report, and I believe that work is
not only going to continue, but I believe will continue
to find remains.
Speaker 8 (09:09):
So please be patient with us.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
People are saying, I just want to go look at
my house and I want to see what's left. We
know that, but we have people literally looking for the
remains of your neighbors.
Speaker 8 (09:21):
Please be patient with us.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
There's a lot of hazards in the area still, the
area has not been rendered safe. Please be patient with us.
And then we have the potential of crime scenes. And
I'm not saying that's what it is. I'm just saying
we have to think ahead because we can't go back
from that, So please be patient with us. The curfew
(09:44):
is still in effect six pm to six am for
specifically the mandatory evacuation areas in both the Palisides impacted
area and the Eaten Fire impacted areas. Those are object
to change depending on need one way or another. We
(10:04):
understand again that people want to go back, but it
is dangerous to do so and we will not put anybody's.
Speaker 8 (10:11):
Safety at risk.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
I want to talk about arrest for the La County
Sheriff's area.
Speaker 8 (10:18):
Overnight we had several other arrests.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
It brings it up to a total of thirty four
in our geographic area. We have thirty in the Eton
Fire area, and we have four in the Palisades area.
Last night, specifically, again for La County Sheriff's jurisdiction, we
arrested four. Two were for curfew violations, two were arrested.
Speaker 8 (10:44):
For one drone incident.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
To my knowledge, we have now had two specific drone
incidents that have resulted in three arrests.
Speaker 8 (10:53):
So as I.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Talked to our community again, if you do not have
business in the in the evacuation areas, do not go there.
Speaker 8 (11:06):
Please.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
You're infringing upon the work that our first responders need
to attend to. And I do want to say when
I talk about these arrests, I want to clarify not
all of them are for burglary or looting or for
curfew violations, but it is very important when.
Speaker 8 (11:30):
I say stay out.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
We are arresting people who are not supposed to be there,
who do not live there, who are in possession of narcotics.
We've arrested several with guns and yeah, I'm going to
tell you something. If we if our deputies being very
proactive in these areas stopping people in a constitutional manner,
as always making sure that they're supposed to be there,
(11:55):
and you have narcotics on you and you have a
gun on you. In police work, we call that a
something's wrong there. So that's why we're arresting people. Our
search and rescue missions up to through the two days,
we have searched one eight and seventy four properties. In
regards to deaths, and again I want to clarify this
(12:16):
is for the Los Angeles County area of responsibility.
Speaker 8 (12:21):
We have confirmed.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Twenty one deaths, sixteen in the Eton Fire area and
five in the Palisades area, and sadly, yes, unfortunately, I
anticipate the number to go up. Missing persons. We are
actively have twenty three active missing persons reported, seventeen in
(12:44):
the Eton Fire area, six in the Malibu area. All
of them are adults, thank god, there's no juveniles. But
if you believe you have somebody who's missing, make sure
you report that to us as soon as possible. For
any updated information that anybody may have. Questions, very important
(13:04):
questions regarding evacuation.
Speaker 8 (13:06):
Orders or warnings, or any.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Road closures, please go to Ali County dot gov slash
emergency for assistance. The American Red Cross is doing an
amazing job. Please contact Please contact them. And again for
some of the negative things I talk about, there are
some amazing stories of community members coming forward to donate items.
(13:28):
It's very inspiring. For donations, go to Emergency Network Los Angeles.
Speaker 8 (13:34):
And now it's my pleasure to.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Introduce Assistant Chief Dominic Choice from the Los Angeles Police Department.
Speaker 6 (13:43):
Okay, good morning.
Speaker 9 (13:43):
I want to start by just assuring everybody that our
primary focus still remains the safety and well being of
our residents. These fires have caused significant disruptions, but we
are working tirelessly with our partners to protect lives, property,
and secure critical infrastructure. So, as of this morning, LAPD
(14:04):
has in the city two hundred and sixty six officers
deployed to the Palisades fire. We also have support from
our National Guard partners who have deployed two hundred soldiers
assigned to the incident.
Speaker 6 (14:15):
We're very grateful for their support.
Speaker 9 (14:18):
We also have dedicated resource investigating our missing persons reported
so at this time, as of this morning, six am
we have a total of twenty six people reported missing
in the city of Los Angeles. Seventeen of those individuals
have been located safely. Nine of the nine remaining, two
most likely were found in the fires deceased, but they
(14:41):
haven't been positively identified by a coroner's office yet, so
those are still waiting to be identified. One individual we
believe is located safely in a shelter, but that person
we're waiting for confirmation on that. There are six that
remain unaccounted for, and we're diligently to identify and locate
(15:02):
these people. So in total, in the city of Los
Angeles since Tuesday, when these fires occurred, we have three fatalities. Again,
two were found in the fires and one was a
burn victim that was transported earlier this week to a hospital.
That person later passed away. If you want to make
a missing person's report, you can do so either in
person or over the phone. You can call any one
(15:24):
of our twenty one geographic stations and make that report,
or you can call our Missing Persons Investigation Unit directly.
Speaker 6 (15:30):
I'm going to give you the number.
Speaker 9 (15:31):
It's two, one, three, nine, nine, six, eighteen hundred and
select option three that telephone is man twenty four hours
a day. Currently, as of this morning, the City of
Los Angeles related to the fires has a total of
fourteen arrests, three for curfew, one for impersonating a firefighter,
(15:53):
one for possession of burglary tools, four for burglary, one
for DUI, one for felony vandalism, and three for shoplifting.
As the sheriff just mentioned, it's not just for looting
or burglary that you're going to jail or curfew. If
you're in the area, you don't belong in the area.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
You will be.
Speaker 9 (16:11):
Stopped and questioned, and whatever crime you're is being committed,
you would be held accountable for that. So please stay
away from these evacuation areas. Regarding escorts, we talked about
this a little bit yesterday, but we tried to be
compassionate and put together a team to escort residents to
their homes to either retrieve small pets or their medication.
(16:33):
But that line became exceedingly large and it was causing
more problems than solutions. We have halted this escort service
for the safety.
Speaker 6 (16:42):
Of everyone involved.
Speaker 9 (16:44):
Currently, we don't have any timeline of when we're going
to open up that service if at all, so please
be patient with us.
Speaker 6 (16:50):
We know you're waiting.
Speaker 9 (16:52):
If you are still waiting at any of these checkpoints
to be left to be let in or escorted, please
do not wait there. You will not be led in
or allowed to have an escort at this time. Also,
another important reason for stopping these escorts is because we
have search operations beginning.
Speaker 6 (17:10):
Over the next forty eight hours.
Speaker 9 (17:12):
We'll be working alongside LAFD Search and Rescue, our ATF partners,
as well as the LA County Corner's Office throughout the
burn areas, giving priority to those people that are reported
missing in these burn areas. From there, grid search will
take place that could result in crime team preservation and
then recovery remains. We hope that the high volume of
(17:33):
resources dedicated to this to this effort will expedite the process.
And as many of you know, the dry conditions and
winds increasing, it's possible that evacuation orders may increase. I
know overnight we saw some of the evacuation orders turned
into warnings, but we can absolutely see some of these
areas increase to mandatory evacuations again. So I urge you,
(17:54):
we urge you please heed these orders. It can save
your life, and as we also previously mentioned, identifying the
cause of these fires is critically important to all of us.
In conjunction with our partners and led by ATF, we
have created a Los Angeles Regional Wildlife Investigative Task Force,
and while their work is still in the early stages,
(18:16):
we're committed to identifying the cause and origin of these fires,
and we're also committed to holding anyone who's responsible for
these fires accountable and to further protect the residents of
Los Angeles in the city, our curfew is also still
in effect from six.
Speaker 6 (18:33):
Pm to six am. In short, if you don't belong there,
don't be there.
Speaker 9 (18:38):
In closing, I want to reiterate that our department and
all of us standing here this morning are with you.
I want to express my deepest gratitude to the firefighters,
our fellow law enforcement partners, and volunteers who are putting
themselves in harm's way to protect our communities and help
people recover. Their bravery and dedication are truly inspirational. We're
(19:01):
also grateful for the patience and cooperation of our residents
during this difficult time.
Speaker 6 (19:06):
We know this is not easy. Thank you and be safe.
Speaker 9 (19:10):
At this time, I'd like to introduce Los Angeles County
District Attorney Nathan Hafkman, thank.
Speaker 10 (19:20):
You.
Speaker 11 (19:22):
With firefighters literally putting their lives on the line to
save lives and to save homes, with law enforcement working
around the clock to keep security at a high level,
with over two hundred thousand people evacuated, I'm one of them,
and with people who have lost lives, lost homes, lost businesses,
(19:44):
there are still people in our community who, rather than
saying thank you, look at this as an opportunity to
commit crime and to take illegal profit and advantage over
the situation.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
We've seen this.
Speaker 11 (20:00):
Come up and you've heard law enforcement describe the arrests
that had been.
Speaker 4 (20:03):
Made, whether those are arrests are for.
Speaker 11 (20:05):
Looting, burglary, grand theft, whether those are rest are for arson,
whether those arrest will eventually be for price gouging, because
we have been seeing price gouging with hotels, people are
offering residents as well above the ten percent addition that
they can charge.
Speaker 6 (20:25):
We've seen that with medical.
Speaker 11 (20:27):
Supplies, other types of supplies, price gouging going on. So
the criminals have decided that this is an opportunity and
I'm here to tell you that this is not an opportunity.
You will be arrested, you will be prosecuted, and you
will be punished to the full extent of the law.
At two pm today, we'll be holding a press conference
(20:49):
to announce the first charges in a looting case and
the first charges in an arson case. This is not
an arson case tied to the major fires. It was
an arson case that was done on the side. In essence,
you will hear that these people who've committed these crimes
are facing very significant sentences. I'm working with over seven
(21:11):
hundred and fifty deputy district attorneys and in the entire
law enforcement community to bring these people who are despicable
and disgraceful to justice. And we're not only going to
see what's happening right now in connection with bringing stability
to our community, whether it's again going after the looters,
(21:33):
the arsonists, or the price gougers, but we're starting to
see the criminals emerge who are going to go after
the recovery efforts. These are people who are contacting people
and pretending to be go fund me operations to help
people who have suffered and go fund me, by the way,
actually is an excellent organization that is put in place
(21:56):
protections that if you use their.
Speaker 6 (21:58):
Site, you can use it safely.
Speaker 11 (22:01):
But these are people who are creating fake go fund Besides,
I tell people to be very very cautious when you
give your money away, to check out the organizations that
you're doing it to. I applaud anyone who wants to
donate to these causes, whether with money or services, but
make sure that they are going to the right operations. Again,
(22:23):
you can go to Emergency Network LA. It's e NLA
dot gov, or you can go to Recovery dot LA
County dot gov to see the types of operations that
you can have confidence in. And we're also going to
see scams coming up with insurance proceeds. We're gonna see
scams coming up with government benefits because we are going
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to literally have billions of dollars come into Los Angeles
County over the next months and years. And for the
criminals who view this as an opportunity, let me again
give you this warning and absolutely unmistakably clear warning that
if you go ahead and you want to rip off
people and the system and governments that are trying to
(23:09):
help the tragic the people who have suffered from these tragedies.
You will be arrested, you will be prosecuted, and we
will seek maximum punishment against you. I hope will have
the opportunity to tell you at a later point that
this warning has been heated, that deterrence works, because if
(23:33):
we are going to actually have this is the stability
and the rebuild, it's going to be based on everyone contributed.
But for those who don't want to heed this message,
the warning has been cast out there, and the warning
will actually have.
Speaker 4 (23:50):
Teeth behind it.
Speaker 11 (23:52):
I'd now like to introduce Los Angeles Board of Supervisor's
chair Catherine Barber.
Speaker 12 (24:00):
Thank you. As I discussed yesterday, FEMA relief is essential
to getting our impacted residents back on their feet. Today
and yesterday, FEMA staff have been at seven county libraries
plus the Alhamber Library, providing support to individuals who are
seeking FEMA relief. Tomorrow, these services will transition to centralized
(24:22):
assistant centers, one at Pastinga City College and the other
at UCLA Research Park. These centers will be in person
venues where all impacted individuals can receive direct support for
FEMA's assistant program, which helps residents access, lodging, essential items,
(24:43):
and other large financial needs. You can visit Recovery dot
Lacounty dot gov for all the details, and I would
encourage everyone listening to go to one of these sites.
Because I was at Passing the convention Center. I know
Regisleish you were as well, and I saw people handing
out cards. I don't know who they are, I don't
(25:05):
know who they represent, but people are.
Speaker 8 (25:08):
Looking for an opportunity.
Speaker 12 (25:10):
At these recovery centers, you will have legitimate government officials
who are going to work with you to make sure
you receive the benefits you deserve. I want to thank
FEMA for their continued support for our impacted residents. Our
residents need this support to begin rebuilding, and believe me,
(25:32):
after last night's meeting that I attended with my constituents,
they are desperate. So many residents I've heard from, especially
those without insurance, are concerned they won't receive enough assistance.
Speaker 8 (25:44):
To rebuild their lives.
Speaker 12 (25:46):
On top of FEMA assistance, I'm going to be advocating
for innovative loan and housing solutions to bring people back
to their communities. People need help and they need to
know what kind of sup or they're going to receive.
Last night, I joined hundreds of impact of victims and
pasting it to hear their stories, understand their needs, and
(26:10):
to discuss what comes next. Many wildfire survivors I've met, spoke,
and spoke with have repeatedly told me they're worried about
the rebuilding process. Specifically, many have mentioned that they are
eager to begin clearing debris and seeing what valuable possessions
survived this devastating fire. I want you to know that
(26:32):
yesterday the governor issued an executive order to streamline this
rebuilding process.
Speaker 8 (26:37):
This executive order is.
Speaker 12 (26:38):
Going to make rebuilding homes easier by cutting red tape
and make it as affordable and efficient as possible for
our residents to clear debris. Yesterday's executive order, along with
the previous order to waive the sequel requirement and rebuilding,
are two unprecedented actions that will be essential to making
(26:59):
our community whole again. I know that our wildfire survivors
want nothing more than to begin the rebuilding process, and
it is our job in government.
Speaker 8 (27:10):
To get out of the way.
Speaker 12 (27:13):
Our neighbors deserve nothing less to all the residents in
our county. We must maintain diligence over the next few
days as wins increase again, please listen to law enforcement
and their evacuation notices and believe me, I heard last
night many are frustrated.
Speaker 8 (27:33):
These next few days are crucial in our.
Speaker 12 (27:36):
Fighting of the existing fires and also preventing any new fires.
Thank you for taking it seriously. I'd now like to
introduce La City Mayor Karen Bass.
Speaker 13 (27:50):
Thank you, Supervisor Angelino's. As we continue to experience the shock,
the grief, and the anger, we have to stand together.
And it is in that spirit that we have seen hundreds,
if not thousands of Angelinos traveling all around the region
to deliver supplies, clothes, whatever they think might help the
(28:15):
victims of these fires. As we've mentioned, the National Weather
Service is predicting close to hurricane force level winds and
so we're making urgent preparations.
Speaker 8 (28:27):
My top priority and.
Speaker 13 (28:28):
The priority of everyone else, is to do everything we
can to protect lives as these winds approach.
Speaker 8 (28:36):
La City.
Speaker 13 (28:36):
Firefighters and firefighters from across the county, state and nation,
and even overseas are in a proactive and strategic prosture
to save lives. Firefighting resources from LAFD and fire departments
from all over are positioned in strategic holding locations. DWP
is deploying water tankers to augment water supply for firefighters.
(29:01):
The Emergency Operations Centers remain activated at the highest level
to rapidly coordinate emergency response as we prepare for more
win We're also urgently working to provide people with much
needed resources. This week, as Chair Barber said, our city
and county will launch in person local assistant centers that
(29:24):
are tailored to those affected by specific fires. These Local
Assistant Centers is for Angelino's impacted by the Palisades and
Hearst fires, and they will open at the UCLA Research Park,
which was formerly known as the West Side Pavilion. It
will operate from nine am to eight pm, seven days
(29:45):
a week. These centers will help people who have lost
vital records like birth certificates, driver's license, social security documentation.
They will help people who've lost their homes, our businesses
apply for disaster relief loans, and they will provide referrals
for mental health, counseling and other services. We anticipate that
(30:05):
there will be representation for over city over twenty city departments.
There will be representatives from the state and federal departments
and agencies. Later today, we are also going to be
releasing policies on the city level that will help with
the rebuilding process. So as we continue to go through
(30:26):
these next few days where the fires are still a
serious threat, we also want to begin to help people
put their lives back together and to prepare to rebuild
our city. I also want to again remind Angelino's that
lacity dot gov is now a one stop shop for
assistance for those who are impacted and a place to
(30:49):
help Angelinos find a way to get involved. As the
winds pick up, Please stay safe, Please heed the call
to evacuate should you rective that, and remember to heed
all public safety guidance.
Speaker 8 (31:04):
Thank you.
Speaker 14 (31:09):
I'm Lindsay Corvath, Supervisor for the third District of Los
Angeles County. The latest Palisades fire updates. As you've heard,
more than twenty three thousand acres have been impacted by
this fire and it is fourteen percent contained. We have
over fifty one hundred personnel, including forty four helicopters and
(31:30):
five hundred forty engines. The fire continues to hold along
Mandeville Canyon and we are grateful for our first responders
and all those on the front lines fighting in this area.
We know it is critical and you are doing a
great job. We've also made significant progress into Panga Oaks,
Sylvia Park to Mescal Ridge to Mholland. All of these
(31:51):
areas have been under threat and we are.
Speaker 7 (31:53):
Continuing to hold.
Speaker 14 (31:55):
Santa Monica has lifted their evacuation orders and downgraded to
warnings in North San Vicenti, moving from order to warning.
At eight am today, all of the warning areas have
been lifted. A particularly dangerous situation has been issued strongest
(32:16):
winds from Tuesday morning until Wednesday. We strongly encourage caution
and vigilance. This is the weather prediction that the National
Weather Service had going into last week's event, So these
conditions are significant, they are serious, and we need you to.
Speaker 7 (32:37):
Follow all orders.
Speaker 14 (32:39):
All Santa Monica Malibu United School District schools will remain
closed today. All Santa Monica campuses, except for Roosevelt Elementary,
will be open. All LAUSD schools will be open today
except Canyon Charter Elementary, Kenter Canyon Charter Elementary, Palace Charter Elementary,
(33:01):
Marquees Charter Elementary, Topanga Charter Elementary, Lenai Road Elementary and
Paul Revere Middle School. Our Department of Mental Health has
resources for how to speak with our young people about
wildfires at DMH dot La County dot gov. We need
to support our children in this time and make sure
(33:22):
they're able to talk about this tragedy. Our DMH helpline
is eight hundred eight five four seven seven seven to one.
Metro fares continue to be suspended for as long as
conditions remain the same. We thank our Chair of the
Metro Board, Janis Hahn, and our CEO, Stephanie Wiggins for
their assistance. Palisades Post Office has been relocated.
Speaker 7 (33:46):
To Rancho Park Post Office. Residents can pick.
Speaker 14 (33:50):
Up their mail at one one two seven zero Exposition
Boulevard on the first floor. Recovery dot La County dot
gov is launched. You can find initial damage assessments as
well as maps to indicate your property location and status.
Comprehensive list of county resources by department, federal, state, local
(34:14):
and nonprofit emergency assistants. Once again, that website is Recovery
dot La County dot gov. Our Department of Economic Opportunities
East La Entrepreneur Center and America's Job Centers of California
open today as well to support impacted workers as well
as small businesses. As far as public health updates, the
(34:37):
air quality smoke advisory continues through next week. Please wear
N ninety five masks outdoors. Find particulates are airborne even
in areas not impacted by the fires, Especially children and
older adults, especially those with serious health complications, are particularly
(34:59):
at La County Department of Public Health is providing N
ninety five masks at all evacuation shelters into community based organizations.
When you are at home, please close your windows and doors,
run the air conditioning or air purifiers if you have them,
and check your filters regularly. In your car, close the
(35:21):
windows and vents, turn your air conditioning on to recirculate.
Do not in any way use leaf blowers or other
actions that will push ash into the air. Follow all
drinking water advisories, and due to ocean contamination, avoid the
following beaches Malibu Point at Surfrider Beach, Solstice Creek at
(35:43):
Dan Blocker County Beach, and Innercabrio Beach in San Pedro.
To stay informed about the latest emergency orders, you can
go to Emergency dot La County dot gov. And I
want to once again thank all of those who are
on the front lines keeping us safe through this very
difficult time, all of our volunteers who have kicked into
(36:05):
action to ensure that our community members are supported. And
I also want to thank our governor for an additional
executive order in addition to the one that he issued
yesterday to expedite debris removal and to reduce the risk
of mud slides. As we know, rain is predicted starting
next week and these complicated conditions may only worsen. We
(36:27):
thank him for his foresight and his partnership.
Speaker 15 (36:34):
Helen Chavez, communications director for Chair Catherine Barger. Chair Barger
recognizes thanks to following elected representatives for joining us this
morning and for their ongoing support during this emergency. We
have with us first District Supervisor Ildaslis California Board of
Equalization Antonio Vasciz, Santa Monica Mayer, Anna Nagrette, and State
(36:57):
Senator Sasha Renee Periz. Going to transition to the Q
and a portion of our press conference. Please raise your
hand and wait to be called upon. When you are
called upon, please announce your name and the media outlet
that you're with.
Speaker 7 (37:10):
We're going to go start right here.
Speaker 2 (37:12):
You're listening to KFI the updated press briefing on what
is happening with the La fires.
Speaker 16 (37:18):
Okay, Gigi Grassi at Fox eleven News, I have a
question about the fire, but I'm going to start with
this question.
Speaker 10 (37:24):
Maybe I'll have a second.
Speaker 16 (37:25):
Chance, Assistant Chief Choy, to most families, if not all,
families who have pets, they are like family to them.
Tomorrow will be seven days that those pets that are
inside the houses that survived may be without water and
most likely without food, which would put that in an
(37:46):
extremely critical condition that could lead to death if it
hasn't already. Is there nothing that can be done for
those folks that are telling us they are desperate. They
just want to go in, get their pet and go
right out. They don't want to look at the house.
They want to get their animals out the firebook out
of ten thirty Tuesday morning, many folks were at work
(38:07):
already and have not been able to get back.
Speaker 9 (38:09):
Yes, I can tell you my comments were specific to
escorting that resident or those residents back to their house
to do such things.
Speaker 6 (38:17):
There are other options that we can do.
Speaker 9 (38:19):
For example, officers that are patrolling the area can get
a list of locations at the checkpoint. Officers can patrol
these areas and go check themselves. I'm not saying that's
exactly going to have, but there are options where we
don't have to leave a pet in there if we're
made aware of that. So you can go to the
checkpoints and talk to officers, but I urge you not
to go there just to wait to go in to
see your house, which is largely what.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
A lot of these.
Speaker 6 (38:43):
These individuals are doing.
Speaker 9 (38:44):
They're waiting to be escorted to see their property, which
we can't do. We still aren't doing medication and pets. However,
we can come up with a way where if somebody
knows a pet is in the residence, that we'll do
everything we can in our authority to go in there
and get that.
Speaker 12 (38:57):
Pet and then gigi on that now pass any humane
society is actually going into the Aldadna area that's under
evacuation orders and feeding pets, So there is we will
link up and see if we can duplicate that.
Speaker 15 (39:14):
First to the woman right there in the yep, and
then we'll go for great thank you.
Speaker 17 (39:20):
Oh you've got a hold lot of great Sorry, Hello,
Jane Sekisky news a couple of questions, one to Fire
Chief Maroni more bad wins on the way we know
the conditions as we've just heard are going to be
the same as last week. How confident are you that
you're better prepared this time? And also a question for
Mayo Bass if I might, I'll correspond to David Blevins
asked you last week if you owe the people of
(39:42):
Los Angeles an apology for cutting the fire budget. You
didn't respond to him, then would you like to respond
to us now?
Speaker 4 (39:51):
So for the fire question, thank you.
Speaker 3 (39:53):
We're absolutely better prepared for this coming PDS vere fire
weather event. You've heard the statistics number of personnel assigned
to the incidents. Over five thousand firefighters assigned to the
Palisades Fire, over three thousand firefighters assigned to the Eton fire.
(40:16):
The state, under the leadership of Governor Newsom, has set
up a mobilization center in Banning where we have resources
staged that can come into La County to assist with
a new fire start or the expansion of one of
our existing fires. We also have numerous aircraft, local government aircraft, helicopters,
(40:40):
we have water bombers, we have retarded fixed wing aircraft
from the state and federal government. We have military aircraft,
so we've not only augmented the ground resources, but also
the air resources. I think that we're very well prepared
for the next event, but going to be We're never
(41:02):
sure that we're going to be able to catch the
next fire and keep it small. They said seventy mile
an hour wins. It's going to be very difficult to
contain that fire. That's why we ask all residents in
a brush prone area to be prepared to evacuate if
you get the evacuation order and start those preparations before
(41:25):
the evacuation warning comes.
Speaker 4 (41:27):
Thank you.
Speaker 7 (41:29):
There was a two part question to that correct.
Speaker 13 (41:32):
My focus is on us being prepared as a city
for tomorrow. As you began, we could face another very
difficult situation for thousands of Angelinos. When we are past
this period, there will be an evaluation of everything that
(41:53):
went on, and at that point in time, we will
see there is not agreement as to whether or not
the budget was cut. All of those issues will be
resolved when we are clear that Angelino's are safe and
we are ready to rebuild our city.
Speaker 7 (42:11):
Thank you, thank you. We're going to go right here.
In the middle.
Speaker 10 (42:14):
Next John the Bigliatti, CBS News pre mayor Bass. Please,
last week many people were working and could not get
back in time to properly evacuate. As we've discussed in
this room, there were pet care issues, healthcare issues, childcare issues. Now,
ahead of this latest event, you have businesses that are
(42:34):
proactively closing, essentially treating this event like it was a
hurricane or a blizzard. If they are taking those steps,
why are you not implementing broader closures right now to
keep your constituents safe.
Speaker 13 (42:49):
We are doing everything we can to keep Angelino safe.
If there is a need for closures, that will be done.
But right now we are in preparation for tomorrow, thank you.
Speaker 4 (43:03):
A hurricane or a blizzard.
Speaker 13 (43:05):
Absolutely it is, which is why you see everybody here
standing united, prepared and ready to address what.
Speaker 4 (43:13):
If, hopefully we won't experience.
Speaker 13 (43:16):
But we are ready, We are prepared, and we will
continue to do everything we can to keep Angelino safe.
Speaker 12 (43:23):
Thank you.
Speaker 10 (43:23):
By now, this is the four This is important because
this is the fourth time we've had these dire warnings.
Each previous time there has been loss, So this is
a critical time to make those decisions and hurricanes and
blizzards like I've discussed, people stay at home. Businesses are closed,
people can then prepare to evacuate. So there aren't pets
(43:43):
left in their homes, There aren't children with you know,
daycare providers. They're scrambling. They scrambled last week. There are pets.
So the question is what are you doing to make
sure that that doesn't happen today?
Speaker 7 (43:58):
Okay, we're moving on over here in about right there.
Speaker 18 (44:01):
Hi Morgan Windsor for ABC News. I have two questions,
one for five fire officials regarding the status of the
investigation on the Eaton fire, and then a second for
perhaps a district attorney on price gouging. The first question,
I'm wondering if officials are honing in on the transmission
towers owned by Edison in the area of the Eaton
(44:24):
fire as a possible source of ignition.
Speaker 3 (44:28):
Yeah, thank you for your question. I'm going to turn
that over to the La County Sheriff. The cause of
the fire is still under investigation. The sheriff might have
an update for you. If it is arson and not
the transmission tower, then that would be a crime. I'd
like the sheriff to speak to that.
Speaker 8 (44:50):
Simple answer to that is yes, we're looking at everything.
Speaker 1 (44:53):
We have a team that is obviously focused on the
response as we prepare for any event, and then the
investigation not only into the recovery of the remains and
the issues surrounding that, but anything that would have caused
any of the fires anywhere in our jurisdiction. I think
the chief or the assistant chief from LA talked about
(45:15):
a task force. We're on that as well. We're working
together and we expect the financers.
Speaker 7 (45:21):
Okay, I saw a hand right here in the blue
jack Hi get mourning.
Speaker 19 (45:25):
Lauren Coronado with NBC Foreign News. This is for Chief Crowley.
You mentioned wildfire patrols in high risk areas? Can you
identify those high risk areas?
Speaker 8 (45:36):
Sure?
Speaker 5 (45:37):
So, and that's that lean forward posture as we're looking
to do everything in our power to ensure that we
maximize our efforts with the resources that we have, which
this whole patrol we're utilizing fire inspectors. So with that,
we're going to be patrolling, taking a proactive approach. Anywhere
(45:57):
where there's any wildland risk is where we're going to
be patrolling. It's just extra set of eyes ears. We
can also help the community with questions, and that's really important.
The community also knows that the city, the fire department
is leaning forward or utilizing the resources that we have.
So to answer your question very specifically, it's anywhere where
(46:19):
it's in the wildland area, that's where we're going to
be putting our patrols out.
Speaker 7 (46:23):
Thank you, Thank you very much.
Speaker 19 (46:25):
I have one more question. Sorry I should have asked
right off the bat for any fire official. I understand
there's better air resources this time around, military equipped with
these high winds, I know a big issue is that
they weren't able to be utilized because of the high winds.
When we're talking military equipped, does that change things? Can
you do those aerial attacks? But these kind of aircraft.
Speaker 4 (46:48):
It's not going to change it.
Speaker 3 (46:50):
So we still have wind cut off speeds for fixed
wing retardant tankers, water bombers, and helicopters. The helicopters that
we have at all county fire or military helicopters, they're
patterned after the black Hawk, and still we do have
wind cut off speeds, not only for the safety of
the helicopter, but what happens is the wind speeds increase
(47:13):
the effectiveness of the water drops are retardant drops is affected,
and the minute that aerial firefighting resources are no longer
efficient or effective or safe, we have to ground them.
That's the unfortunate truth. But we do have a lot
of people on the ground that can still fight the fire.
Speaker 4 (47:31):
You saw our firefighters.
Speaker 3 (47:32):
One hundred million an hour wins eating Canyon and Alta
Dina that kept fighting the fire even in those strong wins.
Speaker 4 (47:40):
Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 7 (47:41):
We're going to go over here, and then we'll go
over here.
Speaker 8 (47:46):
Thank you.
Speaker 20 (47:47):
This is a Dave's on iSER at the Los Angeles Times.
I was wondering if you could go sort of fire
by fire and tell you where you are on determining
the origin. Are you guys looking at whether or not
New Year's Eve fireworks might have been a trigger for
the Palisades fire with something then flaring up later. I
know you mentioned the Eaton Canyon fire, but can you
tell us, for example, is Arson being viewed definitely as
(48:10):
the cause of the Sunset fire. Could somebody just walk
us through each of them.
Speaker 9 (48:16):
Talked about Yeah, I mean I can talk about so
right now we have the task force that is robust,
that is there identifying cause and origin for each of
these separate fires, there's so many of them there. None
have been ruled out of arson. They're ongoing investigations, but
also the Palisades fire specifically, since that's the one that's
(48:38):
still rampant in the city of Los Angeles. There's been
no definitive determination that it is is arson at this point,
but we're looking at every angle.
Speaker 20 (48:49):
Are specific.
Speaker 6 (48:52):
It's an ongoing investigation. If I could, I would. I
don't have the answer for you.
Speaker 7 (48:56):
Interested, Thank you, and we're going to go right here.
Speaker 21 (48:58):
Hi, this is Kate Cagel from Spectrum News One.
Speaker 7 (49:01):
I have two questions.
Speaker 21 (49:02):
One for Fire Chief Maroni, is there a definite threshold
for wind speed when those aerial drops have to stop?
Like is seventy miles an hour that threshold? And then
my other question is given how dense some of these
neighborhoods are where we've seen orders and warnings, I mean
all the way to Wilshire in Santa Monica last week,
(49:23):
we've seen gridlock when people are trying to all get
out at once. Have you guys worked on addressing that
issue If people do have to evacuate tonight from an
extremely dense area like we saw what the sunset fire.
Folks just couldn't get out because traffic was jammed.
Speaker 7 (49:39):
How do you address that?
Speaker 3 (49:40):
Yeah, So to answer your the first part of your question,
there is a specific threshold and I don't remember what
that threshold is, although I used to work at air operations.
Thirty to forty miles an hour is beginning I believe
to be that threshold. I'll see if our CalFire partner
from the state of CA California remembers what that threshold
(50:02):
is for helicopters and fifth swing air tankers.
Speaker 7 (50:05):
Isn't say your name and your.
Speaker 22 (50:07):
Good morning, Jerem mcgonia with CalFire representing incident management team.
So with the specific aircraft, they all have a different limitation.
The problem is is when you have substained wins over
forty miles an hour is the issue. The problem is
the GUS. So the GUS peak and the aircraft limitations
(50:33):
or capabilities are then limited based on approach and departures
as well as as Chief mentioned, they drop accuracy. So
each aircraft will have that limitation based on the manufacturer's
recommendation and then as far as a safety component. Usually
the limiting factors GUS over thirty miles an hour, but
(50:57):
the sustained wins anything over forty is pretty much gonna
ground most aircraft.
Speaker 8 (51:03):
So again, each one of those.
Speaker 22 (51:05):
Aircraft have those specific limitations, but as an overall general rule,
safety rule, the GUS is what is the issue, and
this is what the gus that we've been having.
Speaker 7 (51:15):
Thank you. Can you restate please your name and spelling.
Speaker 22 (51:18):
Yes, Jerry mcgaonia g E R R Y. Last name
is mcgonia m A g A NA representing the CalFire
Incident Management Teams.
Speaker 15 (51:27):
Thank you, Thank you so much. We have two last questions.
There's a clarification over here.
Speaker 4 (51:31):
I'd like to.
Speaker 3 (51:32):
Answer the second part of the question regarding community congestion
and people leaving all at once under the evacuation order.
We really want residents in La County to be prepared.
If you don't have a wildfire evacuation plan for your
family and your home, please make one today. Visit www
(51:53):
dot La County all right, excuse me, www dot Fire
dot La County dot org of forward slash RSG that
stands for.
Speaker 4 (52:04):
Ready set Go.
Speaker 3 (52:07):
I would recommend in an abundance of caution, if you
get an alert on your telephone for an evacuation warning.
Leave then don't wait for the order, because we know
from experience that if you wait for the order, you
might get caught up in the congestion that you referenced.
(52:28):
And please do not silence the emergency alerts on your telephone.
Speaker 6 (52:33):
Let me jure up one moment.
Speaker 23 (52:35):
I'm out of hero because top of the hour, so
coming up it'll be Nils of adri And for Gary
and Shannon with Marla Tayees. So stay tuned. This continues,
See you tomorrow. KFI AM six forty. You've been listening
to the Bill Handle Show. Catch My Show Monday through
Friday six am to nine am, and anytime on demand
(52:56):
on the iHeartRadio app
You're listening to Bill Handle on demand from KFIAM six forty.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
All right, we're going to go to that press conference
that is getting underway out with updates on the fires.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
We gained no acreage yesterday, which is a very good thing.
We know that over seven thousand structures are damaged or destroyed,
and we have three thousand, four hundred and eight firefighting
personnel assigned to the incident. Twenty six percent of our
damage inspections for dwellings have been completed. Impacted residents may
(00:38):
visit Recovery dot LA County dot gov to view preliminary
maps showing damage assessments. Please note that the preliminary maps
have been posted and are.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
Being updated daily.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
If there is not a color icon on your address,
it means the building has not yet been inspected. Severe
fire weather conditions will continue through Wednesday. Please be assured
that all fire departments and all law enforcement agencies in
(01:16):
the area will be prepared. The anticipated wins, combined with
low humidities and low fuel moistures, will keep the fire
threat in all of Los Angeles County critical. I ask
all Los Angeles County residents in wildfire prone areas to
understand that the necessary public safety power shutoffs are important
(01:43):
for our collective safety in preventing the next wildfire natural disaster.
I did want to to spell one rumor. The LA
County Fire Department has never turned down any offers for
muture will aid assistance and resources. Repopulation will not occur
(02:08):
until all areas are safe. Additionally, our Col four point
fifteen super Scooper that was damaged because of a drone
incursion is reportedly going to be flying tomorrow morning. It
has been repaired and we're waiting for the FAA to
(02:29):
give us approval to fly again.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
Thank you to.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Board Chair Supervisor Catherine Barger and Supervisor Lindsey Horvath for
your unwavering leadership and continued support throughout this unprecedented disaster.
And finally, to all the Los Angeles County residents affected
by this catastrophe, please be assured your firefighters continue to
(02:54):
work towards full containment of these wildfires from the air
and on the ground. We stand alongside each of you
as you begin the repopulation of evacuated areas when safe,
and the rebuilding of your homes, your communities, and your lives.
Speaker 5 (03:15):
Thank you, Good morning everyone, Kristan Crowley, Los Angeles City
Fire Department Fire Chief. But to start off with just
a moment to share with everybody out there that's been
impacted by these wildland fires, that the entire LAFD family,
(03:39):
sworn and civilian, our city family, mayor, Bass City leadership, everybody,
our thoughts and hearts and prayers go out to you
as we continue to push forward and mitigate this emergency.
We understand the impacts, and we're working and will continue
to work very, very very hard for everyone. Another point
(04:00):
I want to make is that also we are so
very grateful for the firefighters and the first responders that
have already arrived and continue to arrive in the southern
California region. We absolutely know that we cannot do this
on our own, and we are tremendously appreciative of all
(04:21):
of your continued support as the increasing wind event is
upon us as we speak, the Los Angeles City Fire
Department has maximized our resource capabilities and response capabilities. All
available LAFD resources.
Speaker 6 (04:38):
Have been staffed.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
I have strategically prepositioned engine strike teams and task forces
which are dedicated to rapid response for any new fire
that breaks out in the city. In addition, I've directed
the Fire Prevention Bureau to augment wildfire patrols in high
hazard areas the Palisades fire. Your LFD remains committed to
(05:04):
this fire and we have significant number of engines that
have been dedicated.
Speaker 7 (05:08):
To this fire.
Speaker 5 (05:10):
The crews that are involved, we have crews from up
and down the state outside of the state, have made excellent,
excellent work overnight mopping up flare ups and hotspots. Their
primary focus last night was on the Mandeville Canyon area,
and this fire is now at twenty three thousand, seven
hundred and thirteen acres with fourteen percent containment. With five thousand,
(05:32):
one hundred and twenty three personnel assigned to the Palisades incident.
Firefighters will continue to work diligently throughout the day to
increase containment and prevent further fire spread. Again, I want
to focus our my comments on the amount of resources
that are here in the Palisades, from the first responders
(05:53):
all the way up to our incident command teams. Again,
we're going to keep working really, really hard for you.
Just a brief comment on the Hearset fire. It's been
held to seven hundred and ninety nine acres with ninety
five percent containment. Again, thank you to the community members
that are out there for remaining vigilant.
Speaker 7 (06:13):
We are not in the clear.
Speaker 5 (06:14):
I want to make sure of that we are not
in the clear as of yet, and we must not
let our guard down as we have right now extreme
fire behavior, and we need to make sure that the
community is staying updated with the most information updated information
as well, follow all evacuation warnings and orders without delay,
(06:39):
and please please stay safe. I would now like to
introduce our next speaker, and that is Sheriff Luna.
Speaker 8 (06:45):
Thank you, Robert Luna, Sheriff of Los Angeles County.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Regarding our deployment, we still have well over one thousand
of our Los Angeles County deputies out there working on
twelve hours ships. We have one hundred and seventy two
California Highway Patrol officers. I'd like to thank the Commissioner
who was with me yesterday, Chanderie, for all of his assistants.
(07:13):
I also want to thank Major General Beavers. I was
with him as well, and he has fortunately been able
to increase the amount of National Guard assistance that he
is giving us up to six hundred and he told
me yesterday. If we need more, we can ask for more,
and we are strategically looking at that, analyzing it and
(07:35):
we'll ask as needed. Evacuations we have approximately this is
some good news because it's dropped. We have over ninety
two thousand people who are under evacuation orders and approximately
eighty nine thousand people who are under evacuation warnings. I
want our community to know this, and Chief Maroney did
(07:57):
talk about this for a second. In every conversation we're
having about evacuations warnings, whether they're they're weren't going to
implement them or take or take them away, the conversation
about repopulation is.
Speaker 8 (08:15):
On all of our minds.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
I know that we are attending staffs, attending community meetings,
whether they be out in the Palisades fire area in
Malibu for US at Ali County Sheriffs in the Altadena area.
We are hearing our community loud and clear, and we
want to get you in there as soon as possible.
But I want to reiterate what is holding us up.
(08:39):
This is very important. We are still for the Altadena area,
we are in the third day of grid searching.
Speaker 8 (08:48):
It is a very grim.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Task and we unfortunately every day we're doing this, We're
running across the remains of individual community members.
Speaker 8 (08:59):
That is not work.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Very sad to report, and I believe that work is
not only going to continue, but I believe will continue
to find remains.
Speaker 8 (09:09):
So please be patient with us.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
People are saying, I just want to go look at
my house and I want to see what's left. We
know that, but we have people literally looking for the
remains of your neighbors.
Speaker 8 (09:21):
Please be patient with us.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
There's a lot of hazards in the area still, the
area has not been rendered safe. Please be patient with us.
And then we have the potential of crime scenes. And
I'm not saying that's what it is. I'm just saying
we have to think ahead because we can't go back
from that, So please be patient with us. The curfew
(09:44):
is still in effect six pm to six am for
specifically the mandatory evacuation areas in both the Palisides impacted
area and the Eaten Fire impacted areas. Those are object
to change depending on need one way or another. We
(10:04):
understand again that people want to go back, but it
is dangerous to do so and we will not put anybody's.
Speaker 8 (10:11):
Safety at risk.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
I want to talk about arrest for the La County
Sheriff's area.
Speaker 8 (10:18):
Overnight we had several other arrests.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
It brings it up to a total of thirty four
in our geographic area. We have thirty in the Eton
Fire area, and we have four in the Palisades area.
Last night, specifically, again for La County Sheriff's jurisdiction, we
arrested four. Two were for curfew violations, two were arrested.
Speaker 8 (10:44):
For one drone incident.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
To my knowledge, we have now had two specific drone
incidents that have resulted in three arrests.
Speaker 8 (10:53):
So as I.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Talked to our community again, if you do not have
business in the in the evacuation areas, do not go there.
Speaker 8 (11:06):
Please.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
You're infringing upon the work that our first responders need
to attend to. And I do want to say when
I talk about these arrests, I want to clarify not
all of them are for burglary or looting or for
curfew violations, but it is very important when.
Speaker 8 (11:30):
I say stay out.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
We are arresting people who are not supposed to be there,
who do not live there, who are in possession of narcotics.
We've arrested several with guns and yeah, I'm going to
tell you something. If we if our deputies being very
proactive in these areas stopping people in a constitutional manner,
as always making sure that they're supposed to be there,
(11:55):
and you have narcotics on you and you have a
gun on you. In police work, we call that a
something's wrong there. So that's why we're arresting people. Our
search and rescue missions up to through the two days,
we have searched one eight and seventy four properties. In
regards to deaths, and again I want to clarify this
(12:16):
is for the Los Angeles County area of responsibility.
Speaker 8 (12:21):
We have confirmed.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Twenty one deaths, sixteen in the Eton Fire area and
five in the Palisades area, and sadly, yes, unfortunately, I
anticipate the number to go up. Missing persons. We are
actively have twenty three active missing persons reported, seventeen in
(12:44):
the Eton Fire area, six in the Malibu area. All
of them are adults, thank god, there's no juveniles. But
if you believe you have somebody who's missing, make sure
you report that to us as soon as possible. For
any updated information that anybody may have. Questions, very important
(13:04):
questions regarding evacuation.
Speaker 8 (13:06):
Orders or warnings, or any.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Road closures, please go to Ali County dot gov slash
emergency for assistance. The American Red Cross is doing an
amazing job. Please contact Please contact them. And again for
some of the negative things I talk about, there are
some amazing stories of community members coming forward to donate items.
(13:28):
It's very inspiring. For donations, go to Emergency Network Los Angeles.
Speaker 8 (13:34):
And now it's my pleasure to.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Introduce Assistant Chief Dominic Choice from the Los Angeles Police Department.
Speaker 6 (13:43):
Okay, good morning.
Speaker 9 (13:43):
I want to start by just assuring everybody that our
primary focus still remains the safety and well being of
our residents. These fires have caused significant disruptions, but we
are working tirelessly with our partners to protect lives, property,
and secure critical infrastructure. So, as of this morning, LAPD
(14:04):
has in the city two hundred and sixty six officers
deployed to the Palisades fire. We also have support from
our National Guard partners who have deployed two hundred soldiers
assigned to the incident.
Speaker 6 (14:15):
We're very grateful for their support.
Speaker 9 (14:18):
We also have dedicated resource investigating our missing persons reported
so at this time, as of this morning, six am
we have a total of twenty six people reported missing
in the city of Los Angeles. Seventeen of those individuals
have been located safely. Nine of the nine remaining, two
most likely were found in the fires deceased, but they
(14:41):
haven't been positively identified by a coroner's office yet, so
those are still waiting to be identified. One individual we
believe is located safely in a shelter, but that person
we're waiting for confirmation on that. There are six that
remain unaccounted for, and we're diligently to identify and locate
(15:02):
these people. So in total, in the city of Los
Angeles since Tuesday, when these fires occurred, we have three fatalities. Again,
two were found in the fires and one was a
burn victim that was transported earlier this week to a hospital.
That person later passed away. If you want to make
a missing person's report, you can do so either in
person or over the phone. You can call any one
(15:24):
of our twenty one geographic stations and make that report,
or you can call our Missing Persons Investigation Unit directly.
Speaker 6 (15:30):
I'm going to give you the number.
Speaker 9 (15:31):
It's two, one, three, nine, nine, six, eighteen hundred and
select option three that telephone is man twenty four hours
a day. Currently, as of this morning, the City of
Los Angeles related to the fires has a total of
fourteen arrests, three for curfew, one for impersonating a firefighter,
(15:53):
one for possession of burglary tools, four for burglary, one
for DUI, one for felony vandalism, and three for shoplifting.
As the sheriff just mentioned, it's not just for looting
or burglary that you're going to jail or curfew. If
you're in the area, you don't belong in the area.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
You will be.
Speaker 9 (16:11):
Stopped and questioned, and whatever crime you're is being committed,
you would be held accountable for that. So please stay
away from these evacuation areas. Regarding escorts, we talked about
this a little bit yesterday, but we tried to be
compassionate and put together a team to escort residents to
their homes to either retrieve small pets or their medication.
(16:33):
But that line became exceedingly large and it was causing
more problems than solutions. We have halted this escort service
for the safety.
Speaker 6 (16:42):
Of everyone involved.
Speaker 9 (16:44):
Currently, we don't have any timeline of when we're going
to open up that service if at all, so please
be patient with us.
Speaker 6 (16:50):
We know you're waiting.
Speaker 9 (16:52):
If you are still waiting at any of these checkpoints
to be left to be let in or escorted, please
do not wait there. You will not be led in
or allowed to have an escort at this time. Also,
another important reason for stopping these escorts is because we
have search operations beginning.
Speaker 6 (17:10):
Over the next forty eight hours.
Speaker 9 (17:12):
We'll be working alongside LAFD Search and Rescue, our ATF partners,
as well as the LA County Corner's Office throughout the
burn areas, giving priority to those people that are reported
missing in these burn areas. From there, grid search will
take place that could result in crime team preservation and
then recovery remains. We hope that the high volume of
(17:33):
resources dedicated to this to this effort will expedite the process.
And as many of you know, the dry conditions and
winds increasing, it's possible that evacuation orders may increase. I
know overnight we saw some of the evacuation orders turned
into warnings, but we can absolutely see some of these
areas increase to mandatory evacuations again. So I urge you,
(17:54):
we urge you please heed these orders. It can save
your life, and as we also previously mentioned, identifying the
cause of these fires is critically important to all of us.
In conjunction with our partners and led by ATF, we
have created a Los Angeles Regional Wildlife Investigative Task Force,
and while their work is still in the early stages,
(18:16):
we're committed to identifying the cause and origin of these fires,
and we're also committed to holding anyone who's responsible for
these fires accountable and to further protect the residents of
Los Angeles in the city, our curfew is also still
in effect from six.
Speaker 6 (18:33):
Pm to six am. In short, if you don't belong there,
don't be there.
Speaker 9 (18:38):
In closing, I want to reiterate that our department and
all of us standing here this morning are with you.
I want to express my deepest gratitude to the firefighters,
our fellow law enforcement partners, and volunteers who are putting
themselves in harm's way to protect our communities and help
people recover. Their bravery and dedication are truly inspirational. We're
(19:01):
also grateful for the patience and cooperation of our residents
during this difficult time.
Speaker 6 (19:06):
We know this is not easy. Thank you and be safe.
Speaker 9 (19:10):
At this time, I'd like to introduce Los Angeles County
District Attorney Nathan Hafkman, thank.
Speaker 10 (19:20):
You.
Speaker 11 (19:22):
With firefighters literally putting their lives on the line to
save lives and to save homes, with law enforcement working
around the clock to keep security at a high level,
with over two hundred thousand people evacuated, I'm one of them,
and with people who have lost lives, lost homes, lost businesses,
(19:44):
there are still people in our community who, rather than
saying thank you, look at this as an opportunity to
commit crime and to take illegal profit and advantage over
the situation.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
We've seen this.
Speaker 11 (20:00):
Come up and you've heard law enforcement describe the arrests
that had been.
Speaker 4 (20:03):
Made, whether those are arrests are for.
Speaker 11 (20:05):
Looting, burglary, grand theft, whether those are rest are for arson,
whether those arrest will eventually be for price gouging, because
we have been seeing price gouging with hotels, people are
offering residents as well above the ten percent addition that
they can charge.
Speaker 6 (20:25):
We've seen that with medical.
Speaker 11 (20:27):
Supplies, other types of supplies, price gouging going on. So
the criminals have decided that this is an opportunity and
I'm here to tell you that this is not an opportunity.
You will be arrested, you will be prosecuted, and you
will be punished to the full extent of the law.
At two pm today, we'll be holding a press conference
(20:49):
to announce the first charges in a looting case and
the first charges in an arson case. This is not
an arson case tied to the major fires. It was
an arson case that was done on the side. In essence,
you will hear that these people who've committed these crimes
are facing very significant sentences. I'm working with over seven
(21:11):
hundred and fifty deputy district attorneys and in the entire
law enforcement community to bring these people who are despicable
and disgraceful to justice. And we're not only going to
see what's happening right now in connection with bringing stability
to our community, whether it's again going after the looters,
(21:33):
the arsonists, or the price gougers, but we're starting to
see the criminals emerge who are going to go after
the recovery efforts. These are people who are contacting people
and pretending to be go fund me operations to help
people who have suffered and go fund me, by the way,
actually is an excellent organization that is put in place
(21:56):
protections that if you use their.
Speaker 6 (21:58):
Site, you can use it safely.
Speaker 11 (22:01):
But these are people who are creating fake go fund Besides,
I tell people to be very very cautious when you
give your money away, to check out the organizations that
you're doing it to. I applaud anyone who wants to
donate to these causes, whether with money or services, but
make sure that they are going to the right operations. Again,
(22:23):
you can go to Emergency Network LA. It's e NLA
dot gov, or you can go to Recovery dot LA
County dot gov to see the types of operations that
you can have confidence in. And we're also going to
see scams coming up with insurance proceeds. We're gonna see
scams coming up with government benefits because we are going
(22:46):
to literally have billions of dollars come into Los Angeles
County over the next months and years. And for the
criminals who view this as an opportunity, let me again
give you this warning and absolutely unmistakably clear warning that
if you go ahead and you want to rip off
people and the system and governments that are trying to
(23:09):
help the tragic the people who have suffered from these tragedies.
You will be arrested, you will be prosecuted, and we
will seek maximum punishment against you. I hope will have
the opportunity to tell you at a later point that
this warning has been heated, that deterrence works, because if
(23:33):
we are going to actually have this is the stability
and the rebuild, it's going to be based on everyone contributed.
But for those who don't want to heed this message,
the warning has been cast out there, and the warning
will actually have.
Speaker 4 (23:50):
Teeth behind it.
Speaker 11 (23:52):
I'd now like to introduce Los Angeles Board of Supervisor's
chair Catherine Barber.
Speaker 12 (24:00):
Thank you. As I discussed yesterday, FEMA relief is essential
to getting our impacted residents back on their feet. Today
and yesterday, FEMA staff have been at seven county libraries
plus the Alhamber Library, providing support to individuals who are
seeking FEMA relief. Tomorrow, these services will transition to centralized
(24:22):
assistant centers, one at Pastinga City College and the other
at UCLA Research Park. These centers will be in person
venues where all impacted individuals can receive direct support for
FEMA's assistant program, which helps residents access, lodging, essential items,
(24:43):
and other large financial needs. You can visit Recovery dot
Lacounty dot gov for all the details, and I would
encourage everyone listening to go to one of these sites.
Because I was at Passing the convention Center. I know
Regisleish you were as well, and I saw people handing
out cards. I don't know who they are, I don't
(25:05):
know who they represent, but people are.
Speaker 8 (25:08):
Looking for an opportunity.
Speaker 12 (25:10):
At these recovery centers, you will have legitimate government officials
who are going to work with you to make sure
you receive the benefits you deserve. I want to thank
FEMA for their continued support for our impacted residents. Our
residents need this support to begin rebuilding, and believe me,
(25:32):
after last night's meeting that I attended with my constituents,
they are desperate. So many residents I've heard from, especially
those without insurance, are concerned they won't receive enough assistance.
Speaker 8 (25:44):
To rebuild their lives.
Speaker 12 (25:46):
On top of FEMA assistance, I'm going to be advocating
for innovative loan and housing solutions to bring people back
to their communities. People need help and they need to
know what kind of sup or they're going to receive.
Last night, I joined hundreds of impact of victims and
pasting it to hear their stories, understand their needs, and
(26:10):
to discuss what comes next. Many wildfire survivors I've met, spoke,
and spoke with have repeatedly told me they're worried about
the rebuilding process. Specifically, many have mentioned that they are
eager to begin clearing debris and seeing what valuable possessions
survived this devastating fire. I want you to know that
(26:32):
yesterday the governor issued an executive order to streamline this
rebuilding process.
Speaker 8 (26:37):
This executive order is.
Speaker 12 (26:38):
Going to make rebuilding homes easier by cutting red tape
and make it as affordable and efficient as possible for
our residents to clear debris. Yesterday's executive order, along with
the previous order to waive the sequel requirement and rebuilding,
are two unprecedented actions that will be essential to making
(26:59):
our community whole again. I know that our wildfire survivors
want nothing more than to begin the rebuilding process, and
it is our job in government.
Speaker 8 (27:10):
To get out of the way.
Speaker 12 (27:13):
Our neighbors deserve nothing less to all the residents in
our county. We must maintain diligence over the next few
days as wins increase again, please listen to law enforcement
and their evacuation notices and believe me, I heard last
night many are frustrated.
Speaker 8 (27:33):
These next few days are crucial in our.
Speaker 12 (27:36):
Fighting of the existing fires and also preventing any new fires.
Thank you for taking it seriously. I'd now like to
introduce La City Mayor Karen Bass.
Speaker 13 (27:50):
Thank you, Supervisor Angelino's. As we continue to experience the shock,
the grief, and the anger, we have to stand together.
And it is in that spirit that we have seen hundreds,
if not thousands of Angelinos traveling all around the region
to deliver supplies, clothes, whatever they think might help the
(28:15):
victims of these fires. As we've mentioned, the National Weather
Service is predicting close to hurricane force level winds and
so we're making urgent preparations.
Speaker 8 (28:27):
My top priority and.
Speaker 13 (28:28):
The priority of everyone else, is to do everything we
can to protect lives as these winds approach.
Speaker 8 (28:36):
La City.
Speaker 13 (28:36):
Firefighters and firefighters from across the county, state and nation,
and even overseas are in a proactive and strategic prosture
to save lives. Firefighting resources from LAFD and fire departments
from all over are positioned in strategic holding locations. DWP
is deploying water tankers to augment water supply for firefighters.
(29:01):
The Emergency Operations Centers remain activated at the highest level
to rapidly coordinate emergency response as we prepare for more
win We're also urgently working to provide people with much
needed resources. This week, as Chair Barber said, our city
and county will launch in person local assistant centers that
(29:24):
are tailored to those affected by specific fires. These Local
Assistant Centers is for Angelino's impacted by the Palisades and
Hearst fires, and they will open at the UCLA Research Park,
which was formerly known as the West Side Pavilion. It
will operate from nine am to eight pm, seven days
(29:45):
a week. These centers will help people who have lost
vital records like birth certificates, driver's license, social security documentation.
They will help people who've lost their homes, our businesses
apply for disaster relief loans, and they will provide referrals
for mental health, counseling and other services. We anticipate that
(30:05):
there will be representation for over city over twenty city departments.
There will be representatives from the state and federal departments
and agencies. Later today, we are also going to be
releasing policies on the city level that will help with
the rebuilding process. So as we continue to go through
(30:26):
these next few days where the fires are still a
serious threat, we also want to begin to help people
put their lives back together and to prepare to rebuild
our city. I also want to again remind Angelino's that
lacity dot gov is now a one stop shop for
assistance for those who are impacted and a place to
(30:49):
help Angelinos find a way to get involved. As the
winds pick up, Please stay safe, Please heed the call
to evacuate should you rective that, and remember to heed
all public safety guidance.
Speaker 8 (31:04):
Thank you.
Speaker 14 (31:09):
I'm Lindsay Corvath, Supervisor for the third District of Los
Angeles County. The latest Palisades fire updates. As you've heard,
more than twenty three thousand acres have been impacted by
this fire and it is fourteen percent contained. We have
over fifty one hundred personnel, including forty four helicopters and
(31:30):
five hundred forty engines. The fire continues to hold along
Mandeville Canyon and we are grateful for our first responders
and all those on the front lines fighting in this area.
We know it is critical and you are doing a
great job. We've also made significant progress into Panga Oaks,
Sylvia Park to Mescal Ridge to Mholland. All of these
(31:51):
areas have been under threat and we are.
Speaker 7 (31:53):
Continuing to hold.
Speaker 14 (31:55):
Santa Monica has lifted their evacuation orders and downgraded to
warnings in North San Vicenti, moving from order to warning.
At eight am today, all of the warning areas have
been lifted. A particularly dangerous situation has been issued strongest
(32:16):
winds from Tuesday morning until Wednesday. We strongly encourage caution
and vigilance. This is the weather prediction that the National
Weather Service had going into last week's event, So these
conditions are significant, they are serious, and we need you to.
Speaker 7 (32:37):
Follow all orders.
Speaker 14 (32:39):
All Santa Monica Malibu United School District schools will remain
closed today. All Santa Monica campuses, except for Roosevelt Elementary,
will be open. All LAUSD schools will be open today
except Canyon Charter Elementary, Kenter Canyon Charter Elementary, Palace Charter Elementary,
(33:01):
Marquees Charter Elementary, Topanga Charter Elementary, Lenai Road Elementary and
Paul Revere Middle School. Our Department of Mental Health has
resources for how to speak with our young people about
wildfires at DMH dot La County dot gov. We need
to support our children in this time and make sure
(33:22):
they're able to talk about this tragedy. Our DMH helpline
is eight hundred eight five four seven seven seven to one.
Metro fares continue to be suspended for as long as
conditions remain the same. We thank our Chair of the
Metro Board, Janis Hahn, and our CEO, Stephanie Wiggins for
their assistance. Palisades Post Office has been relocated.
Speaker 7 (33:46):
To Rancho Park Post Office. Residents can pick.
Speaker 14 (33:50):
Up their mail at one one two seven zero Exposition
Boulevard on the first floor. Recovery dot La County dot
gov is launched. You can find initial damage assessments as
well as maps to indicate your property location and status.
Comprehensive list of county resources by department, federal, state, local
(34:14):
and nonprofit emergency assistants. Once again, that website is Recovery
dot La County dot gov. Our Department of Economic Opportunities
East La Entrepreneur Center and America's Job Centers of California
open today as well to support impacted workers as well
as small businesses. As far as public health updates, the
(34:37):
air quality smoke advisory continues through next week. Please wear
N ninety five masks outdoors. Find particulates are airborne even
in areas not impacted by the fires, Especially children and
older adults, especially those with serious health complications, are particularly
(34:59):
at La County Department of Public Health is providing N
ninety five masks at all evacuation shelters into community based organizations.
When you are at home, please close your windows and doors,
run the air conditioning or air purifiers if you have them,
and check your filters regularly. In your car, close the
(35:21):
windows and vents, turn your air conditioning on to recirculate.
Do not in any way use leaf blowers or other
actions that will push ash into the air. Follow all
drinking water advisories, and due to ocean contamination, avoid the
following beaches Malibu Point at Surfrider Beach, Solstice Creek at
(35:43):
Dan Blocker County Beach, and Innercabrio Beach in San Pedro.
To stay informed about the latest emergency orders, you can
go to Emergency dot La County dot gov. And I
want to once again thank all of those who are
on the front lines keeping us safe through this very
difficult time, all of our volunteers who have kicked into
(36:05):
action to ensure that our community members are supported. And
I also want to thank our governor for an additional
executive order in addition to the one that he issued
yesterday to expedite debris removal and to reduce the risk
of mud slides. As we know, rain is predicted starting
next week and these complicated conditions may only worsen. We
(36:27):
thank him for his foresight and his partnership.
Speaker 15 (36:34):
Helen Chavez, communications director for Chair Catherine Barger. Chair Barger
recognizes thanks to following elected representatives for joining us this
morning and for their ongoing support during this emergency. We
have with us first District Supervisor Ildaslis California Board of
Equalization Antonio Vasciz, Santa Monica Mayer, Anna Nagrette, and State
(36:57):
Senator Sasha Renee Periz. Going to transition to the Q
and a portion of our press conference. Please raise your
hand and wait to be called upon. When you are
called upon, please announce your name and the media outlet
that you're with.
Speaker 7 (37:10):
We're going to go start right here.
Speaker 2 (37:12):
You're listening to KFI the updated press briefing on what
is happening with the La fires.
Speaker 16 (37:18):
Okay, Gigi Grassi at Fox eleven News, I have a
question about the fire, but I'm going to start with
this question.
Speaker 10 (37:24):
Maybe I'll have a second.
Speaker 16 (37:25):
Chance, Assistant Chief Choy, to most families, if not all,
families who have pets, they are like family to them.
Tomorrow will be seven days that those pets that are
inside the houses that survived may be without water and
most likely without food, which would put that in an
(37:46):
extremely critical condition that could lead to death if it
hasn't already. Is there nothing that can be done for
those folks that are telling us they are desperate. They
just want to go in, get their pet and go
right out. They don't want to look at the house.
They want to get their animals out the firebook out
of ten thirty Tuesday morning, many folks were at work
(38:07):
already and have not been able to get back.
Speaker 9 (38:09):
Yes, I can tell you my comments were specific to
escorting that resident or those residents back to their house
to do such things.
Speaker 6 (38:17):
There are other options that we can do.
Speaker 9 (38:19):
For example, officers that are patrolling the area can get
a list of locations at the checkpoint. Officers can patrol
these areas and go check themselves. I'm not saying that's
exactly going to have, but there are options where we
don't have to leave a pet in there if we're
made aware of that. So you can go to the
checkpoints and talk to officers, but I urge you not
to go there just to wait to go in to
see your house, which is largely what.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
A lot of these.
Speaker 6 (38:43):
These individuals are doing.
Speaker 9 (38:44):
They're waiting to be escorted to see their property, which
we can't do. We still aren't doing medication and pets. However,
we can come up with a way where if somebody
knows a pet is in the residence, that we'll do
everything we can in our authority to go in there
and get that.
Speaker 12 (38:57):
Pet and then gigi on that now pass any humane
society is actually going into the Aldadna area that's under
evacuation orders and feeding pets, So there is we will
link up and see if we can duplicate that.
Speaker 15 (39:14):
First to the woman right there in the yep, and
then we'll go for great thank you.
Speaker 17 (39:20):
Oh you've got a hold lot of great Sorry, Hello,
Jane Sekisky news a couple of questions, one to Fire
Chief Maroni more bad wins on the way we know
the conditions as we've just heard are going to be
the same as last week. How confident are you that
you're better prepared this time? And also a question for
Mayo Bass if I might, I'll correspond to David Blevins
asked you last week if you owe the people of
(39:42):
Los Angeles an apology for cutting the fire budget. You
didn't respond to him, then would you like to respond
to us now?
Speaker 4 (39:51):
So for the fire question, thank you.
Speaker 3 (39:53):
We're absolutely better prepared for this coming PDS vere fire
weather event. You've heard the statistics number of personnel assigned
to the incidents. Over five thousand firefighters assigned to the
Palisades Fire, over three thousand firefighters assigned to the Eton fire.
(40:16):
The state, under the leadership of Governor Newsom, has set
up a mobilization center in Banning where we have resources
staged that can come into La County to assist with
a new fire start or the expansion of one of
our existing fires. We also have numerous aircraft, local government aircraft, helicopters,
(40:40):
we have water bombers, we have retarded fixed wing aircraft
from the state and federal government. We have military aircraft,
so we've not only augmented the ground resources, but also
the air resources. I think that we're very well prepared
for the next event, but going to be We're never
(41:02):
sure that we're going to be able to catch the
next fire and keep it small. They said seventy mile
an hour wins. It's going to be very difficult to
contain that fire. That's why we ask all residents in
a brush prone area to be prepared to evacuate if
you get the evacuation order and start those preparations before
(41:25):
the evacuation warning comes.
Speaker 4 (41:27):
Thank you.
Speaker 7 (41:29):
There was a two part question to that correct.
Speaker 13 (41:32):
My focus is on us being prepared as a city
for tomorrow. As you began, we could face another very
difficult situation for thousands of Angelinos. When we are past
this period, there will be an evaluation of everything that
(41:53):
went on, and at that point in time, we will
see there is not agreement as to whether or not
the budget was cut. All of those issues will be
resolved when we are clear that Angelino's are safe and
we are ready to rebuild our city.
Speaker 7 (42:11):
Thank you, thank you. We're going to go right here.
In the middle.
Speaker 10 (42:14):
Next John the Bigliatti, CBS News pre mayor Bass. Please,
last week many people were working and could not get
back in time to properly evacuate. As we've discussed in
this room, there were pet care issues, healthcare issues, childcare issues. Now,
ahead of this latest event, you have businesses that are
(42:34):
proactively closing, essentially treating this event like it was a
hurricane or a blizzard. If they are taking those steps,
why are you not implementing broader closures right now to
keep your constituents safe.
Speaker 13 (42:49):
We are doing everything we can to keep Angelino safe.
If there is a need for closures, that will be done.
But right now we are in preparation for tomorrow, thank you.
Speaker 4 (43:03):
A hurricane or a blizzard.
Speaker 13 (43:05):
Absolutely it is, which is why you see everybody here
standing united, prepared and ready to address what.
Speaker 4 (43:13):
If, hopefully we won't experience.
Speaker 13 (43:16):
But we are ready, We are prepared, and we will
continue to do everything we can to keep Angelino safe.
Speaker 12 (43:23):
Thank you.
Speaker 10 (43:23):
By now, this is the four This is important because
this is the fourth time we've had these dire warnings.
Each previous time there has been loss, So this is
a critical time to make those decisions and hurricanes and
blizzards like I've discussed, people stay at home. Businesses are closed,
people can then prepare to evacuate. So there aren't pets
(43:43):
left in their homes, There aren't children with you know,
daycare providers. They're scrambling. They scrambled last week. There are pets.
So the question is what are you doing to make
sure that that doesn't happen today?
Speaker 7 (43:58):
Okay, we're moving on over here in about right there.
Speaker 18 (44:01):
Hi Morgan Windsor for ABC News. I have two questions,
one for five fire officials regarding the status of the
investigation on the Eaton fire, and then a second for
perhaps a district attorney on price gouging. The first question,
I'm wondering if officials are honing in on the transmission
towers owned by Edison in the area of the Eaton
(44:24):
fire as a possible source of ignition.
Speaker 3 (44:28):
Yeah, thank you for your question. I'm going to turn
that over to the La County Sheriff. The cause of
the fire is still under investigation. The sheriff might have
an update for you. If it is arson and not
the transmission tower, then that would be a crime. I'd
like the sheriff to speak to that.
Speaker 8 (44:50):
Simple answer to that is yes, we're looking at everything.
Speaker 1 (44:53):
We have a team that is obviously focused on the
response as we prepare for any event, and then the
investigation not only into the recovery of the remains and
the issues surrounding that, but anything that would have caused
any of the fires anywhere in our jurisdiction. I think
the chief or the assistant chief from LA talked about
(45:15):
a task force. We're on that as well. We're working
together and we expect the financers.
Speaker 7 (45:21):
Okay, I saw a hand right here in the blue
jack Hi get mourning.
Speaker 19 (45:25):
Lauren Coronado with NBC Foreign News. This is for Chief Crowley.
You mentioned wildfire patrols in high risk areas? Can you
identify those high risk areas?
Speaker 8 (45:36):
Sure?
Speaker 5 (45:37):
So, and that's that lean forward posture as we're looking
to do everything in our power to ensure that we
maximize our efforts with the resources that we have, which
this whole patrol we're utilizing fire inspectors. So with that,
we're going to be patrolling, taking a proactive approach. Anywhere
(45:57):
where there's any wildland risk is where we're going to
be patrolling. It's just extra set of eyes ears. We
can also help the community with questions, and that's really important.
The community also knows that the city, the fire department
is leaning forward or utilizing the resources that we have.
So to answer your question very specifically, it's anywhere where
(46:19):
it's in the wildland area, that's where we're going to
be putting our patrols out.
Speaker 7 (46:23):
Thank you, Thank you very much.
Speaker 19 (46:25):
I have one more question. Sorry I should have asked
right off the bat for any fire official. I understand
there's better air resources this time around, military equipped with
these high winds, I know a big issue is that
they weren't able to be utilized because of the high winds.
When we're talking military equipped, does that change things? Can
you do those aerial attacks? But these kind of aircraft.
Speaker 4 (46:48):
It's not going to change it.
Speaker 3 (46:50):
So we still have wind cut off speeds for fixed
wing retardant tankers, water bombers, and helicopters. The helicopters that
we have at all county fire or military helicopters, they're
patterned after the black Hawk, and still we do have
wind cut off speeds, not only for the safety of
the helicopter, but what happens is the wind speeds increase
(47:13):
the effectiveness of the water drops are retardant drops is affected,
and the minute that aerial firefighting resources are no longer
efficient or effective or safe, we have to ground them.
That's the unfortunate truth. But we do have a lot
of people on the ground that can still fight the fire.
Speaker 4 (47:31):
You saw our firefighters.
Speaker 3 (47:32):
One hundred million an hour wins eating Canyon and Alta
Dina that kept fighting the fire even in those strong wins.
Speaker 4 (47:40):
Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 7 (47:41):
We're going to go over here, and then we'll go
over here.
Speaker 8 (47:46):
Thank you.
Speaker 20 (47:47):
This is a Dave's on iSER at the Los Angeles Times.
I was wondering if you could go sort of fire
by fire and tell you where you are on determining
the origin. Are you guys looking at whether or not
New Year's Eve fireworks might have been a trigger for
the Palisades fire with something then flaring up later. I
know you mentioned the Eaton Canyon fire, but can you
tell us, for example, is Arson being viewed definitely as
(48:10):
the cause of the Sunset fire. Could somebody just walk
us through each of them.
Speaker 9 (48:16):
Talked about Yeah, I mean I can talk about so
right now we have the task force that is robust,
that is there identifying cause and origin for each of
these separate fires, there's so many of them there. None
have been ruled out of arson. They're ongoing investigations, but
also the Palisades fire specifically, since that's the one that's
(48:38):
still rampant in the city of Los Angeles. There's been
no definitive determination that it is is arson at this point,
but we're looking at every angle.
Speaker 20 (48:49):
Are specific.
Speaker 6 (48:52):
It's an ongoing investigation. If I could, I would. I
don't have the answer for you.
Speaker 7 (48:56):
Interested, Thank you, and we're going to go right here.
Speaker 21 (48:58):
Hi, this is Kate Cagel from Spectrum News One.
Speaker 7 (49:01):
I have two questions.
Speaker 21 (49:02):
One for Fire Chief Maroni, is there a definite threshold
for wind speed when those aerial drops have to stop?
Like is seventy miles an hour that threshold? And then
my other question is given how dense some of these
neighborhoods are where we've seen orders and warnings, I mean
all the way to Wilshire in Santa Monica last week,
(49:23):
we've seen gridlock when people are trying to all get
out at once. Have you guys worked on addressing that
issue If people do have to evacuate tonight from an
extremely dense area like we saw what the sunset fire.
Folks just couldn't get out because traffic was jammed.
Speaker 7 (49:39):
How do you address that?
Speaker 3 (49:40):
Yeah, So to answer your the first part of your question,
there is a specific threshold and I don't remember what
that threshold is, although I used to work at air operations.
Thirty to forty miles an hour is beginning I believe
to be that threshold. I'll see if our CalFire partner
from the state of CA California remembers what that threshold
(50:02):
is for helicopters and fifth swing air tankers.
Speaker 7 (50:05):
Isn't say your name and your.
Speaker 22 (50:07):
Good morning, Jerem mcgonia with CalFire representing incident management team.
So with the specific aircraft, they all have a different limitation.
The problem is is when you have substained wins over
forty miles an hour is the issue. The problem is
the GUS. So the GUS peak and the aircraft limitations
(50:33):
or capabilities are then limited based on approach and departures
as well as as Chief mentioned, they drop accuracy. So
each aircraft will have that limitation based on the manufacturer's
recommendation and then as far as a safety component. Usually
the limiting factors GUS over thirty miles an hour, but
(50:57):
the sustained wins anything over forty is pretty much gonna
ground most aircraft.
Speaker 8 (51:03):
So again, each one of those.
Speaker 22 (51:05):
Aircraft have those specific limitations, but as an overall general rule,
safety rule, the GUS is what is the issue, and
this is what the gus that we've been having.
Speaker 7 (51:15):
Thank you. Can you restate please your name and spelling.
Speaker 22 (51:18):
Yes, Jerry mcgaonia g E R R Y. Last name
is mcgonia m A g A NA representing the CalFire
Incident Management Teams.
Speaker 15 (51:27):
Thank you, Thank you so much. We have two last questions.
There's a clarification over here.
Speaker 4 (51:31):
I'd like to.
Speaker 3 (51:32):
Answer the second part of the question regarding community congestion
and people leaving all at once under the evacuation order.
We really want residents in La County to be prepared.
If you don't have a wildfire evacuation plan for your
family and your home, please make one today. Visit www
(51:53):
dot La County all right, excuse me, www dot Fire
dot La County dot org of forward slash RSG that
stands for.
Speaker 4 (52:04):
Ready set Go.
Speaker 3 (52:07):
I would recommend in an abundance of caution, if you
get an alert on your telephone for an evacuation warning.
Leave then don't wait for the order, because we know
from experience that if you wait for the order, you
might get caught up in the congestion that you referenced.
(52:28):
And please do not silence the emergency alerts on your telephone.
Speaker 6 (52:33):
Let me jure up one moment.
Speaker 23 (52:35):
I'm out of hero because top of the hour, so
coming up it'll be Nils of adri And for Gary
and Shannon with Marla Tayees. So stay tuned. This continues,
See you tomorrow. KFI AM six forty. You've been listening
to the Bill Handle Show. Catch My Show Monday through
Friday six am to nine am, and anytime on demand
(52:56):
on the iHeartRadio app
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