January 9, 2025 • 36 mins
ICYMI: Hour ONE of ‘Later, with Mo’Kelly’ Presents – Live Coverages of the SoCal Fires from Altadena to the Hollywood Hills & Beyond - on KFI AM 640…Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to Later with Mo Kelly on demand from
KFI Am six forty.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Well Kelly, as we continue our coverage of the fires
all around southern California. Can't just say in any particular location,
of course, the Palisades Fire, the Eaton Canyon Fire, the
Silmar Fire. We have now the Hollywood Hills, which is
being dubbed the Sunset Fire. There's so much going on
(00:28):
in southern California. Sometimes it's kind of difficult to keep
it all separated. But we're going to try to work
through this together. Last night we were together until midnight. Tonight,
We're going to be together until midnight. We're all dealing
with this in varying levels, and I said last night
that CAFI is not just reporting what is happening. We
(00:51):
are going through this with you. A number of people
within our family, our Kfire family, our iHeartMedia family, we've
already lost their homes, so we are feeling this as
you are. I want to say hello and welcome back
to Mark Ronner, who couldn't be with us last night.
He had to take care of some other things. But
(01:11):
it's glad. It's nice to have you back in the
chair man. I picked the perfect night for a dental emergency.
Last night, didn't I Yeah, yes, perfect as in not perfect?
You really did? Last night was surreal. Of all the
years that I've been in this business, not even in
a host chair, just being in news and entertainment, last
(01:32):
night was one for the books. It's one thing to
talk about something from a distance. It's one thing to
talk about the fire which is in northern California or
the floods which are in some other portion of the state.
But it's different when we're talking about something which is
impacting us right here, not only in this studio, but
(01:54):
in this building and all around the city.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
It was insane.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
As I was beginning to tell tell you off air,
I was completely out of it most of the day tomorrow,
and so when I got back into it was fully
alert and started checking my phone. It was some serious
Rip Van Winkle stuff. All hell was breaking loose when.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I woke up this morning, and I didn't sleep all
that long. I was listening to Tim Conway Jr. Who
relieved me at midnight last night.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
So I'm driving home listening to Tim.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
And when you work in this business and you're covering news,
you can't just go home and go to sleep because
there is a degree of just not excitement, but adrenaline
because you don't know how everything is going to go.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
So I'm listening to Tim Conway Jr.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
I don't get to sleep until about maybe two o'clock,
and then I'm up at six because still my news
brain is still working trying to see what is going on.
And then when I wake up and I open up Facebook,
because that's where you can find out friends that they've
marked themselves safe or the other end of the spectrum,
and then I see more and more friends, colleagues acknowledging
(03:07):
that they lost their house, that they lost their place
to live. And you know, all I could do praise
the Lord. I have not experienced that yet. And I
say yet, because we don't know what the next few
days are going to bring. But it's it's very humbling,
and it makes it very real for not just some
(03:28):
of us, but all of us. We're not just talking
about it from a distance, we're actually living it as
it's happening.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
It is very humbling, and it's also I think we
have to remember that it's all real and it's all
happening to people, and this happened to me early early
in my news career. I was very young, little cub
baby reporter Mark on my first newspaper job, and I
had to cover a lot of fires from all different
sorts of things, big and small. And one day I
(03:54):
was being sent out to I guess it was a
trailer fire in Indiana. Often their propane tanks had blow
up or something like that. And I'm whining to my editor,
going like, oh Jesus, another trailer fire. Come on, man,
and he just stops me cold, and he says, listen,
that's somebody's home. And I never questioned it again after that,
(04:16):
because you just can't. These things affect people in ways
that we can barely imagine unless we've been through it ourselves.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
We now know that the Palisades Fire has engulfed some
fifteen thousand, eight hundred and thirty two acres zero percent containment.
The Eaten Fire has eclipsed more than ten thousand, five
hundred acres, The Sunset Fire is more than twenty acres.
(04:43):
At this point, it has only been covered for the
past maybe hour and a half or two hours, and
all these fires are continuing to grow.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Correct me if I'm wrong.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Mark I know that the Eaten fire was responsible for
five deaths, and I think there's seven overall.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
I believe so.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
And we're going to have a rundown of the four
or five assorted fires, hopefully at the bottom of the hour,
because it's a lot to keep track of, especially with
the Sunset fire and the Hollywood Hills and just breaking out.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
It's hellish. We're going to continue to monitor this now.
If you've been following coverage all day long, as I
have and many people have that, you might have heard
some of the press conferences earlier today which gave some
updated information on some of the fires. Now the numbers
may not be the same, but the recommendations and the
advice are still relevant. There's still timely if you are
(05:34):
paying attention to you're not sure of whether it's time
for you to evacuate. There are varying levels. Yes, there's
prepared to evacuate. There's a warning that you may be
that you'll have to evacuate. But once you start hearing
evacuation and your area, my recommendation to you is do
not wait.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Do not wait. Assume that it's a mandatory order.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
If only because we've seen that people have thought that
they've had more time than they actually had. And I
hate to use Tallas Sharp as an example, but he
highlights how even with the best of intentions, the situation
can become out of your control.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
You can lose control of the situation.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
He left before there was a mandatory evacuation order in
place to evacuate his family last night, and then while
he was with his family, the evacuation came in, and
then all of a sudden, the situation changed. This is
the time we talked about getting your go back together
last night. This is the time, in fact, I had
a conversation with my wife. Earl is like, make sure,
(06:34):
double check, triple check that we have all our documents,
that everything is ready and in order, because despite where
you may live, which may not be in an impacted area,
that could change relatively quickly. Now, before the night is through,
before I hand it off to John Cobel, we expect
to speak to third District La County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath,
(06:57):
who unfortunately has the distinction of dealing with most of
these fires within her supervisor district. We'll speak to someone
from the Pasadena Humane Society about how you can best
protect and shelter your pets, if you should be displaced
or you have to evacuate. We want to make sure
more than anything that you have the most recent and
(07:18):
up to date information so you can make good decisions.
The best decisions that you make are the ones when
you're not in a panic and when you have adequate
time to think everything through. You don't want to wait
till you don't have time and you're making willing nelly,
last second decisions, and you may forget something. You may
overlook something or miss something which is very important, such
(07:41):
as medicines or checking on a neighbor, or you might
have a relative which may have limited mobility. All these
things you have to think about well in advance, because
if the time comes, you will have to move and
move quickly. So we're going to be here all night long.
I'll be going until midnight. J Cobel will come back
(08:02):
in at midnight. You go from midnight to three am,
Neil Savajia from three to five am, and then Amy
King will take over in normal programming order at five am.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
So keep it right here like we did last night.
Don't go anywhere.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
We'll have all the latest and the most important just
for you.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Mo Kelly Here.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
I'll be with you until midnight tonight as we continue
to talk about what is going on in southern California
with these fires. And the story is more than just
about the fires. It's about people. It's about people who
are being displaced, It's about people who are losing their livelihoods.
You talk about the Eaton fire, and I was talking
(08:46):
to Talla Sharp, producer about the number of businesses which
had gone up in flames. It's not just the houses,
it's the businesses. They're livelihoods. People who put all of
their work and their sweat, the blood, sweat and tears
into their businesses which have gone up in flames as well.
Had this conversation with Tim Conway Junior earlier about if
(09:08):
you lose your house, that is one thing, and that
is terrible in and of itself, But what happens if
you lose your house and your livelihood and your business.
How are you supposed to provide much less shelter your family?
But how do you provide for your family? Or what
about those businesses and the people that they employed? How
are they supposed to make ends meet going through the
(09:30):
next few months. So it's one thing to process losing
your place to live. It's one thing to process the
fires in this particular moment. It's another thing to try
to wrap your mind around your livelihood also going up
in flames. It's another thing to process. Let's say it
wasn't maybe your business, but the business in which you
(09:51):
are employed. This is going to have all sorts of
long term implications for people more more so than just
the places. And the places are important, but the people,
meaning you and me in southern California were going to
be feeling this and dealing with this and struggling with
this for many, many months.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
It's yes, it's national news now.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Like for example, when we were talking about this yesterday,
when we were dealing with this yesterday, for the most part,
you could turn on the major cable networks. They weren't
talking about it, they weren't covering it. It wasn't on
their radar, as they say. It wasn't a news story.
It was just another fire in southern California, and it
was a big deal to us, and it was going
(10:36):
to be a big deal for all the country. But
the rest of the country didn't know. And when I
woke up this morning, I was talking about how it
didn't get a lot of sleep. When I woke up
this morning. Then my friends and family from around the
country started to text me, started to reach out to
me on social media, asking if I was okay, if
asking if my family was okay, because the national news
(10:59):
hadn't started talking about it. And that's another reason why
places like KFI are so very important to get you
the information that you need right where you are now.
If you're waiting for the national news to tell you
what to do and what was going on, you probably
would have never found out. You wouldn't have gotten that
necessary information in the time that you needed it. And
(11:20):
so when I was just perusing looking at what ABC
or NBC or CNN we're talking about, they were just
getting to it today, Like, for example, this is ABC's
coverage today, ABC News.
Speaker 5 (11:37):
This is a special report from ABC News California wildfires.
I'm Richard Kants.
Speaker 6 (11:43):
Who I've never seen anything like that. It was in
gulf and flames. It was so much scary.
Speaker 5 (11:46):
Nick Bertram and Pacific Palisades, California, one of five wildfires
burning in Los Angeles County to look.
Speaker 7 (11:52):
Left and there's nothing, and then you look right and
it's perfectly fine.
Speaker 6 (11:55):
It's really weird.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
Another fires raging in Altadena, California.
Speaker 8 (11:59):
You can feel the heat of the fire as it
is moving from neighborhood to neighborhood. And we keep hearing
these explosions as ammunition and gas tanks and other things
are exploding inside of these homes and in the cars.
And there are some people who are up on their
roofs that they have not left. They are using garden
hoses trying to put any amount of water they can
(12:19):
on their homes, trying to save them.
Speaker 5 (12:21):
ABC's Alex Stone Sheriff Robert Luna says those home fire
fighting efforts reduce water pressure and hobble firefighters.
Speaker 8 (12:29):
I keep on repeating, I know it's your home, but
nothing is worth risking your life.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
This is ABC News that was at five pm LA
time today. That's what abs ABC News nationally was sending
out at five pm today, a day after everything that
we had gone through. That's why KFI Local news is
(12:55):
so very important to make sure that you have the
most recent information. Here's another one from ABC News. Think
like wait a minute. Where are they? Why are they
so late to this story?
Speaker 7 (13:03):
Across Los Angeles there are now five major wildfires, the
Palisades Fire, Eating Fire, the Pursed Fire, the Lydia Fire,
and the Woodly Fire. They now fear thousands of homes
destroyed here, at least five people dead. Authority saying there
are many significant injuries, smoke hovering over the homes, many
still crackling from the flames, the new fires, jumping from
(13:27):
home to home, and residents here doing whatever they can.
Gordley Israel, trying to use a fire hose to beat
back the flames in his own backyard.
Speaker 6 (13:36):
Probably gotta go.
Speaker 7 (13:37):
You can hear the intense fire, crackling, fire alarm going off.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
Let's get out of here.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Wecharded.
Speaker 7 (13:45):
His friend there, Tanner Chef, wearing a mask, trying to
help him. They both escape through the front door, running
to safety.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
So it takes a little time for the rest of
the nation to catch up where we are, and this
story is changing pretty much by the hour. When we
came in last night, we thought we were just going
to be talking about the Palisades fire. Then all of
a sudden, the Eating fire began right before I got
on the air, and then the Eating Fire took the
rest of the evening as far as focus because it
(14:14):
was expanding so very quickly and there were so many
more structures and homes which were in immediate harm's way
in that fire as opposed to Palisades Pacific Palisades comparatively speaking.
And then today you think, okay, we have an emotional
handle on the number of fires that we're dealing with,
from Pacific Palisades to Eaton Canyon to Silmar. We think
(14:40):
that's about what we're going to be dealing with. And hopefully,
with the winds dying down compared to where they were
last night at this time, hopefully we could have been
turning the corner. And then seemingly out of nowhere, we
have the Sunset fire in Hollywood Hills, which is expanding exponentially.
Just I think it's like thirty acres at this point
(15:02):
over the past hour and a half, and we don't
know where that is, and that is threatening most of Hollywood.
If you watch it, like on KTLA channel five, you
can see it. It's right above all these apartments and houses,
and of course first responders are already sped a spread
very thin across the area. We don't know where all
(15:22):
this is going, but we do know what our collective
responsibility is. It's very simple. Once you hear of the
evacuation order, you have to get out. You have to
get out immediately. You cannot wait. If you think that
you might receive an evacuation order, you should plan accordingly
(15:42):
and start getting together your necessary documents. Thinks that you
will need to care for an elderly person, a person
of limited mobility, make your plans and strategize before you
get in a situation where you don't have any time.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Because I'll tell you this.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Once these roadways start jamming up with people who are
trying to evacuate, and you can see it, especially in
regard to the Sunset fire in Hollywood Hills, it's almost
impossible to get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time.
And if you're in a rush or people start panicking,
it makes it even more difficult. So you almost have
to be ahead of the game, as they say, and
(16:22):
also just be expecting that you're going to receive that call.
We were talking to Shannon farrin last night and she
left her home. She lost power, and she left her
home before she got a mandatory evacuation warning, which probably
saved her and made it much more reasonable as far
(16:44):
as trying to get to a place that was safe
and joining us right now. You know her as a
host of Saturday show Timmy Hobbs.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
Yes, the viral load.
Speaker 9 (16:56):
On, the vial load on this show. Absolutely, But a
couple of days, what a couple of.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
Days you used to live in Korea Town?
Speaker 10 (17:04):
I do still are you still do?
Speaker 9 (17:05):
I live in the northern part of Koreatown, just south
of the one oh one, and from my balcony, I
could see clearly last night the Palisades fire straight shot
down Wiltshire. I could see it as if it were
a painting. It was so distinct and tracked that and
like you said, kind of got an emotional handle on
it and watching the coverage, listening to the coverage wall
(17:28):
wall on KFI. And then just a couple of hours ago,
got an alert to look outside, basically toward the Hollywood Hills.
I expect it just to see a little bit of smoke,
and instead I see a huge fire in the hillside
that is now only four miles from me. I know
(17:48):
exactly where it is. It's an unobstructed view, and I'm
a little. I'm a little nervous about that because of
the wind and the embers. You never know.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Four miles is nothing when you're talking about a fire
of this speed, which can jump two or three football
fields in minutes.
Speaker 6 (18:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (18:07):
Absolutely, And again, knowing where the weather pattern or what
the weather pattern is, understanding the wind, and hearing the coverage,
I think cause for concern is perfectly logical, and I
think preparation is key. You want to be ready because
these things are very unpredictable. As predictable as they may seem,
they are also highly unpredictable, as we're seeing with that
(18:30):
apartment on Franklin that caught fire on the balcony, and
that was away from the main epicenter of that fire.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
You raise a great point for all the lack of
forewarning that we would get for a natural disaster. This
is one of the few times if you were blessed
enough to not be a part of the Pacific Palisades fire,
you've been given the opportunity to make sure your proverbial
and literal house is in order and prepare for what
(19:00):
may come in the next few days. You've been given
that opportunity. Let's not squander that opportunity.
Speaker 9 (19:07):
Right, and I think that sometimes we do take for
granted these warnings. We see the weather alerts. They've been
broadcasting these weather alerts on every channel online for the
last week in preparation of these high winds, and it
still seems as if we are ill prepared, and that
is scary.
Speaker 10 (19:28):
That is scary.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
We've had a number of press conferences over the course
of the day talking about the update for the Palisades fire,
an update for the Eaten fire, which may not be current,
but there's still some current information in them. So we're
going to replace some of that when we come back
to make sure that you have some of the latest
advice and recommendations as far as how you can remain
(19:52):
safe in the time like this.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Earlier today, there were a few news conferences. Might have
heard La mayor Karen Bash. You might have seen Sheriff
Luna giving information about the fires, but more importantly information
about how to remain safe. Just want to give you
some updated information. Then we're going to listen back to
what they had to say earlier today. There is an
(20:22):
unsafe water alert, which has been issued in Pasadena. You
are not to drink tap water in the evacuation areas,
and the Queen Mary in Long Beach is offering its
support to those impacted by the fires. In a statement,
officials said rooms are available and the tourist attraction is
waiving any fees or also offering discounts.
Speaker 6 (20:44):
Quote.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Our hearts go out to all who have been affected
by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. The pain and
suffering of our Southern California neighbors is beyond heartbreaking. We
are holding the victims, their families, and the courageous first
responders close in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
I'm please say stay safe, follow evacuation orders, and support
those in need however you can. We are in this together,
(21:07):
and that's from the Queen Mary. And that's something I
talked about with Tim Comway Junior earlier, as far as
the lack of temporary housing options which may be available
from hotel rooms or other places.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
So that's something.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
If we get more information about how people can find
a place to stay in the interim, we will pass
that along to you as well. This is Mayor bass
from earlier today. This is about at five pm today.
Speaker 6 (21:37):
Thank you, good evening everyone.
Speaker 11 (21:40):
I stand here today with incredible sympathy and concern about
the devastation and the tragedy that our city and county
are facing. And I definitely want to send my condolences
to the families who lost loved one, to the families
(22:01):
and neighborhoods who lost property. This Firestone firestorm is the
big one in magnitude. Hurricane force winds are usually accompanied
by rainstorms, but these are hurricane force winds that are
combined with extremely dry drought conditions. To provide context, at
(22:24):
ten twenty am yesterday, the Palisades Fire was at ten acres.
Twelve minutes later, it was at two hundred acres. To
those who fled their homes, especially those who have lost
your homes, our hearts are breaking for you.
Speaker 6 (22:42):
And we stand with you.
Speaker 11 (22:44):
I know the world is looking at images of our
city's devastation. I have seen the front lines of the
Palisades fire and it is staggering. I've been in constant
contact with our fire commanders, with county, state, and federal officials.
Speaker 6 (23:01):
I took the fastest route.
Speaker 11 (23:03):
Back, which included being on a military plane, which facilitated
our communications so I was able to be on the
phone the entire time of the flight. We are fighting
for you and everyone in Los Angeles. Thank you to
our first responders who waited in the flames, pulled people
(23:23):
from cars and got them to safety, no matter how dangerous.
And thank you to everyone who heeded our warnings to evacuate.
Speaker 6 (23:32):
Tonight, more people may.
Speaker 11 (23:34):
Get evacuation orders, and if they do, please leave immediately.
If you have an evacuation warning, get ready to go.
Speaker 6 (23:44):
Protect yourself and.
Speaker 11 (23:46):
Each other, and support our firefighters on the front lines.
Our strategy included preparations and pre deployment, and it now
includes fire crews from around the state and from our
federal partners. We are also adapting in real time. These
winds continue to blow, so let me be clear, I
(24:07):
am making sure that we leave no resource untapped. Firefighters
are now unseen from across the state and across the country.
I spoke with President Biden today and Governor Newsom earlier today,
and they assured me of full federal and state support.
As we head into tonight, we are still facing strong
(24:31):
and erratic winds and palisades and in Silmar. We are
very much in an active firefight. I can report to
you that the Woodly fire, however, in the Supulvita basin,
is under control. I can also report that finally air
operations have resumed, and that is a big deal. But
it is up to the winds as to how long
(24:53):
the air support can continue.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
But these conditions are highly volatile.
Speaker 11 (24:58):
We've seen a devas dating fire in the Pasadena area.
Fires have sparked up in Seami Valley and on the
La and.
Speaker 6 (25:07):
Ventura County line.
Speaker 11 (25:08):
And as our firefighters do battle on the front lines,
all of us must be vigilant.
Speaker 6 (25:15):
So if you receive an.
Speaker 11 (25:16):
Evacuation order, please leave immediately. If you receive a warning,
get ready, protect yourself and protect each other, and don't
divert firefighters from our strategy. Signals are out and the
roads have debris, so stay off the roads unless you
are evacuating or have another emergency. Be prepared, food, water, medicine,
(25:41):
a bag packed and ready. Again, this is an active situation,
and conserve water to the extent that you can. We
want to make sure that we are ready if we
need more water. But make no mistake, Los Angeles will
rebuild stronger than ever right now. If you need help,
(26:03):
emergency information, resources and shelter is available. All of this
can be found at url. Los Angeles. Together is how
we will get through this, through the heroicism of our firefighters,
the vigilance of Angelinos, and the spirit of our city.
Speaker 6 (26:23):
This is a big moment.
Speaker 11 (26:24):
It is a big moment for all of us to
come together, for Angelinos to be united, for Angelinos to
be prepared to help each other.
Speaker 6 (26:33):
This is who we are.
Speaker 11 (26:35):
LA will rise, and make no mistake, I am confident
that we will rebuild.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
That was La Mayor Karen Bass at the press at
about five pm today giving some sort of context as
far as where we are in this fight against these fires,
and since then we've had the Sunset Fire begin, which
has already claimed more than twenty acres of five I'm
not mistaken. We're going to continue to monitor all of
(27:03):
these different fires and give you as much information about
the fires and also temporary housing as we get it
for those who are in LA. If you or any
loved ones need emergency housing, Airbnb dot org is providing
free short term housing. Let me say that again. If
you're in LA and you or any of your loved
(27:24):
ones need emergency housing. Airbnb dot org is providing free
short term housing. They're partnering with La County through two
one one. Here's here's what you gotta do. You just
got to call two one one for support. Dial two
one one for support. And this is in conjunction with
airbnb dot org for free short term housing. You can
(27:49):
get more information at air ai, rb nb dot org.
KFI AM six forty we're live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
We'll have more information from the press conferences earlier this
afternoon to help keep you up to date on the latest.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
You're listening to later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Its Moke Kelly.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
We're live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app as we continue
to follow the path of the fires and also what
is happening more broadly here in southern California tonight. The
focus is more on that Sunset fire which started, I
want to say sometime around six o'clockish, and it's fast moving.
It is right on top of Main Hollywood if you
(28:36):
know that area, and it's another fire that these first responders,
God love them, that they're having to deal with in
this moment, our resources are spread very thin because we're
not just talking about a finite amount of water, we're
talking about a finite number of first responders. Yes we're
getting some help from different counties, Yes we're getting help
(28:57):
from different states, but this is something which is probably
beyond our capacity. I've talked to any number of members
of the fire department, friends, neighbors in my development, and
they're just clear, it's like we do not have enough people.
We do not have enough resources to be able to
(29:18):
contain or address all these fires, to save these houses,
to save these structures. We're doing, basically, and I'm paraphrasing,
doing the best they can with what they have, and
it's not enough. It's not a lack of resources which
are made available. It's just the fact that there's so
many fires, and the fires are in such areas which
(29:38):
are very difficult to get to. We didn't have the
opportunity to do the water drops yesterday. So that's another
aspect to all of this, where we were already behind,
and then you get a new fire just about each day.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
It makes it even more difficult to catch up.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
We thought, or at least I thought, today that we
get somewhat of a break from the wind.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
I thought we would be able to focus on just.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
The Pacific Palisades fire, just to Eating fire, just the
Sealmar fire.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
And then out of nowhere here.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
Comes the Sunset fire the Hollywood Hills, and so you
have another major fire that we're having to deal with,
and so all we can do is hope that we
won't have other fires. But Tiffany Hobbs, who is joining
me in the studio, you and I were talking about
this uncomfortable truth. I'll call it the truth because it's
a concern I have. It hasn't been confirmed. It's more
(30:32):
concerned than confirmed. But there's some anecdotal evidence which suggests
that not all these fires are happening because of embers
flying from one place to the next.
Speaker 10 (30:44):
Yeah, And you know anecdotal evidence is right.
Speaker 9 (30:47):
If you're following any of the neighborhood crime reporting apps
like Citizen or anything like that, then you might have
noticed if you're in the city of Los Angeles proper,
let's say downtown LA or adjacent like I am, that
there are a number of arson events that are popping up.
They are small fires being set by individuals in any.
Speaker 10 (31:11):
Sort of environment.
Speaker 9 (31:12):
I mean they're doing it on street corners or in brush,
and these small fires are being put out largely before,
of course, any sort of press can get to them
or even law enforcement or fire department intervention, because all
of the resources are so strapped. So local security build
(31:32):
security officers for different apartment buildings or businesses are putting
out these fires. Residents are putting out these fires. But
I've seen just this uptick, overwhelming uptick in the last
twenty four hours of these small arsen events that.
Speaker 10 (31:48):
Could easily easily.
Speaker 9 (31:51):
Overwhelmed buildings or homes have have absolutely and again they've
been put out without a lot of the coverage or
any coverage whatsoever.
Speaker 10 (32:00):
But just imagine if they were to spread.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Well, this goes back to the resources and the finite
resources that we have and how we're overextended. If you
have firefighters from let's say LA County going up to
help out in San Gabriel Valley and then there's a
fire in your area of LA County. Like I'm Englewood adjacent,
I'm concerned about my house, not because of the fire
in Hollywood Hills. There could be an arson event two
(32:25):
blocks down and we don't have the adequate resources to
cover that fire, and it grows because there's just not
enough support in that area.
Speaker 9 (32:35):
There's not And because these fire bugs, because that's what
they're commonly called, know that support is already compromised, it's
already stretched very very thin.
Speaker 10 (32:45):
They are using this.
Speaker 9 (32:46):
As a crime opportunity, absolutely, and I think it goes.
Speaker 3 (32:50):
Cannon Ham with the looters and would be looters.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
They see an opportunity, they see that they're less likely
going to be confronted by law enforcement because law enforcement
is spread everywhere around the county and even outside the
county in some instances. Yes, I can see how a
few idiots would get loose and.
Speaker 9 (33:10):
Do it, and they are and it's scary. And aside
from what's actually happening physically on the ground, you do
have those digital opportunists as well who are trying to
capitalize on people's vulnerability and they're offering this or that
and saying and put your information in exchange for some
sort of service. So be very careful if you have
anyone reach out to you with any sort of website
(33:32):
or any sort of phone number to contact, make sure
you vet everything very diligently.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Oh, it's interesting you said that because today, as I
was going about my day in the few hours I
had in which I was not at work, you know,
caring for the dogs, taking out the trash, wondering what
type of municipal services would be impacted. Just looking at
my house, I go outside, looking at the ashes fall down.
Just want to be aware of the circumstances. You've been
(33:59):
to my house. There is this field behind it, which
I'm very concised about.
Speaker 9 (34:03):
I was thinking about that when we were speaking off air,
because you do have a large amount of land behind you,
and that is making you very vulnerable in this time.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
Absolutely, there were these two i'll call them salespeople from
a telecommunications company.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
I'm not going to broadcast them.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
And they were trying and it's you know, it's like
they're going door to door in twenty twenty five, going
door to door trying to get me to switch from
my telecommunications company to you know this, going from this to.
Speaker 10 (34:31):
That during a fire, during the fire, and.
Speaker 2 (34:34):
I'm looking at these ashes fall and I'm looking at
these two There were two young women and one It's
a gated community, so you walked up in here.
Speaker 3 (34:42):
You're not supposed to be here in the first place.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Two, I'm on guard for these reasons, where these crimes
of opportunity are happening all around the city, and you
have someone say, do you think really people are concentrating
on what you're trying to sell, assuming you're legitimate, And
I'll just say, assuming you're legiti they didn't see that
behind my back. I was ready to handle business because
(35:05):
let me, I would call them like a honeypot. There
were two fairly attractive women, and I always think of
that as a red flat. You know, get you to
open the door, your concentration is here, and all of
a sudden, here comes the real muscle right behind them,
the forced away in the house.
Speaker 3 (35:24):
So I was ready for that.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
Didn't have a long conversation because I was out there
moving out my trash cans.
Speaker 10 (35:30):
So you know, read the room. What are you doing.
Speaker 9 (35:34):
Under the best circumstances, you shouldn't be in here. But
under these circumstances, this is the last thing anyone's focusing on.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
The last I want to say, like turn on a
freaking TV.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
But I was just trying to end the conversation quicker
or just as quickly as possible. The takeaway from this
is beyond alert, be aware of your surroundings, not only
the physical surroundings, but the people who are surrounding you,
because this is the time where you would have a
less quick response, Oh yeah, from first responders if need be.
Speaker 10 (36:06):
Everything's lagging.
Speaker 9 (36:07):
It's already somewhat slow in certain areas and at certain
times because of just the environment we live in the
city we live in, but it's even worse now and
people know.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
That KFI AM six forty we'll have more of our
continuing coverage of the fires and also how you can
find some temporary housing. Will have good information for you,
will replace some of the press conferences earlier today to
tell you what you need to be on the lookout for,
evacuation locations, evacuation orders, everything that you'll need to be safe.
(36:38):
All you need to do is keep it right here
on KFI AM six forty where we're live everywhere on
the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 6 (36:44):
Fires are raging.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
KFI News is working, Stay safe, Stay informed.
Speaker 6 (36:49):
K FINE and the KOST HD
Speaker 7 (36:52):
Two Los Angeles, Larange County live everywhere on the
You're listening to Later with Mo Kelly on demand from
KFI Am six forty.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Well Kelly, as we continue our coverage of the fires
all around southern California. Can't just say in any particular location,
of course, the Palisades Fire, the Eaton Canyon Fire, the
Silmar Fire. We have now the Hollywood Hills, which is
being dubbed the Sunset Fire. There's so much going on
(00:28):
in southern California. Sometimes it's kind of difficult to keep
it all separated. But we're going to try to work
through this together. Last night we were together until midnight. Tonight,
We're going to be together until midnight. We're all dealing
with this in varying levels, and I said last night
that CAFI is not just reporting what is happening. We
(00:51):
are going through this with you. A number of people
within our family, our Kfire family, our iHeartMedia family, we've
already lost their homes, so we are feeling this as
you are. I want to say hello and welcome back
to Mark Ronner, who couldn't be with us last night.
He had to take care of some other things. But
(01:11):
it's glad. It's nice to have you back in the
chair man. I picked the perfect night for a dental emergency.
Last night, didn't I Yeah, yes, perfect as in not perfect?
You really did? Last night was surreal. Of all the
years that I've been in this business, not even in
a host chair, just being in news and entertainment, last
(01:32):
night was one for the books. It's one thing to
talk about something from a distance. It's one thing to
talk about the fire which is in northern California or
the floods which are in some other portion of the state.
But it's different when we're talking about something which is
impacting us right here, not only in this studio, but
(01:54):
in this building and all around the city.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
It was insane.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
As I was beginning to tell tell you off air,
I was completely out of it most of the day tomorrow,
and so when I got back into it was fully
alert and started checking my phone. It was some serious
Rip Van Winkle stuff. All hell was breaking loose when.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I woke up this morning, and I didn't sleep all
that long. I was listening to Tim Conway Jr. Who
relieved me at midnight last night.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
So I'm driving home listening to Tim.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
And when you work in this business and you're covering news,
you can't just go home and go to sleep because
there is a degree of just not excitement, but adrenaline
because you don't know how everything is going to go.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
So I'm listening to Tim Conway Jr.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
I don't get to sleep until about maybe two o'clock,
and then I'm up at six because still my news
brain is still working trying to see what is going on.
And then when I wake up and I open up Facebook,
because that's where you can find out friends that they've
marked themselves safe or the other end of the spectrum,
and then I see more and more friends, colleagues acknowledging
(03:07):
that they lost their house, that they lost their place
to live. And you know, all I could do praise
the Lord. I have not experienced that yet. And I
say yet, because we don't know what the next few
days are going to bring. But it's it's very humbling,
and it makes it very real for not just some
(03:28):
of us, but all of us. We're not just talking
about it from a distance, we're actually living it as
it's happening.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
It is very humbling, and it's also I think we
have to remember that it's all real and it's all
happening to people, and this happened to me early early
in my news career. I was very young, little cub
baby reporter Mark on my first newspaper job, and I
had to cover a lot of fires from all different
sorts of things, big and small. And one day I
(03:54):
was being sent out to I guess it was a
trailer fire in Indiana. Often their propane tanks had blow
up or something like that. And I'm whining to my editor,
going like, oh Jesus, another trailer fire. Come on, man,
and he just stops me cold, and he says, listen,
that's somebody's home. And I never questioned it again after that,
(04:16):
because you just can't. These things affect people in ways
that we can barely imagine unless we've been through it ourselves.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
We now know that the Palisades Fire has engulfed some
fifteen thousand, eight hundred and thirty two acres zero percent containment.
The Eaten Fire has eclipsed more than ten thousand, five
hundred acres, The Sunset Fire is more than twenty acres.
(04:43):
At this point, it has only been covered for the
past maybe hour and a half or two hours, and
all these fires are continuing to grow.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Correct me if I'm wrong.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Mark I know that the Eaten fire was responsible for
five deaths, and I think there's seven overall.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
I believe so.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
And we're going to have a rundown of the four
or five assorted fires, hopefully at the bottom of the hour,
because it's a lot to keep track of, especially with
the Sunset fire and the Hollywood Hills and just breaking out.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
It's hellish. We're going to continue to monitor this now.
If you've been following coverage all day long, as I
have and many people have that, you might have heard
some of the press conferences earlier today which gave some
updated information on some of the fires. Now the numbers
may not be the same, but the recommendations and the
advice are still relevant. There's still timely if you are
(05:34):
paying attention to you're not sure of whether it's time
for you to evacuate. There are varying levels. Yes, there's
prepared to evacuate. There's a warning that you may be
that you'll have to evacuate. But once you start hearing
evacuation and your area, my recommendation to you is do
not wait.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Do not wait. Assume that it's a mandatory order.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
If only because we've seen that people have thought that
they've had more time than they actually had. And I
hate to use Tallas Sharp as an example, but he
highlights how even with the best of intentions, the situation
can become out of your control.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
You can lose control of the situation.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
He left before there was a mandatory evacuation order in
place to evacuate his family last night, and then while
he was with his family, the evacuation came in, and
then all of a sudden, the situation changed. This is
the time we talked about getting your go back together
last night. This is the time, in fact, I had
a conversation with my wife. Earl is like, make sure,
(06:34):
double check, triple check that we have all our documents,
that everything is ready and in order, because despite where
you may live, which may not be in an impacted area,
that could change relatively quickly. Now, before the night is through,
before I hand it off to John Cobel, we expect
to speak to third District La County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath,
(06:57):
who unfortunately has the distinction of dealing with most of
these fires within her supervisor district. We'll speak to someone
from the Pasadena Humane Society about how you can best
protect and shelter your pets, if you should be displaced
or you have to evacuate. We want to make sure
more than anything that you have the most recent and
(07:18):
up to date information so you can make good decisions.
The best decisions that you make are the ones when
you're not in a panic and when you have adequate
time to think everything through. You don't want to wait
till you don't have time and you're making willing nelly,
last second decisions, and you may forget something. You may
overlook something or miss something which is very important, such
(07:41):
as medicines or checking on a neighbor, or you might
have a relative which may have limited mobility. All these
things you have to think about well in advance, because
if the time comes, you will have to move and
move quickly. So we're going to be here all night long.
I'll be going until midnight. J Cobel will come back
(08:02):
in at midnight. You go from midnight to three am,
Neil Savajia from three to five am, and then Amy
King will take over in normal programming order at five am.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
So keep it right here like we did last night.
Don't go anywhere.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
We'll have all the latest and the most important just
for you.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Mo Kelly Here.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
I'll be with you until midnight tonight as we continue
to talk about what is going on in southern California
with these fires. And the story is more than just
about the fires. It's about people. It's about people who
are being displaced, It's about people who are losing their livelihoods.
You talk about the Eaton fire, and I was talking
(08:46):
to Talla Sharp, producer about the number of businesses which
had gone up in flames. It's not just the houses,
it's the businesses. They're livelihoods. People who put all of
their work and their sweat, the blood, sweat and tears
into their businesses which have gone up in flames as well.
Had this conversation with Tim Conway Junior earlier about if
(09:08):
you lose your house, that is one thing, and that
is terrible in and of itself, But what happens if
you lose your house and your livelihood and your business.
How are you supposed to provide much less shelter your family?
But how do you provide for your family? Or what
about those businesses and the people that they employed? How
are they supposed to make ends meet going through the
(09:30):
next few months. So it's one thing to process losing
your place to live. It's one thing to process the
fires in this particular moment. It's another thing to try
to wrap your mind around your livelihood also going up
in flames. It's another thing to process. Let's say it
wasn't maybe your business, but the business in which you
(09:51):
are employed. This is going to have all sorts of
long term implications for people more more so than just
the places. And the places are important, but the people,
meaning you and me in southern California were going to
be feeling this and dealing with this and struggling with
this for many, many months.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
It's yes, it's national news now.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Like for example, when we were talking about this yesterday,
when we were dealing with this yesterday, for the most part,
you could turn on the major cable networks. They weren't
talking about it, they weren't covering it. It wasn't on
their radar, as they say. It wasn't a news story.
It was just another fire in southern California, and it
was a big deal to us, and it was going
(10:36):
to be a big deal for all the country. But
the rest of the country didn't know. And when I
woke up this morning, I was talking about how it
didn't get a lot of sleep. When I woke up
this morning. Then my friends and family from around the
country started to text me, started to reach out to
me on social media, asking if I was okay, if
asking if my family was okay, because the national news
(10:59):
hadn't started talking about it. And that's another reason why
places like KFI are so very important to get you
the information that you need right where you are now.
If you're waiting for the national news to tell you
what to do and what was going on, you probably
would have never found out. You wouldn't have gotten that
necessary information in the time that you needed it. And
(11:20):
so when I was just perusing looking at what ABC
or NBC or CNN we're talking about, they were just
getting to it today, Like, for example, this is ABC's
coverage today, ABC News.
Speaker 5 (11:37):
This is a special report from ABC News California wildfires.
I'm Richard Kants.
Speaker 6 (11:43):
Who I've never seen anything like that. It was in
gulf and flames. It was so much scary.
Speaker 5 (11:46):
Nick Bertram and Pacific Palisades, California, one of five wildfires
burning in Los Angeles County to look.
Speaker 7 (11:52):
Left and there's nothing, and then you look right and
it's perfectly fine.
Speaker 6 (11:55):
It's really weird.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
Another fires raging in Altadena, California.
Speaker 8 (11:59):
You can feel the heat of the fire as it
is moving from neighborhood to neighborhood. And we keep hearing
these explosions as ammunition and gas tanks and other things
are exploding inside of these homes and in the cars.
And there are some people who are up on their
roofs that they have not left. They are using garden
hoses trying to put any amount of water they can
(12:19):
on their homes, trying to save them.
Speaker 5 (12:21):
ABC's Alex Stone Sheriff Robert Luna says those home fire
fighting efforts reduce water pressure and hobble firefighters.
Speaker 8 (12:29):
I keep on repeating, I know it's your home, but
nothing is worth risking your life.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
This is ABC News that was at five pm LA
time today. That's what abs ABC News nationally was sending
out at five pm today, a day after everything that
we had gone through. That's why KFI Local news is
(12:55):
so very important to make sure that you have the
most recent information. Here's another one from ABC News. Think
like wait a minute. Where are they? Why are they
so late to this story?
Speaker 7 (13:03):
Across Los Angeles there are now five major wildfires, the
Palisades Fire, Eating Fire, the Pursed Fire, the Lydia Fire,
and the Woodly Fire. They now fear thousands of homes
destroyed here, at least five people dead. Authority saying there
are many significant injuries, smoke hovering over the homes, many
still crackling from the flames, the new fires, jumping from
(13:27):
home to home, and residents here doing whatever they can.
Gordley Israel, trying to use a fire hose to beat
back the flames in his own backyard.
Speaker 6 (13:36):
Probably gotta go.
Speaker 7 (13:37):
You can hear the intense fire, crackling, fire alarm going off.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
Let's get out of here.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Wecharded.
Speaker 7 (13:45):
His friend there, Tanner Chef, wearing a mask, trying to
help him. They both escape through the front door, running
to safety.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
So it takes a little time for the rest of
the nation to catch up where we are, and this
story is changing pretty much by the hour. When we
came in last night, we thought we were just going
to be talking about the Palisades fire. Then all of
a sudden, the Eating fire began right before I got
on the air, and then the Eating Fire took the
rest of the evening as far as focus because it
(14:14):
was expanding so very quickly and there were so many
more structures and homes which were in immediate harm's way
in that fire as opposed to Palisades Pacific Palisades comparatively speaking.
And then today you think, okay, we have an emotional
handle on the number of fires that we're dealing with,
from Pacific Palisades to Eaton Canyon to Silmar. We think
(14:40):
that's about what we're going to be dealing with. And hopefully,
with the winds dying down compared to where they were
last night at this time, hopefully we could have been
turning the corner. And then seemingly out of nowhere, we
have the Sunset fire in Hollywood Hills, which is expanding exponentially.
Just I think it's like thirty acres at this point
(15:02):
over the past hour and a half, and we don't
know where that is, and that is threatening most of Hollywood.
If you watch it, like on KTLA channel five, you
can see it. It's right above all these apartments and houses,
and of course first responders are already sped a spread
very thin across the area. We don't know where all
(15:22):
this is going, but we do know what our collective
responsibility is. It's very simple. Once you hear of the
evacuation order, you have to get out. You have to
get out immediately. You cannot wait. If you think that
you might receive an evacuation order, you should plan accordingly
(15:42):
and start getting together your necessary documents. Thinks that you
will need to care for an elderly person, a person
of limited mobility, make your plans and strategize before you
get in a situation where you don't have any time.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Because I'll tell you this.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Once these roadways start jamming up with people who are
trying to evacuate, and you can see it, especially in
regard to the Sunset fire in Hollywood Hills, it's almost
impossible to get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time.
And if you're in a rush or people start panicking,
it makes it even more difficult. So you almost have
to be ahead of the game, as they say, and
(16:22):
also just be expecting that you're going to receive that call.
We were talking to Shannon farrin last night and she
left her home. She lost power, and she left her
home before she got a mandatory evacuation warning, which probably
saved her and made it much more reasonable as far
(16:44):
as trying to get to a place that was safe
and joining us right now. You know her as a
host of Saturday show Timmy Hobbs.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
Yes, the viral load.
Speaker 9 (16:56):
On, the vial load on this show. Absolutely, But a
couple of days, what a couple of.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
Days you used to live in Korea Town?
Speaker 10 (17:04):
I do still are you still do?
Speaker 9 (17:05):
I live in the northern part of Koreatown, just south
of the one oh one, and from my balcony, I
could see clearly last night the Palisades fire straight shot
down Wiltshire. I could see it as if it were
a painting. It was so distinct and tracked that and
like you said, kind of got an emotional handle on
it and watching the coverage, listening to the coverage wall
(17:28):
wall on KFI. And then just a couple of hours ago,
got an alert to look outside, basically toward the Hollywood Hills.
I expect it just to see a little bit of smoke,
and instead I see a huge fire in the hillside
that is now only four miles from me. I know
(17:48):
exactly where it is. It's an unobstructed view, and I'm
a little. I'm a little nervous about that because of
the wind and the embers. You never know.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Four miles is nothing when you're talking about a fire
of this speed, which can jump two or three football
fields in minutes.
Speaker 6 (18:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (18:07):
Absolutely, And again, knowing where the weather pattern or what
the weather pattern is, understanding the wind, and hearing the coverage,
I think cause for concern is perfectly logical, and I
think preparation is key. You want to be ready because
these things are very unpredictable. As predictable as they may seem,
they are also highly unpredictable, as we're seeing with that
(18:30):
apartment on Franklin that caught fire on the balcony, and
that was away from the main epicenter of that fire.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
You raise a great point for all the lack of
forewarning that we would get for a natural disaster. This
is one of the few times if you were blessed
enough to not be a part of the Pacific Palisades fire,
you've been given the opportunity to make sure your proverbial
and literal house is in order and prepare for what
(19:00):
may come in the next few days. You've been given
that opportunity. Let's not squander that opportunity.
Speaker 9 (19:07):
Right, and I think that sometimes we do take for
granted these warnings. We see the weather alerts. They've been
broadcasting these weather alerts on every channel online for the
last week in preparation of these high winds, and it
still seems as if we are ill prepared, and that
is scary.
Speaker 10 (19:28):
That is scary.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
We've had a number of press conferences over the course
of the day talking about the update for the Palisades fire,
an update for the Eaten fire, which may not be current,
but there's still some current information in them. So we're
going to replace some of that when we come back
to make sure that you have some of the latest
advice and recommendations as far as how you can remain
(19:52):
safe in the time like this.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Earlier today, there were a few news conferences. Might have
heard La mayor Karen Bash. You might have seen Sheriff
Luna giving information about the fires, but more importantly information
about how to remain safe. Just want to give you
some updated information. Then we're going to listen back to
what they had to say earlier today. There is an
(20:22):
unsafe water alert, which has been issued in Pasadena. You
are not to drink tap water in the evacuation areas,
and the Queen Mary in Long Beach is offering its
support to those impacted by the fires. In a statement,
officials said rooms are available and the tourist attraction is
waiving any fees or also offering discounts.
Speaker 6 (20:44):
Quote.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Our hearts go out to all who have been affected
by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. The pain and
suffering of our Southern California neighbors is beyond heartbreaking. We
are holding the victims, their families, and the courageous first
responders close in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
I'm please say stay safe, follow evacuation orders, and support
those in need however you can. We are in this together,
(21:07):
and that's from the Queen Mary. And that's something I
talked about with Tim Comway Junior earlier, as far as
the lack of temporary housing options which may be available
from hotel rooms or other places.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
So that's something.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
If we get more information about how people can find
a place to stay in the interim, we will pass
that along to you as well. This is Mayor bass
from earlier today. This is about at five pm today.
Speaker 6 (21:37):
Thank you, good evening everyone.
Speaker 11 (21:40):
I stand here today with incredible sympathy and concern about
the devastation and the tragedy that our city and county
are facing. And I definitely want to send my condolences
to the families who lost loved one, to the families
(22:01):
and neighborhoods who lost property. This Firestone firestorm is the
big one in magnitude. Hurricane force winds are usually accompanied
by rainstorms, but these are hurricane force winds that are
combined with extremely dry drought conditions. To provide context, at
(22:24):
ten twenty am yesterday, the Palisades Fire was at ten acres.
Twelve minutes later, it was at two hundred acres. To
those who fled their homes, especially those who have lost
your homes, our hearts are breaking for you.
Speaker 6 (22:42):
And we stand with you.
Speaker 11 (22:44):
I know the world is looking at images of our
city's devastation. I have seen the front lines of the
Palisades fire and it is staggering. I've been in constant
contact with our fire commanders, with county, state, and federal officials.
Speaker 6 (23:01):
I took the fastest route.
Speaker 11 (23:03):
Back, which included being on a military plane, which facilitated
our communications so I was able to be on the
phone the entire time of the flight. We are fighting
for you and everyone in Los Angeles. Thank you to
our first responders who waited in the flames, pulled people
(23:23):
from cars and got them to safety, no matter how dangerous.
And thank you to everyone who heeded our warnings to evacuate.
Speaker 6 (23:32):
Tonight, more people may.
Speaker 11 (23:34):
Get evacuation orders, and if they do, please leave immediately.
If you have an evacuation warning, get ready to go.
Speaker 6 (23:44):
Protect yourself and.
Speaker 11 (23:46):
Each other, and support our firefighters on the front lines.
Our strategy included preparations and pre deployment, and it now
includes fire crews from around the state and from our
federal partners. We are also adapting in real time. These
winds continue to blow, so let me be clear, I
(24:07):
am making sure that we leave no resource untapped. Firefighters
are now unseen from across the state and across the country.
I spoke with President Biden today and Governor Newsom earlier today,
and they assured me of full federal and state support.
As we head into tonight, we are still facing strong
(24:31):
and erratic winds and palisades and in Silmar. We are
very much in an active firefight. I can report to
you that the Woodly fire, however, in the Supulvita basin,
is under control. I can also report that finally air
operations have resumed, and that is a big deal. But
it is up to the winds as to how long
(24:53):
the air support can continue.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
But these conditions are highly volatile.
Speaker 11 (24:58):
We've seen a devas dating fire in the Pasadena area.
Fires have sparked up in Seami Valley and on the
La and.
Speaker 6 (25:07):
Ventura County line.
Speaker 11 (25:08):
And as our firefighters do battle on the front lines,
all of us must be vigilant.
Speaker 6 (25:15):
So if you receive an.
Speaker 11 (25:16):
Evacuation order, please leave immediately. If you receive a warning,
get ready, protect yourself and protect each other, and don't
divert firefighters from our strategy. Signals are out and the
roads have debris, so stay off the roads unless you
are evacuating or have another emergency. Be prepared, food, water, medicine,
(25:41):
a bag packed and ready. Again, this is an active situation,
and conserve water to the extent that you can. We
want to make sure that we are ready if we
need more water. But make no mistake, Los Angeles will
rebuild stronger than ever right now. If you need help,
(26:03):
emergency information, resources and shelter is available. All of this
can be found at url. Los Angeles. Together is how
we will get through this, through the heroicism of our firefighters,
the vigilance of Angelinos, and the spirit of our city.
Speaker 6 (26:23):
This is a big moment.
Speaker 11 (26:24):
It is a big moment for all of us to
come together, for Angelinos to be united, for Angelinos to
be prepared to help each other.
Speaker 6 (26:33):
This is who we are.
Speaker 11 (26:35):
LA will rise, and make no mistake, I am confident
that we will rebuild.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
That was La Mayor Karen Bass at the press at
about five pm today giving some sort of context as
far as where we are in this fight against these fires,
and since then we've had the Sunset Fire begin, which
has already claimed more than twenty acres of five I'm
not mistaken. We're going to continue to monitor all of
(27:03):
these different fires and give you as much information about
the fires and also temporary housing as we get it
for those who are in LA. If you or any
loved ones need emergency housing, Airbnb dot org is providing
free short term housing. Let me say that again. If
you're in LA and you or any of your loved
(27:24):
ones need emergency housing. Airbnb dot org is providing free
short term housing. They're partnering with La County through two
one one. Here's here's what you gotta do. You just
got to call two one one for support. Dial two
one one for support. And this is in conjunction with
airbnb dot org for free short term housing. You can
(27:49):
get more information at air ai, rb nb dot org.
KFI AM six forty we're live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
We'll have more information from the press conferences earlier this
afternoon to help keep you up to date on the latest.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
You're listening to later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Its Moke Kelly.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
We're live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app as we continue
to follow the path of the fires and also what
is happening more broadly here in southern California tonight. The
focus is more on that Sunset fire which started, I
want to say sometime around six o'clockish, and it's fast moving.
It is right on top of Main Hollywood if you
(28:36):
know that area, and it's another fire that these first responders,
God love them, that they're having to deal with in
this moment, our resources are spread very thin because we're
not just talking about a finite amount of water, we're
talking about a finite number of first responders. Yes we're
getting some help from different counties, Yes we're getting help
(28:57):
from different states, but this is something which is probably
beyond our capacity. I've talked to any number of members
of the fire department, friends, neighbors in my development, and
they're just clear, it's like we do not have enough people.
We do not have enough resources to be able to
(29:18):
contain or address all these fires, to save these houses,
to save these structures. We're doing, basically, and I'm paraphrasing,
doing the best they can with what they have, and
it's not enough. It's not a lack of resources which
are made available. It's just the fact that there's so
many fires, and the fires are in such areas which
(29:38):
are very difficult to get to. We didn't have the
opportunity to do the water drops yesterday. So that's another
aspect to all of this, where we were already behind,
and then you get a new fire just about each day.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
It makes it even more difficult to catch up.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
We thought, or at least I thought, today that we
get somewhat of a break from the wind.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
I thought we would be able to focus on just.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
The Pacific Palisades fire, just to Eating fire, just the
Sealmar fire.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
And then out of nowhere here.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
Comes the Sunset fire the Hollywood Hills, and so you
have another major fire that we're having to deal with,
and so all we can do is hope that we
won't have other fires. But Tiffany Hobbs, who is joining
me in the studio, you and I were talking about
this uncomfortable truth. I'll call it the truth because it's
a concern I have. It hasn't been confirmed. It's more
(30:32):
concerned than confirmed. But there's some anecdotal evidence which suggests
that not all these fires are happening because of embers
flying from one place to the next.
Speaker 10 (30:44):
Yeah, And you know anecdotal evidence is right.
Speaker 9 (30:47):
If you're following any of the neighborhood crime reporting apps
like Citizen or anything like that, then you might have
noticed if you're in the city of Los Angeles proper,
let's say downtown LA or adjacent like I am, that
there are a number of arson events that are popping up.
They are small fires being set by individuals in any.
Speaker 10 (31:11):
Sort of environment.
Speaker 9 (31:12):
I mean they're doing it on street corners or in brush,
and these small fires are being put out largely before,
of course, any sort of press can get to them
or even law enforcement or fire department intervention, because all
of the resources are so strapped. So local security build
(31:32):
security officers for different apartment buildings or businesses are putting
out these fires. Residents are putting out these fires. But
I've seen just this uptick, overwhelming uptick in the last
twenty four hours of these small arsen events that.
Speaker 10 (31:48):
Could easily easily.
Speaker 9 (31:51):
Overwhelmed buildings or homes have have absolutely and again they've
been put out without a lot of the coverage or
any coverage whatsoever.
Speaker 10 (32:00):
But just imagine if they were to spread.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Well, this goes back to the resources and the finite
resources that we have and how we're overextended. If you
have firefighters from let's say LA County going up to
help out in San Gabriel Valley and then there's a
fire in your area of LA County. Like I'm Englewood adjacent,
I'm concerned about my house, not because of the fire
in Hollywood Hills. There could be an arson event two
(32:25):
blocks down and we don't have the adequate resources to
cover that fire, and it grows because there's just not
enough support in that area.
Speaker 9 (32:35):
There's not And because these fire bugs, because that's what
they're commonly called, know that support is already compromised, it's
already stretched very very thin.
Speaker 10 (32:45):
They are using this.
Speaker 9 (32:46):
As a crime opportunity, absolutely, and I think it goes.
Speaker 3 (32:50):
Cannon Ham with the looters and would be looters.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
They see an opportunity, they see that they're less likely
going to be confronted by law enforcement because law enforcement
is spread everywhere around the county and even outside the
county in some instances. Yes, I can see how a
few idiots would get loose and.
Speaker 9 (33:10):
Do it, and they are and it's scary. And aside
from what's actually happening physically on the ground, you do
have those digital opportunists as well who are trying to
capitalize on people's vulnerability and they're offering this or that
and saying and put your information in exchange for some
sort of service. So be very careful if you have
anyone reach out to you with any sort of website
(33:32):
or any sort of phone number to contact, make sure
you vet everything very diligently.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Oh, it's interesting you said that because today, as I
was going about my day in the few hours I
had in which I was not at work, you know,
caring for the dogs, taking out the trash, wondering what
type of municipal services would be impacted. Just looking at
my house, I go outside, looking at the ashes fall down.
Just want to be aware of the circumstances. You've been
(33:59):
to my house. There is this field behind it, which
I'm very concised about.
Speaker 9 (34:03):
I was thinking about that when we were speaking off air,
because you do have a large amount of land behind you,
and that is making you very vulnerable in this time.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
Absolutely, there were these two i'll call them salespeople from
a telecommunications company.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
I'm not going to broadcast them.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
And they were trying and it's you know, it's like
they're going door to door in twenty twenty five, going
door to door trying to get me to switch from
my telecommunications company to you know this, going from this to.
Speaker 10 (34:31):
That during a fire, during the fire, and.
Speaker 2 (34:34):
I'm looking at these ashes fall and I'm looking at
these two There were two young women and one It's
a gated community, so you walked up in here.
Speaker 3 (34:42):
You're not supposed to be here in the first place.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Two, I'm on guard for these reasons, where these crimes
of opportunity are happening all around the city, and you
have someone say, do you think really people are concentrating
on what you're trying to sell, assuming you're legitimate, And
I'll just say, assuming you're legiti they didn't see that
behind my back. I was ready to handle business because
(35:05):
let me, I would call them like a honeypot. There
were two fairly attractive women, and I always think of
that as a red flat. You know, get you to
open the door, your concentration is here, and all of
a sudden, here comes the real muscle right behind them,
the forced away in the house.
Speaker 3 (35:24):
So I was ready for that.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
Didn't have a long conversation because I was out there
moving out my trash cans.
Speaker 10 (35:30):
So you know, read the room. What are you doing.
Speaker 9 (35:34):
Under the best circumstances, you shouldn't be in here. But
under these circumstances, this is the last thing anyone's focusing on.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
The last I want to say, like turn on a
freaking TV.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
But I was just trying to end the conversation quicker
or just as quickly as possible. The takeaway from this
is beyond alert, be aware of your surroundings, not only
the physical surroundings, but the people who are surrounding you,
because this is the time where you would have a
less quick response, Oh yeah, from first responders if need be.
Speaker 10 (36:06):
Everything's lagging.
Speaker 9 (36:07):
It's already somewhat slow in certain areas and at certain
times because of just the environment we live in the
city we live in, but it's even worse now and
people know.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
That KFI AM six forty we'll have more of our
continuing coverage of the fires and also how you can
find some temporary housing. Will have good information for you,
will replace some of the press conferences earlier today to
tell you what you need to be on the lookout for,
evacuation locations, evacuation orders, everything that you'll need to be safe.
(36:38):
All you need to do is keep it right here
on KFI AM six forty where we're live everywhere on
the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 6 (36:44):
Fires are raging.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
KFI News is working, Stay safe, Stay informed.
Speaker 6 (36:49):
K FINE and the KOST HD
Speaker 7 (36:52):
Two Los Angeles, Larange County live everywhere on the
Later, with Mo'Kelly News
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