Wildfires latest: New evacuation order issued as Archer Fire sparks in San Fernando Valley

CTV National News: Raging deadly wildfires Wildfires are still raging in California, causing mass devastation. Kathy Le has the latest on the death toll and destruction.

LOS ANGELES, Calif — Firefighters are hoping for a break Friday from the fierce winds that have fuelled massive blazes in the Los Angeles area, killing 10 people, obliterating whole neighbourhoods and setting the nation's second-largest city on edge.

On Thursday afternoon, the Kenneth Fire started in the San Fernando Valley. It moved into neighbouring Ventura County, but a large and aggressive response by firefighters stopped the flames from spreading.

The fires have burned more than 10,000 homes and other structures since Tuesday, when they first began popping up around a densely populated, 40-kilometre expanse north of downtown Los Angeles. No cause has been identified yet for the largest fires.

Here's the latest:

Archer Fire evacuation order downgraded

The Los Angeles Fire Department has downgraded the evacuation order for a fire in the Granada Hills area to an evacuation warning.

The department puts the Archer Fire at 31 acres.

Los Angeles fires leave congregants without worship spaces

Flames were already attacking the campus of Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center when the cantor, Ruth Berman Harris, and three companions rushed in to rescue its sacred Torah scrolls.

Physically, that's now all that is left of the 80-year-old synagogue, destroyed by wildfires that also destroyed a mosque, a Catholic parish and a half-dozen Protestant churches. Many members of these congregations were among the thousands of Angelenos who lost their homes this week. As the threat of new fires persisted, clergy were left with the huge challenges of offering comfort and pondering paths toward rebuilding and recovery.

"There's absolutely nothing except for a few walls and the empty space," said the Pasadena Jewish Center's executive director, Melissa Levy.

How to help people you know who are affected by the fires

Friends and family who lost property may need cash, temporary housing, or emotional support.

But it's important to reach out delicately and to not have expectations for how or whether they will respond, said Dr. Adrienne Heinz, a clinical research psychologist at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD.

Here are some tips she has:

- It can be helpful to check in. An example: "I'm so sorry for what has happened to your community. There aren't really words to describe how sad this is. Can I send your family a meal tonight? I'm here for you and will keep checking in. No pressure to respond."

- Offer concrete ways of helping like lodging, gift cards, meals, child care.

- Give them grace. They may not be able to respond for various reasons.

- Refrain from phrases that minimize or invalidate their experience, like "At least you're alive," or "Everything happens for a reason." Just because someone didn't lose their home, doesn't mean they aren't hurting.

Officials expect to downgrade new evacuation order soon

Margaret Stewart, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles Fire Department, said firefighters on the ground and in the air were able to tackle the Archer Fire quickly and that the evacuation order is expected to be downgraded soon.

"We still have some winds and that's why we have not yet lifted the evacuation order," Stewart told KTLA.

The brush fire sparked in the Granada Hills area.

New evacuation order issued

The Los Angeles Fire Department issued an evacuation order on Friday due to a brush fire in the Granada Hills area.

The area is just west of the Hurst Fire.

How to help firefighters and other first responders

Firefighters have spent the past few days battling major fires across the Los Angeles area with fierce winds hampering their efforts. Here are a couple of organizations that are working to support firefighters, first responders, and their families.

California Fire Foundation: California Professional Firefighters founded the nonprofit in 1987 to support families of fallen firefighters, firefighters and communities impacted by fires. The foundation is supporting both firefighters responding to the Los Angeles fires as well as people affected.

Watch Duty: The nonprofit service provides real-time updates on wildfire activity, evacuations, shelters and more via its free app, which more than 1.4 million people downloaded in the 48 hours since the fires began. The organization relies on donations and a team of 200 volunteers, gathering and vetting information from radio scanners and official sources, to do its work.

The Biden administration is working with Trump’s team on the fires

“They know every single thing we’re doing about this response,” U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday.

However, Biden took a shot at U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, who he referred to as “someone from the other team,” by mocking his call to sweep the forest floors to reduce fire dangers.

“C’mon man,” he said.

Biden said it would be a better idea to bury electricity transmission wires, which would be “a hell of a lot safer” but would cost “a hell of a lot of money” to do.

Biden says looting during the wildfires is a problem

“There’s clear evidence that there’s looting,” he said at the briefing.

Biden said that’s why they’ve deployed police and National Guard to improve security in the areas affected by the wildfires.

Biden defends LA mayor over criticism about water supplies

“I know you’re getting a bad rap” regarding fire hydrants that aren’t working,” he said to Mayor Karen Bass during the briefing on Friday. “Give me a break.”

Biden pegged the problem to utilities cutting power because they’re worried about sparking more fires, which has hampered the ability to pump water.

“This is complicated stuff, and you’re going to have a lot of demagogues out there trying to take advantage of it.”

Bass appeared virtually at the briefing alongside California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Newsom: 'We’ve got to deal with this misinformation' around handling of the fires

During the Oval Office briefing, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he expects firefighters to “make a lot of progress” on Friday.

Local leaders have faced sharp criticism for their handling of the fires, some of it coming from right-wing sources.

Newsom said, “We’ve got to deal with this misinformation.”

“People want to divide this country and we’re going to have to address this as well,” he added.

Biden and Harris convene for wildfire briefing

President Joe Biden hosted a briefing on the wildfires in the Oval Office on Friday. Vice President Kamala Harris was also there, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass appeared virtually.

Biden described the fires as the “worst in California history” and “we still got a long way to go.”

Although progress has been made, the winds that have fanned the flames could remain a threat for days.

Harris said people responding to the fires are showing “the best of the American spirit.”

“There are moments where we should find optimism in the heroism of people, who are taking in strangers, taking in friends,” she said.

Several reptiles die after Eaton Canyon Nature Center burns down

“The nature centre is gone ... the wildflowers, the shrubs are gone,” said Richard Smart, Superintendent of the Eaton Canyon Natural Area in Pasadena, in an interview on Thursday.

He said that only a few exterior walls of the Eaton Canyon Nature Center were left standing after wildfires tore through the area. The nature center burned down before, in 1993, and did not reopen until 1997.

“The park is such a touchstone for people in the community, and so to lose that is just — devastating is not even the right word. It feels indescribable,” he said.

Staffers were unable to reach the center in time to evacuate the animals. Around 15 reptiles died.

Two desert tortoises survived because they were hibernating for the winter at a volunteer’s home.

The park has over 150 volunteers, many of whom have lost their homes.

Here is where containment of the fires currently stands:

-   Palisades: eight  per cent

-   Eaton: three per cent

-   Kenneth: 35 per cent

-   Hurst: 37 per cent

-   Lidia: 75 per cent

The causes of the fires are still under investigation.

'We’re getting Los Angeles prepared,' Bass says of next week's forecast

A reporter pointed out there is a forecast for strong winds to return to the LA area next week and people may deactivate the alerts because of the frustration with all the false alarms.

“We know that we’re going to have a possible increase in the force of the winds at the beginning of next week and we’re getting Los Angeles prepared, doing everything we can to save lives, that is our number one job to protect people’s homes, to protect people’s businesses and to prepare to rebuild Los Angeles in a much better way,” she said.

Bass focuses on recovery and uniting Angelenos

When questioned about the false alerts that have been going on Mayor Karen Bass said officials are working to figure out why that is happening and turned to a message of uniting Angelenos.

“I’m going to spend every moment that I can making sure that I’m in as many areas as possible, meeting and talking to residents to see what is needed in the recovery,” Bass said.

“We’re moving at recovery mode at the same time, meaning, we want the city rebuilt. We want to see Los Angeles come together,” she added.

'Looting is a despicable crime'

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said he would prosecute anyone looting, those flying drones in the wildfire zones, and those breaking the curfew “to the full extent of the law.”

“Looting is a despicable crime,” he said. “For the people who have already been arrested, please know this is not going to end well.”

Curfew to resume Friday night

Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna said a curfew on all mandatory evacuation zones will start again at 6 p.m. Friday for houses left standing.

Officials imposed a curfew overnight after arresting several people looting in the burned areas.

“You can’t not be in these affected areas. If you are, you are subject to arrest,” he said.

Some evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted

Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said all evacuation orders and warnings in LA County for the Kenneth Fire have been lifted.

Overall evacuation orders have dipped to 153,000 from more than 180,000.

Damaged super scooper will be back in the air next week, county fire chief says

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Perrone said the super scooper that was damaged by a drone should be back in the air by Monday.

“Flying a drone in the fire traffic area is not only dangerous but it’s illegal,” he said, adding that those who fly them over the wildfire area will be prosecuted.

Mayor Bass: ‘To all Angelenos, we’re fighting hard for each of you’

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said officials are working around the clock and that firefighters have extinguished fires in Pacoima, Hollywood, Studio City and other places.

“To all Angelenos, we’re fighting hard for each of you,” she said. “I don’t believe there is anything Angelenos can’t do if we stand together,” she added.

Officials apologize for erroneous emergency messages

“There is an extreme amount of frustration, anger, fear with regards to the erroneous messages that have been sent out through the wireless emergency Alert System across L.A County. I can’t express enough how sorry I am for this experience,” L.A. County Office of Emergency Management Director Kevin McGowan said at a news conference on Friday.

McGowan said the alerts are not being sent by a person and his office is trying to find the root cause.

How to help people displaced by the wildfires

Several organizations are working to support people, families and households affected by the wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

Among those are:

GoFundMe.org: The crowdfunding platform’s nonprofit arm uses its Wildfire Recovery Fund to give emergency grants to verified people and families fundraising for themselves or others, as well as small businesses and nonprofits.

Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) and BStrong: In partnership with Bethenny Frankel’s bstrong disaster relief fund, GEM will distribute cash cards to evacuated residents to help with immediate needs like accommodation, gas and food. The organizations are accepting cash donations.

Los Angeles Regional Food Bank: The food bank is supporting a network of more than 600 partner agencies to make sure impacted households are fed. It’s accepting cash donations, food donations at two sites, and volunteers. If your household needs assistance, you can find a food bank here.

How to help children affected by the wildfires

Major fires across the Los Angeles area this week have killed at least 10 people, destroyed thousands of structures and forced 180,000 to flee their homes — including children.

Here are a couple of organizations accepting support specifically for kids and families:

Project Camp: The Los Angeles-based organization runs trauma-informed pop-up day camps for children displaced or out of school due to natural disasters. It’s in the process of setting up multiple sites to help families impacted by the Palisades and Eaton fires. It is accepting monetary donations as well as volunteers to staff the camps.

Impacted families can also find out how to sign up for a camp here.

Boys and Girls Clubs of Malibu: Informed by its experience helping kids and families after the 2018 Woolsey fire, the organization is offering free counseling, case management and resource referrals for area families. It’s collecting donations to provide emergency grants and, when its facilities can safely reopen, it will create an emergency relief distribution center.

Those looking for help can fill out intake forms in English and Spanish.

Drone collision grounds firefighting plane

A firefighting plane had to be grounded Thursday after it was struck by a drone flown by a civilian, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said. Nobody was injured.

It’s a federal crime to fly a drone during firefighting.

Some journalists covering the fires have lost their homes to them

NBC News reporter Jacob Soboroff didn’t know what to expect when he turned his SUV onto the Pacific Palisades street where he grew up.

What he found on Wednesday were smoldering ruins where his childhood home had stood. Only the remnants of a chimney and brick wall remained. It was among the countless number of buildings destroyed by the wildfires in the Los Angeles area, where Soboroff is one of many journalists covering the story — and living it.

His own tale, told across several NBC News platforms Wednesday and Thursday, broke the so-called “fourth wall” and gave viewers an intimate experience of what the tragedy felt like.

National Guard troops on the ground in Altadena

National Guard troops were patrolling the streets of Altadena before dawn on Friday after being called in to help protect property in the fire evacuation zone.

Troops in camouflage were posted at intersections in the city hard-hit by the Eaton Fire near Jeeps, Humvees and other military vehicles.

At least 20 arrests have been made for looting and other thefts in areas where the fire raged.

Los Angeles County officials say they plan to put an overnight curfew in place that would make it easier to make arrests.

Australia ‘stands ready to provide support’ to help battle Los Angeles blazes

“We haven’t had any requests for further support. But Australia always stands ready to provide support to our friends in times of need,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese Albanese told Australian Broadcasting Corp. in the west coast city of Perth on Friday.

“One of the issues that we have, of course, is we do need to be cognizant of the fact that this is our fire season as well,” he added.

The California fires come at the peak of Australia’s fire season.

Earth records its hottest year ever in 2024

Earth recorded its hottest year ever in 2024, with such a big jump that the planet temporarily passed a major climate threshold, several weather monitoring agencies announced on Friday.

Last year’s global average temperature easily passed 2023’s record heat and kept pushing even higher. It surpassed the long-term warming limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit ) since the late 1800s that was called for by the 2015 Paris climate pact, according to the European Commission’s Copernicus Climate Service, the United Kingdom’s Meteorology Office and Japan’s weather agency.

The European team calculated 1.6 degrees Celsius (2.89 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming. Japan found 1.57 degrees Celsius (2.83 degrees Fahrenheit) and the British 1.53 degrees Celsius (2.75 degrees Fahrenheit) in releases of data coordinated to early Friday morning European time.

What ignited the deadly California wildfires? Investigators consider an array of possibilities

Investigators are considering an array of possible ignition sources for the huge fires that have killed at least 10 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in the Los Angeles area.

While lightning is the most common source of fires in the U.S., according to the National Fire Protection Association, investigators were able to rule that out quickly. There were no reports of lightning in the Palisades area or the terrain around the Eaton fire, which started in east Los Angeles County and has also destroyed hundreds of homes.

The next two most common causes: fires intentionally set, and those sparked by utility lines.