Firefighters make progress in containing Los Angeles wildfires Firefighters have reported significant gains in containing two massive wildfires burning around Los Angeles. Firefighters are also tackling smaller blazes set by arsonists in recent days. This came as the last wave of windy, fire-prone weather moved through southern California. With winds picking up again, much of the nation’s second-most populous metropolitan region was still on alert for new outbreaks and flareups. In the mountains, gusts reached up to 50mph, but many areas saw relatively light winds late in the morning, according to the National Weather Service. Better conditions expected in the coming days should help fire crews make even more headway and allow residents to return to their neighborhoods to begin rebuilding. Here are some pictures as the wildfires continue to burn around Los Angeles and search-and-rescue teams continue their work: My colleague Dani Anguiano brought us this dispatch from her visit to an Altadena neighborhood on Wednesday morning: In Altadena, residents are still coming to terms with the death and destruction left in the wake of the Eaton fire. Large swaths of the community remain cordoned off and law enforcement and national guard crews are stationed at the entrances of blocked-off streets. On Wednesday morning, displaced residents collected clothes and shoes at a donation center set up by Jose Velazquez and his family in front of their still-standing home on Woodbury Road. The street was quiet, save for the sound of demolition workers scraping up debris and vegetation, as people quietly sorted through the dozens of shoes, sneakers and tiny baby sandals. “People are all so grateful. Some people break down here, and start crying,” Velazquez said. When the fire broke out, Velazquez and relatives watered their roof and lawn for hours as well as the homes of their neighbors. But the 30-year-old watched as a massive burning palm tree spewed large embers directly onto the homes on his street. Soon they started going up one after another, reducing the houses to rubble and leaving cars charred metal husks. Velazquez was shocked that his home survived. He and his family have spent the last few days giving donations, provided by people and community organizations across the region, to their neighbors. For the last five years, they’ve run a churro business in their front yard and they have deep ties in Altadena. The community has always supported them, Velazquez said, and the family wanted to do the same for them. “From the moment we started our business to the very end, you know, like they’ve been here. It’s a very close community.” California governor Gavin Newsom has announced that he has signed an executive order to allow cleanup crews from the US Environmental Protection Agency offices to move into neighborhoods devastated by the Los Angeles fires. “We appreciate the Biden administration’s support and the fast-acting teams executing this first phase of recovery,” Newsom said in a post on X. Teams from the EPA and Fema, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will soon begin removing explosive and highly toxic materials. Fema has allocated $100m to the EPA to begin this work. Debris removal teams will clean up household hazardous waste, including pesticides, propane tanks, and batteries in conventional and electric vehicles. Clothes, toiletries – and a free stylist: the LA teen creating a space for peers amid the fires Cars lined up outside an art studio in eastern Los Angeles on Sunday morning, packed with boxes of feminine care products, pimple patches, skincare, clothes, underwear, makeup and more. Some volunteers had driven for hours to support a unique mutual aid effort. As fires in Los Angeles continue to rage, people across the city are springing into action to meet the needs of the thousands of families who have been displaced. Among the dozens of clothing donation and bottled water distribution sites, Altadena Girls – a new organization started by 14-year-old Avery Colvert – has struck a chord with its focus on teen girls’ recovery. “I was thinking about, if I lost everything in my own bedroom, how would I feel?” Colvert said. “My clothes and my makeup and my shoes, and everything I have, that’s my identity and that’s my sense of self and that’s how so many other teenagers feel, and they don’t have any of that.” As volunteers sorted through dozens of donations on Sunday, they organized items into sections for makeup, skincare, bras and underwear, clothing, haircare and jewelry throughout the makeshift boutique, ordering everything by size beside a full-length mirror. The group had also brought in stylists to help girls select outfits and match their makeup shades and select clothes. “I want a place where people can shop and get all these items for free and it’s all brand-new clothes, shoes, makeup, hair products,” Colvert said. “I want these girls to feel confident in themselves again and to feel normalcy in a time where nothing else is normal for them.” Firefighters make progress in containing Los Angeles wildfires Firefighters have reported significant gains in containing two massive wildfires burning around Los Angeles. Firefighters are also tackling smaller blazes set by arsonists in recent days. This came as the last wave of windy, fire-prone weather moved through southern California. With winds picking up again, much of the nation’s second-most populous metropolitan region was still on alert for new outbreaks and flareups. In the mountains, gusts reached up to 50mph, but many areas saw relatively light winds late in the morning, according to the National Weather Service. Better conditions expected in the coming days should help fire crews make even more headway and allow residents to return to their neighborhoods to begin rebuilding. ‘Criminally reckless’: why LA’s urban sprawl made wildfires inevitable – and how it should rebuild “Crime don’t climb” is one of the glib mottoes long used by Los Angeles real estate agents to help sell the multimillion-dollar homes in the hills that surround the sprawling metropolis. Residents of the lush ridges and winding canyons can rest assured, in their elevated green perches – safely removed from the smog-laden, supposedly crime-ridden flatlands beneath. What the realtors neglect to mention, however, is that, while crime rarely ascends the hills, flames certainly do. And that the very things that make this sun-soaked city’s dream homes so attractive – lush landscaping, quaint timber construction, raised terrain and narrow, twisting lanes – are the very things that make them burn so well. They create blazing infernos that, as we have seen over the past week, are tragically difficult to extinguish. LA’s ferocious wildfires have seen an area about three times the size of Manhattan incinerated. At least 12,000 homes have burned to the ground and 150,000 people have been evacuated, as entire neighbourhoods become smouldering ruins. Twenty-five people have died, 24 more are missing. Estimates suggest the cost of damage and economic losses could reach $250bn, making it the costliest wildfire in US history – mainly due to the flames torching some of the highest-value real estate in the country. And it’s not over yet. The city is bracing for further destruction, as weather forecasts suggest winds might pick up again. Media coverage has had the air of a Hollywood disaster movie, as helicopters swoop through dark red skies while the list of charred celebrity homes grows, and the palm fronds are left blackened. Mel Gibson lost his $14.5m Malibu mansion while recording a Joe Rogan podcast. Anthony Hopkins’ colonial pile in Pacific Palisades was reduced to a scorched brick chimney. Bella Hadid posted about the loss of her 11-bathroom childhood home, in the inauspiciously named Carbon Canyon. There were Ballardian scenes of bulldozers sweeping abandoned Porsches off the streets, while imprisoned firefighters – temporarily released from jail to battle the blazes for around $10 a day – risked their lives to prevent the inferno from consuming further luxury properties. Celebrity mansions have made most of the headlines, but fire doesn’t discriminate. Most of the 200 mobile homes of the Palisades Bowl trailer park went up in flames too. Across town, the Eaton fire ripped through the mixed-income community of Altadena, ravaging more than 14,000 acres of homes, schools, churches and businesses. It has been a shocking, saddening spectacle – but also one that was entirely predictable. Blame has been variously hurled at water mismanagement and fire department budget cuts, but little could have been done to stop these blazes. After a century of misguided urban development and flagrant disregard for climate change, it was only a question of when they would ignite. Here’s the full analysis by the Guardian’s architecture critic, Oliver Wainwright: Here’s the latest on the fires’ containment: As of Wednesday afternoon, the Eaton fire was 45% contained. Firefighters continue to reinforce containment lines around the blaze, which is expected to remain within its 14,117-acre boundary. A red flag warning will remain in effect through 6pm. The Palisades fire was 19% contained and has so far burned 23,713 acres. The Auto fire was 50% contained and forward progress remains stopped at 61 acres, while the Hurst fire was 97% contained. Officials form taskforce to combat crimes related to LA wildfires The taskforce is composed of federal and local law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and local prosecutors, and will focus on arson, looting, fraud, illegal drone activity and related offenses, according to the United States attorney for the central district of California. The United States attorney Martin Estrada said: We will not permit victims to be re-victimized. Our community has suffered tremendously, and we are here to support them. The Joint Fire Crimes Task Force is committed to addressing crimes coming out of the fires, including any looting, arson, illegal drone flights and fraud. As the rebuilding process begins and donations and relief funds come in, we must ensure that those seeking to take advantage through criminal activity are held fully accountable. Nearly 200 artworks by Hunter Biden have been destroyed in the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles, according to the New York Post. The pieces were stored near the Pacific Palisades home of Hunter Biden’s attorney, Kevin Morris, who also financed a documentary on him and loaned him nearly $5m for a tax bill. Morris’s five-bedroom, six-bathroom home remains one of the few intact properties in the affluent neighborhood. Last week, as the fires spread, Joe Biden mentioned that his son’s nearby Malibu residence appeared to have survived but added: “They’re not sure.” Hunter Biden is a self-taught artist who turned to painting during his recovery from drug addiction. Donald Trump’s nominee for energy secretary, Chris Wright, is facing criticism for disputing the ties between climate change and more frequent or severe wildfires, the Washington Post reports. It’s worth noting that this stance is contrary to scientific consensus. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Democrats, including the California senator Alex Padilla, challenged Wright over past comments, pointing to a LinkedIn post calling wildfire concerns “hype” and dismissing their connection to climate policies. Padilla accused Wright of downplaying the real and deadly effects of wildfires. Despite Democratic opposition, Senate Republicans, who hold a 53-47 majority, favored Wright’s nomination. Wright pledged to advocate for expanded fossil fuel production during the hearing. Scientific studies, however, contradict Wright’s claims. Climate change has, in fact, contributed to the increased frequency and severity of wildfires, including those in Los Angeles. Summary: key updates on the fires on Wednesday As Los Angeles anxiously watches how several fires develop amid expected hurricane-force winds in the state, here is a roundup of the latest updates from officials: Critical fire weather conditions will continue through Wednesday evening. Gusts were hitting up to 35mph on the coast and valleys and 55mph in the mountains before dawn, the National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Hall said. The Los Angeles police department chief, Jim McDonnell, said of 38 people initially reported missing, 27 have been found safe. Of the 11 remaining, two have most likely died but have yet to be positively identified. LA’s county district attorney condemned people who have price-gouged on housing, saying some people had increased rents by 100 to 300%. Nathan Hochman said anyone caught price gouging will be prosecuted, adding: “Your name will get out there. Your company’s name will get out there. You will be publicly shamed.” The Joint Regional Fire Crimes Task Force is investigating looting, burglary, robbery, grand theft, impersonation of firefighters or law enforcement, curfew violations, and related crimes stemming from the Palisades fire, the Eaton fire, and other wildfires. To date more than 50 people have been arrested, and nine defendants have been charged and face maximum sentences ranging from six years to life in prison. Eighty-two thousand people remain under evacuation warnings. The curfew is still in effect from 6am to 6pm. Two people have been arrested for arson, officials said, but not in connection to the Palisades or Eaton fires. More than 53,000 people have registered for Fema’s individual assistance program, according to the regional Fema administrator Robert Fenton Jr. Twelve million dollars have already been distributed. Californians advised to prioritize safety as extreme winds loom Extreme winds threatened to feed the fires tearing through Los Angeles and surrounding areas, even as firefighters battled to contain the blazes that have killed at least 25 people and scorched more than 40,000 acres. The National Weather Service issued the most extreme level of a red flag fire warning of a “particularly dangerous situation” in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. “The danger has not yet passed,” said the Los Angeles fire department chief, Kristin Crowley, during a Wednesday news conference. “So please prioritize your safety.” The deadly Palisades fire in the western suburbs of Los Angeles – the largest of the four wildfires – was still only 19% contained on Wednesday morning, more than a week after it ignited, and has destroyed thousands of properties and killed residents. But the Eaton fire, the next largest fire, in the Altadena area in north-eastern LA county, is now 45% contained – up 10% from Tuesday – with 14,100 acres burned. Officials said the Eaton fire is expected to stay within its existing footprint. Climate activists disrupted the confirmation hearing for Donald Trump’s pick to head the energy department, the oil executive Chris Wright. The protesters, convened by the youth-led non-profit the Sunrise Movement, chanted about the ongoing deadly fires in Los Angeles amid widespread evidence that fossil fuels exacerbate the climate crisis. “Big oil profits, LA burns,” one banner read. One activist said senators were not asking Wright hard-hitting questions about global warming. He was quickly removed from the room. An 18-year-old protester also shouted over Wright as he was speaking. “I want a future,” she said. Other climate groups are also speaking out against Wright’s confirmation. “Chris Wright has been an evangelist for drilling more and exporting more US-produced fossil fuels overseas,” said David Arkush, climate director at the non-profit Public Citizen. “His confirmation will put Big Oil profits ahead of protecting American families.” Environmentalists are additionally protesting other Trump picks, including the North Dakota governor, Doug Burgum, who was nominated for secretary of the interior and the former New York congressman Lee Zeldin. “These men will choose items off the fossil fuel industry’s wishlist over the good of the American people every time,” said Allie Rosenbluth, a manager at the advocacy group Oil Change International. The California insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara has expanded a one-year moratorium on insurance cancellations and non-renewals to include all the zip codes within the area burned by the massive Palisades and Eaton wildfires as well as four smaller fires. The moratorium applies to all policies in the area, according to AP. Lara also called on insurance companies to stop any pending cancellations or non-renewals that were set to take effect after the start of the wildfires. The Navajo Scouts are helping fight fires in southern California, the Navajo Times reported on Wednesday. The scouts, who are a Type 2 IA fire crew, have been deployed to the Eaton fire – which as of this morning is 45% contained, with 14,117 acres burned – to bolster LA fire crews. Navajo Nation president Buu Nygren said in a social media post earlier this week: Our Navajo Scouts, a dedicated team of 23 members, including a courageous female wildland firefighter, are highly trained and available to combat fires like these for ten months out of the year. They represent various communities across the Navajo Nation, united in their mission to help those in need.” In better news, a southern California woman has found her wedding ring under the rubble of her Altadena home, which was burned in the Eaton fire. “I thought it had melted into a blob of metal, but [a firefighter] found my wedding band intact,” Victoria DeSantis told local news outlet KTLA. Cal Fire documented the moment on Instagram. “It’s these small moments that bring hope to devastation, and we’re proud of our firefighters for all they are doing to help in LA County,” the post said. Mayor Bass said she wished she could give a timeline regarding when people will have a roof over their heads again, but that she cannot. 53,000 people apply for Fema aid The regional Fema administrator Robert Fenton Jr said that more than 53,000 people have registered for Fema’s individual assistance program. Twelve million dollars have already been distributed. Mayor Karen Bass reiterated the need to expedite the rebuilding process. “We are one city. We stand together. The city and the county will do everything we can to expedite the rebuilding.”