Eaton Fire Destroys Over 5K Structures: 'Devastation Is Staggering'

6:40 a.m. UPDATE: The Eaton Fire is holding at 13,690 acres with 0% containment. 1,527 personnel were still working to fight the fire. A do-not-drink order was still in place for the evacuation zones. Evacuation orders and warnings are still in place, but no new orders have been issued. Get the latest from CalFire here.

ORIGINAL STORY:

LOS ANGELES, CA — The scope of the devastation caused by the Eaton Fire in the Pasadena and Altadena areas began to emerge Thursday afternoon even as the Eaton Fire, having destroyed 5,000 structures, remains 0% contained, officials announced.

Throughout the day on Thursday, winds have remained high, hindering attempts to fly aircraft in the area and causing the fire to grow to 13,690 acres. Up to 5,000 structures have been destroyed or damaged in the fire, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone confirmed.

"I had the opportunity to fly this fire this morning, and the level of devastation is staggering," Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin said.

According to Marrone, a firefighter suffered a significant injury in a fall Thursday morning and was hospitalized. The firefighter is resting in an area hospital in stable condition, Marrone confirmed.

The total death toll for the fires in Los Angeles County is hard to confirm at this time, LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a Thursday afternoon press conference. The confirmed number of lives claimed by the fires was five as of Thursday, Luna said.

"When people are asking us for numbers of fatalities, we want to give them to you, but we have to wait until it's safe for our personnel to be able to go in there and do this right," Luna said. "Because to some people, the death toll may just be a number. To us, on our side of the fence, each one of those numbers is a family member."

Relatives identified four people Thursday who died in the Eaton Fire. The victims include Rodney Nickerson, 82, Victor Shaw, 66, and Anthony Mitchell, 67, and his son Justin, who was in his 20s.

Additional evacuation orders were mandated Thursday as the flames climbed atop Mount Wilson, threatening a prominent communications hub for local law enforcement as well as many broadcast T.V. and F.M. radio stations. Authorities called for the immediate evacuation of Mount Wilson and the Observatory due to the fire.

Officials have also been working toward implementing a curfew Thursday night from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. within specific impacted areas in the Palisades and Eaton Fire areas.

"I do want to stress that the majority of the people they are having to rescue out of homes and vehicles are individuals that chose not to evacuate. Not only putting themselves in danger, but putting the first responders in more significant danger," Luna said.

The cause of the fire remains unknown and fire officials said they are hoping weather conditions continue to cooperate so firefighters can establish a perimeter.

A Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 6 p.m. Friday as winds shift to the north at 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 45 mph in some areas. Conditions remain dry and windy and communities in wind-prone areas were advised to be ready to leave at a moments notice.

Roughly 100,000 people in the area are under mandatory evacuation orders and another 100,000 people are under evacuation warning, according to Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo. More than 39,000 structures are at risk for areas under evacuation orders or warnings.

According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department over 5,000 buildings have been destroyed and thousands of people remain under evacuation.The cause of the fire reamins unknown.

Despite drastic conditions persisting, some evacuation notices have been lifted. At about 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Glendale city officials lifted evacuation orders for the Glen Oaks and Chevy Chase canyons.

Additional evacuation orders were lifted Thursday afternoon in the city of Arcadia for homes south of Elkins Avenue in Zones 2, 3 and 4. Residents north or Elkins Avenue reamain under evacuation order.

Winds on Thursday subsided significantly and growth of the fire has stopped, according to LAPD Chief of Police Jim McDonnell. Weather forecasters said that despite the temporary lull, damaging winds are expected to continue through to next week.

"We're thankful for the wind conditions we have now and the ability for our fire partners to try and make up for lost time to be able to put containment around several of our current areas, and to be able to move forward on that," McDonnell said.

At a Thursday morning press conference, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said five people are known to have been killed in the fires and he expects the death toll to rise as more searches of the scorched area take place.

"At one point, we'll be able to do a more thorough search of these impacted areas — some of them look like a bomb was dropped in them — where we will be able to bring in canines and other things to help us, hopefully not discover too many fatalities," Luna said. "That's our prayer. But this is a crisis, and we don't know what to expect, but we're ready for everything."

The entire of the Angeles National Forest is temporarily closed for public safety through Jan. 15. During the closure it is prohibited to go into Angeles National Forest and be on any National Forest System roads or trails.

The Pasadena Courthouse has closed due to its proximity to the Eaton fire, according to court officials. Scheduled matters on the calendar with be postponed and rescheduled for a later date.

Urgent criminal matters will be heard at the downtown Criminal Courts Building and temporary restraining orders can be obtained at the Alhambra Courthouse.

Pasadena's Humane Society has taken in more than 300 pets and is looking for foster volunteers to help lessen the shelter burden. Contact them here.

"We are starting to see many animals coming in with burns and injuries," The Humane Society said late Wednesday night. "We anticipate getting in even more animals who are in need of emergency medical care as the fires continue."

Firefighters and police are stretched thin battling four major wildfires in Los Angeles County. Crews are at drawdown, meaning every local firefighter has been called to duty. Crews were frequently overwhelmed by the flames overnight unable to get additional backup and dealing with low water pressure due to high water demand.

"There aren't enough firefighters in LA County to address four separate fires of this magnitude," said Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone.

Going into Thursday, Pasadena Police Chief Gene Harris gave a staunch warning to those entering evacuation zones or neighborhoods that have been severely burned. Harris said that there will be 150 officers at any one time in and around the city handling patrol efforts to deter people from looting or tampering with homes.

"If you have a righteous reason to be there, declare that that reason to law enforcement and personnel will assist you," Harris said. "If you don't have a righteous or legal reason to be there, expect to be challenged, and we will deal with you accordingly.”

Officials confirmed that they have not received any reports of looting.

Pasadena City College also confirmed that the campus sustained minor damage. Classes will be canceled until Monday. The college is providing free meals to students, staff and faculty affected by the fires between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the Piazza in the Campus Center.

"This catastrophe has left us heartbroken, but it has also deepened our resolve to support our community," Pasadena City College President José Gómez said "Over the last 24 hours, some of our friends and colleagues have lost their homes. Many have been forced to relocate. And we’ve all had our peace shattered by the wildfires."

The fire expanded rapidly during the night and early morning hours — the strongest hours of a windstorm that began Tuesday morning and was set to continue into Thursday. The erratic winds grounded aerial firefighting assets, and ground crews were unable to keep pace with the flames' advance overnight.

Firefighting aircraft were able to resume flights Wednesday morning and have continued to battle flames in the mountains on Thursday.

As of Thursday morning, more than 1,000 structures have been destroyed and 84 structures have been damaged, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Another 39,428 were threatened.

The Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center was among the structures destroyed.

The Eaton Canyon Nature Center, Farnsworth Park's Davies Community Center, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Altadena Golf Course Club House and adjacent buildings were also destroyed, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation.

As of Thursday morning, all of La Cañada Flintridge was under evacuation orders along with parts of Altadena, Sierra Madre and Pasadena and Monrovia. Authorities urged residents to heed evacuation orders because residents and first responders are getting trapped by the fast-moving fire, sometimes having to shelter in place in their vehicles as the inferno rages nearby.

Pasadena directed all residents not to drink the tap water due to the Eaton Fire. They should not even boil the water, just drink bottled water only. In the Palisades water zone, the boil water order applies just to the 90272 zip code and the adjacent community north of San Vicente.

Much of the community is engulfed in a cloud of black smokes. People affected by smoke from the Eaton Fire were advised Thursday by the Pasadena Public Health Department to remain indoors and avoid outside activities to prevent smoke and ash inhalation.

Heavy wind gusts are sending flames up and down residential streets, with gusts carrying embers as far as a mile away. Homes, cars, trees and telephone poles were burning in every direction Wednesday morning.

As of 8 a.m. Thursday, flames had spread into Angeles National Forest climbing to the top of Mount Wilson. Homes in the area around Glen Avenue in Pasadena are impacted by flames, and residents are evacuating. A major danger is burning tree limbs and telephone poles, which can pose a threat to evacuating residents.

Altadena resident Carl Jones is one person who did not evacuate because he wanted to try to save his home, but he lost it anyway.

"I tried to do what I could. I tried to stay and save it, but I couldn't," he told KTLA as tears trailed down the ash on his cheeks. "But my mom wanted her dad's picture off the wall, and I got it."

The Los Angeles Fire Department put out a plea for off-duty firefighters to help, and weather conditions were too windy for firefighting aircraft to fly, further hampering the fight. Fire officials hoped to get the flights up later Wednesday.

SEE ALSO: CA Fire Photos: Thousands Flee Homes As Deadly Fires Rage

The fast-moving brush fire broke out in the Eaton Canyon area Tuesday and quickly exploded to 3,000 acres amid powerful Santa Ana winds. The blaze, dubbed the Eaton Fire, spread so rapidly that staff at a senior care center had to push dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street to a parking lot where they waited in their bedclothes for ambulances and other vehicles to take them to safety.

It forced evacuation orders for the hills above Altadena, Pasadena, Sierra Madre and Arcadia Tuesday and evacuations expanded to La Cañada Flintridge and Monrovia Wednesday. It quickly destroyed homes Tuesday night.

There were multiple reports of crews responding to people who were trapped within the burn area.

The fire was reported at about 6:20 p.m. near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive in the Altadena foothills, according to Cal Fire.

"High winds are driving rapid fire growth, posing a significant threat to nearby communities and making containment efforts challenging," CalFire reported. "Firefighters are working aggressively to slow the spread and protect critical infrastructure under extreme conditions. The combination of low humidity, dry fuels, and shifting winds has heightened the potential for spot fires and rapid expansion. Residents are urged to remain alert and follow instructions from local authorities as the situation evolves."

Conditions worsened overnight as gusts in the San Gabriel Mountains and foothills reach 60 to 100 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Shortly after 8 p.m., firefighters had to ground their water and fire retardant-dropping helicopters at both the Eaton Canyon and Palisades fires due to powerful wind gusts, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

MANDATORY EVACUATIONS

As of 7:30 a.m. Thursday, mandatory evacuation orders were in place for issued for the area north of Orange Grove/Rosemead Boulevard east of Lake Avenue and west of Michilinda Avenue, according to Angeles National Forest officials.

Click here to see evacuation order updates.

Evacuation Shelters

Pasadena city officials said the evacuation shelter at the Pasadena Convention Center is fully occupied. People seeking shelter were advised to confirm availability in other county evacuation shelters.

• El Camino Real Charter High School 5440 Valley Circle Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
• Ritchie Valens Recreation Center at 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd
• Pan Pacific Recreational Center at 7600 Beverly Blvd.

• Westwood Recreation Center 1350 S Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
• Pomona Fairplex 1101 W McKinley Ave, Pomona

Animal Evacuation Shelters

• Los Angeles Equestrian Center 480 W Riverside Dr, Burbank, CA 91506

• Agoura Animal Care Center 29525 Agoura Rd, Agoura Hills, CA 91301
• Industry Hills Expo 16200 Temple Ave
• Castaic Animal Care Center 31044 Charlie Canyon
• Downey Animal Care Center 11258 Garfield Ave, Downey
• El Camino High School 5440 Valley Circle Blvd, Woodland Hills
• Lancaster Animal Care Center 5210 W Ave I, Lancaster
• Palmdale Animal Care Center 38550 Sierra Hwy, Palmdale
• Pasadena Humane Society 361 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena

It was unclear how many people were impacted by the orders.

The Terraces at Park Marino, a senior center in Altadena, has been evacuated due to the Eaton Fire, leaving many residents stranded in a parking lot near a 7-Eleven. Several medical vehicles and buses are being used to move the seniors out of the area. According to CBS, authorities used a SWAT bus to quickly get people out of danger.

Crews from the U.S. Forest Service, Los Angeles County and Pasadena were working to slow the flames.

Crews were also working to protect what was described as 150 pounds of chlorine gas cylinders stored within the fire area by the Pasadena Water and Power Department.

The fire broke out as emergency crews were already stretched thin due to a massive blaze burning in the Pacific Palisades area.

As a result of the fire, classes were canceled Wednesday for schools in the Pasadena, Glendale, Alhambra, South Pasadena, San Marino, La Cañada, Burbank, Arcadia and Monrovia unified school districts.

Patch Staffer Paige Austin, City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.