LA Fires: 'Last Push' With Dangerous Winds Ahead As Toxic Air Lingers

LOS ANGELES, CA — Millions of Californians woke up Wednesday morning to what is expected to be a final day of high-wind warnings and critical fire danger as thousands of firefighters worked overnight to hold containment lines on the two fires that have ravaged Los Angeles.

On the heels of a day that saw firefighters get a reprieve with lighter winds than expected, gusts were hitting up to 35 mph on the coast and valleys and 55 mph in the mountains before dawn, National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Hall said. They were expected to increase up to 10 mph through the morning.

SEE ALSO:

• Fire Victims Sue LADWP: 'Water Supply System Failed Miserably'
• Man Runs Over Officer's Foot Trying To Enter Palisades Fire Area: PD
• Fire Officials Take 'First Step' In Allowing Wildfire Victims Back Home
• The LA Film Landmarks That Were Lost To The Eaton, Palisades Fires

Fire weather conditions are expected to continue through the evening, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a Wednesday morning news conference.

"The anticipated 70 mph winds have yet to materialize," he said. "However, this could change — and we are still at risk."

Hall called Wednesday "the last push of these winds."

"Hopefully, if we get through today we’re gonna have some better conditions for late week, especially into Friday and Saturday," he said.

More than 90,000 households were without electricity Wednesday morning as utilities shut off power to prevent their lines from sparking new blazes.

Officials are urging residents to brace for possible power outages in the event electricity needs to be shut off in fire-prone areas Wednesday. Residents should also be prepared for additional evacuations.

Experts and officials are also warning that the air in Los Angeles may be more hampered than many see reported on their smartphone weather apps.

“The summer before last when we had the bad Canadian wildfires, you were getting fine particulate matter going all the way to New York City and Washington DC,” Scott Fendorf, an earth sciences professor at the Doerr School of Sustainability at Stanford University told the LA Public Press.

Toxic ash from ongoing wildfires could pose health hazards to people across Southern California — and the threat may not be reflected in Air Quality Index levels. Read more about it here.

As of 1:30 p.m., here is the latest:

• Palisades Fire holds at 23,713 acres, 19% containment.
• Eaton Fire holds at 14,117 acres, 45% containment.
• Palisades Fire victims are suing LADWP. READ LATEST.
• Some 88,000 people are still under evacuation orders.
• NBA reschedules 2 games due to the fires.
• GoFundMe funds raised could disqualify wildfire victims from receiving FEMA disaster aid.
• 53,000 people have applied for FEMA.
• CA 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.
• A Particularly Dangerous Situation, Red Flag Warning for critical fire weather ends at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
• Gov. Gavin Newsom signs order banning predatory real estate offers in burn areas.
• LA County DA Nathan Hochman proposes to make looting a felony.
• Ash from burned structures "may contain higher air toxic levels," the air quality officials said. READ LATEST.
• A small fire broke out in Echo Park just after 5 a.m., threatening some homes, but firefighters were quick to dock down the blaze, NBC4 reported.
• There are 37 missing persons cases active in the Eaton and Palisades fire zones, while the number of confirmed deaths has remained steady for several days at 24 fatalities, officials said.
• Over 40 people have been arrested in and near the fire zones, including several people accused of impersonating firefighters and police officers. Other charges include looting, burglary and DUI, according to law enforcement officials.
• YouTube and Google pledge $15 million to relief organizations.

Since the fires broke out last Tuesday, at least 24 people have been killed, with dozens more missing.

Crews working overnight to douse the deadly Eaton Fire gained 45% containment, which nearly decimated Altadena. After days of a full closure of the community amid a toxic and dangerous aftermath, parts of Altadena have begun to reopen.

Along the coast, firefighters held the line on the larger Palisades Fire, inching containment up to 19% against winds that threatened to fan flames out of control again. On Wednesday, winds are expected to push 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

As fire-scarred LA faces one more day of dire wind warnings, Angelenos are facing destroyed homes, schools, businesses and beloved community spaces. For many, the fires have forced financial turmoil as countless lost their jobs, homes and possessions.

As fires continue to hamper air quality and displace thousands of residents, Hawaii’s governor wants to offer discounted hotel rooms across the state to provide respite to wildfire victims and first responders.

Vacant rooms can be used for victims to “heal here” and to “show our aloha for those who have suffered,” Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said.

The damages and economic loss could total some $275 billion, according to the latest estimate from AccuWeather.

"Tragically, lives have been changed forever in just a matter of minutes. Many families may not be able to afford to rebuild or repair and return," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said. "The recovery process will be extremely expensive and emotionally challenging in the months and years to come."

About 40,000 people have applied for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has already disbursed more than $8 million for immediate needs like water, food, baby formula and gas. The initial money goes directly into bank accounts, regional FEMA administrator Robert J. Fenton, Jr. said Tuesday, denying misinformation about vouchers.

President Joe Biden did say that the federal government would pay 100% of the firefighting and recovery costs in the first 180 days. But that doesn’t mean FEMA will cover 100% of individual families’ costs — the maximum amount FEMA can provide is $43,600, Fenton said.

Kaylin Johnson and her family planned to spend the night at their home, one of the few left standing in Altadena, near Pasadena. They intended to keep watch to ward off looting and to hose down the house and her neighbors’ properties to prevent flare-ups.

“Our lives have been put on hold indefinitely,” Johnson said via text message, adding that they cannot freely come and go because of restrictions on entering the burn areas. “But I would rather be here and not leave than to not be allowed back at all.”

‘Fabulous’ 95-year-old grandmother with ties to old Hollywood among fire victims

At age 95, there was no other way to describe Dalyce Curry, or “Momma Dee” to her large extended family, other than “fabulous.”

"My grandmother still wore her big hair, glasses, nails, you know, painted makeup," her granddaughter and namesake Dalyce Kelley said, “You know, she was just fabulous, period.”

Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1929, that big personality was destined for one place: Hollywood.

She settled in Los Angeles, where she never became a star but did rub shoulders with some of the elites of old Hollywood, including backing up singer Pearl Bailey, being an extra in a scene with Diana Ross in “Lady Sings the Blues” and being mentored by the first Black woman to ever sign a movie contract.

Curry died last week at her home in Altadena as the Eaton Fire raged through the community.