More Than 4K Structures Have Been Destroyed in Altadena Fire

More than 4,000 structures have been destroyed in the Altadena fire just outside Los Angeles, county fire chief says.

Firefighters have battled to control a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed five people, ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and sent thousands of people frantically fleeing their homes.

More evacuations are underway across Los Angeles because of another fire that ignited Thursday afternoon. The Los Angeles Fire Department issued orders for what’s being called the Kenneth Fire near the West Hills neighborhood of LA in the San Fernando Valley. The fire quickly triggered mandatory evacuations in the area, which has many homes.

More than 4,000 structures have been destroyed in the Eaton Fire in the Los Angeles area, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said during a media briefing Thursday afternoon.

Los Angeles city officials say thousands more structures burned in the Palisades Pacific community. Structures could include homes, apartment buildings, commercial buildings or even vehicles, Marrone said.

Officials plan to implement a curfew around the two major fires starting Thursday night that would be in place from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. the next day, but it could take until Friday to put in place, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a media briefing Thursday.

The curfews will only affect areas that are heavily impacted by the fires, Luna said, adding that authorities were looking primarily at the mandatory evacuation zones.

“The mission is to protect those neighborhoods from anybody who wants to do harm, and unfortunately we’ve had some people who have been trying to do that,” he said.