As of now, five fatalities have been reported due to the fire, which has expanded from 300 acres to more than 27,000 acres in little over a day.
Over 1,000 structures have been claimed by the flames, including homes of several celebrities.
Paris Hilton is one of the well-known individuals affected, as she watched her home being destroyed by fire on live television. The DJ, model, and socialite expressed her sorrow by stating that “the devastation is unimaginable” and extended her sympathies to others experiencing similar losses.
Wildfires are not rare in California, yet the current fires have been described as ‘unprecedented’ in their severity.
Los Angeles Police Department Chief James McDonnell mentioned, according to The Guardian, that he has “never seen anything like this.”
Despite the shocking reach of the fires, Joe Rogan had previously predicted such extreme wildfires affecting most of LA.
In a podcast episode from July 2024, Rogan mentioned a discussion with a firefighter.
“I talked to a fireman once. This is one of the reasons it freaked me out,” Rogan said.
“He goes: ‘Dude, one day, it’s going to be the right wind, and the fire’s going to start in the right place, and it’s going to burn through LA all the way to the ocean. And there’s not a f**king thing we can do about it.”
Rogan continued by explaining that the firefighter suggested luck plays a role in the lesser impact of previous wildfires due to wind conditions.
“These fires are so big, dude,” the podcaster told his co-hosts.
“They’re talking about thousands of acres that are burning simultaneously with, like, 40mph winds.
“The wind’s just blowing embers through the air and those embers are landing on roofs, and those houses are going up [in flames].”
Rogan added: “It happens in a way that’s so spread out that there’s nothing [the fire department] can do.”
The city is currently facing five separate wildfires: The Palisades Fire, the Eaton Fire, the Sunset Fire, the Hurst Fire, and the Lidia Fire, according to CBS.
As of today (January 9), the fires remain completely uncontained.
To assist those impacted by the fires, donations can be made to the Red Cross online, by calling (800) 733-2767, or by texting REDCROSS to 90999.