Firefighters battled early Thursday 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.
Ferocious winds that drove the flames and led to chaotic evacuations have calmed somewhat and were not expected to be as powerful during the day. That could allow firefighters to make progress reining in blazes that have hopscotched across the sprawling region, including .
Here's the latest:
Hundreds of thousands without power across California
More than 425,000 customers statewide are without power as wildfires continue to rage in southern California, according to the tracker .
Southern California Edison wrote on its website that several have been set up around the region and work crews have been deployed within impacted communities. The resource centers allow customers to charge mobile devices and medical equipment and get information.
said Wednesday night that it had restored power to more than 150,000 customers since the start of the windstorm. Roughly 94,000 of the utility’s customers remained without power Thursday morning, as wind and fire conditions continued to present hazards for work crews.
‘This is unlike anything I’ve seen in my 25 years on the fire department’
Firefighters in Southern California are accustomed to dealing with the strong Santa Ana winds that blow in the fall and winter, but the hurricane-force gusts earlier in the week took them by surprise.
“This is unlike anything I’ve seen in my 25 years on the fire department,†Los Angeles Fire Capt. Adam VanGerpen told CBS This Morning.
VanGerpen called the fire historic. Erratic winds gusted up to 99 mph the first night, spitting embers that rapidly spread the fire.
While gusts are dying down, VanGerpen said winds forecast through Friday were still cause for concern.
Saved by strangers — twice
Aaron Samson, 48, was in Pacific Palisades at his father-in-law’s home caring for him when the time came to flee Tuesday. They had no car, however, and were unable to secure a ride through Uber or by calling 911. Samson flagged down a neighbor, who agreed to give them and their two bags a lift.
After a little more than half an hour in traffic, the flames closed in. The tops of palm trees burned like giant sparklers in the incessant wind.
With vehicles at a standstill, police ordered people to get out and flee on foot. Samson and his father-in-law left their bags and made their way to the sidewalk. The father-in-law, who is recovering from a medical procedure, steadied himself against a utility pole as Samson retrieved his walker and recorded the ordeal on his cellphone.
“We got it, Dad, we got it,†Samson said.
They walked for about 15 minutes before another good Samaritan saw them struggling, stopped and told them to get in his vehicle.
By Wednesday afternoon, Samson did not know if the home survived. But he said they were indebted to the two strangers.
“They saved us,†he said. “They really stepped up.â€
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Biden to be briefed on full federal response to Los Angeles wildfires
President Joe Biden will gather senior White House and administration officials for the briefing after he returns from delivering the eulogy at the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter.
He was briefed earlier Thursday on the latest updates of the wildfires across Los Angeles.
Regional alert systems can help keep residents up to date
Many communities, including , have warning alert systems that allow residents to sign up for push notifications to their mobile phones or email accounts.
FEMA has a that provides real-time alerts on mobile phones, and public safety agencies can also push alerts to television, radio and wireless devices through the . The is a nationwide network of radio stations that broadcast continuous weather information as well as official Weather Service warnings, forecasts and other hazard information.
A battery- or crank-operated portable radio can also be a critical tool for receiving emergency alerts, especially in areas where cellular service is unreliable or when regional cellular towers might be threatened by wind, fire or other hazards.
Fire in the Hollywood Hills held to under 1 square mile
The latest flames broke out Wednesday evening , striking closer to the heart of the city and the roots of its entertainment industry and putting densely populated neighborhoods on edge during exceptionally windy and dry conditions.
Within a few hours, firefighters had made major progress on the Sunset Fire in the hills. Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said they were able to keep the fire in check because “we hit it hard and fast and mother nature was a little nicer to us today than she was yesterday.â€
Satellite imagery shows stark destruction of neighborhoods scorched by the fires
The dramatic level of destruction in some places was apparent in a comparison of satellite images before and after the fire.
A swath of about 250 homes in an Altadena neighborhood dotted with the green canopies of leafy trees and aquamarine swimming pools was reduced to rubble. Only a few homes were left standing and some were still in flames in the images by Maxar Technologies.
Along a stretch of about 70 wall-to-wall homes overhanging the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, fewer than 10 appeared to be intact.
