Anthony Marrone (00:09):
Anthony Marrone of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Welcome to our One Voice Press Conference with LA city and LA county leadership. The Eaton fire is now estimated to be 14,117 acres with 33% containment. We gained no acreage yesterday, which is a very good thing. We know that over 7,000 structures are damaged or destroyed and we have 3,408 firefighting personnel assigned to the incident. 26% of our damage inspections for dwellings have been completed. Impacted residents may visit recovery.LAcounty.gov to view preliminary maps showing damage assessments. Please note that the preliminary maps have been posted and are being updated daily. If there is not a color icon on your address, it means the building has not yet been inspected. Severe fire weather conditions will continue through Wednesday. Please be assured that all fire departments and all law enforcement agencies in the area will be prepared.
(01:33)
The anticipated winds combined with low humidities and low fuel moistures will keep the fire threat in all of Los Angeles County critical. I ask all Los Angeles County residents in wildfire prone areas to understand that the necessary public safety power shutoffs are important for our collective safety in preventing the next wildfire natural disaster. I did want to dispel one rumor. The LA County Fire Department has never turned down any offers for mutual aid assistance and resources. Repopulation will not occur until all areas are safe. Additionally, our CL-415 super scooper that was damaged because of a drone incursion is reportedly going to be flying tomorrow morning.
(02:38)
It has been repaired and we're waiting for the FAA to give us approval to fly again. Thank you to board chair supervisor Kathryn Barger and supervisor Lindsey Horvath for your unwavering leadership and continued support throughout this unprecedented disaster. And finally, to all the Los Angeles County residents affected by this catastrophe, please be assured your firefighters continue to work towards full containment of these wildfires from the air and on the ground. We stand alongside each of you as you begin the repopulation of evacuated areas when safe and the rebuilding of your homes, your communities, and your lives. Thank you.
Kristin Crowley (03:36):
Good morning everyone. Kristin Crowley, Los Angeles City Fire Department Fire Chief. I'm going to start off with just a moment to share with everybody out there that's been impacted by these wildland fires that the entire LAFD family, sworn civilian, our city family, Mayor Bass, City leadership, everybody, our thoughts and hearts and prayers go out to you as we continue to push forward and mitigate this emergency. We understand the impacts and we're working and we'll continue to work very, very, very hard for everyone. Another point I want to make is that also we are so very grateful for the firefighters and the first responders that have already arrived and continue to arrive in the Southern California region. We absolutely know that we cannot do this on our own and we are tremendously appreciative of all of your continued support. As the increasing wind event is upon us, as we speak, the Los Angeles City Fire Department has maximized our resource capabilities and response capabilities.
(04:49)
All available LAFD resources have been staffed. I have strategically pre-positioned engine strike teams and task forces which are dedicated to rapid response for any new fire that breaks out in the city. In addition, I've directed the Fire Prevention Bureau to augment wildfire patrols in high hazard areas. The Palisades Fire, your LAFD remains committed to this fire and we have significant number of engines that have been dedicated to this fire. The crews that are involved, we have crews from up and down the state, outside of the state, have made excellent, excellent work overnight mopping up flare-ups and hot spots. Their primary focus last night was on the Mandeville Canyon area and this fire is now at 23,713 acres with 14% containment with 5,123 personnel assigned to the Palisades incident. Firefighters will continue to work diligently throughout the day to increase containment and prevent further fire spread.
(05:58)
Again, I want to focus my comments on the amount of resources that are here in the Palisades from the first responders all the way up to our incident command teams. Again, we're going to keep working really, really hard for you. Just a brief comment on the Hurst Fire. It's been held to 799 acres with 95% containment. Again, thank you to the community members that are out there for remaining vigilant. We are not in the clear. I want to make sure of that. We are not in the clear as of yet and we must not let our guard down as we have right now extreme fire behavior and we need to make sure that the community is staying updated with the most updated information as well. Follow all evacuation warnings and orders without delay and please, please stay safe. I would now like to introduce our next speaker, and that is Sheriff Luna. Thank you.
Sheriff Luna (07:02):
Robert Luna, Sheriff of Los Angeles County. Regarding our deployment, we still have well over a thousand of our Los Angeles County deputies out there working on twelve-hour shifts. We have 172 California Highway patrol officers. I'd like to thank the Commissioner who was with me yesterday, Sean DeRee for all of his assistance. I also want to thank Major General Beavers. I was with him as well and he has fortunately been able to increase the amount of National Guard assistance that he is giving us to up to 600, and he told me yesterday if we need more, we can ask for more and we are strategically looking at that, analyzing it, and we'll ask as needed. Evacuations, we have approximately… And this is some good news because it's dropped, we have over 92,000 people who are under evacuation orders and approximately 89,000 people who are under evacuation warnings.
(08:07)
I want our community to know this, and Chief Marrone did talk about this for a second, in every conversation we're having about evacuations, warnings, whether we are going to implement them or take them away, the conversation about repopulation is on all of our minds. I know that we are attending… Staff's attending community meetings, whether they be out in the Palisades Fire area in Malibu for us at LA County Sheriffs, in the Altadena area. We are hearing our community loud and clear and we want to get you in there as soon as possible, but I want to reiterate what is holding us up. This is very important. For the Altadena area, we are in the third day of grid searching. It is a very grim task and unfortunately every day we're doing this, we're running across the remains of individual community members.
(09:12)
That is not easy work, very sad to report, and I believe that work is not only going to continue, but I believe we'll continue to find remains, so please be patient with us. People are saying, "I just want to go look at my house and I want to see what's left." We know that, but we have people literally looking for the remains of your neighbors. Please be patient with us. There's a lot of hazards in the area still. The area has not been rendered safe. Please be patient with us and then we have the potential of crime scenes and I'm not saying that's what it is. I'm just saying we have to think ahead because we can't go back from that, so please be patient with us. The curfew is still in effect, 6: 00 PM to 6:00 AM for specifically the mandatory evacuation areas in both the Palisades impacted area and the Eaton fire impacted areas.
(10:12)
Those are subject to change depending on need one way or another. We understand again that people want to go back, but it is dangerous to do so and we will not put anybody's safety at risk. I want to talk about arrest for the LA County Sheriff's area. Overnight we had several other arrests. It brings it up to a total of 34 in our geographic area. We have 30 in the Eaton fire area and we have four in the Palisades area. Last night specifically again for LA County Sheriff's jurisdiction, we arrested four. Two were for curfew violations. Two were arrested for one drone incident. To my knowledge, we have now had two specific drone incidents that have resulted in three arrests. So as I talk to our community, again, if you do not have business in the evacuation areas, do not go there.
(11:19)
Please, you're infringing upon the work that our first responders need to attend to, and I do want to say, when I talk about these arrests, I want to clarify, not all of them are for burglary or looting or for curfew violations, but it is very important when I say stay out, we are arresting people who are not supposed to be there, who do not live there, who are in possession of narcotics. We've several with guns and yeah, I'm going to tell you something. If our deputies, being very proactive in these areas, stopping people in a constitutional manner as always, making sure that they're supposed to be there and you have narcotics on you and you have a gun on you, in police work, we call that a clue. Something's wrong there, so that's why we're arresting people.
(12:18)
Our search and rescue missions, up to… Through the two days, we have searched 1,874 properties in regards to deaths, and again, I want to clarify this is for the Los Angeles County area of responsibility. We have confirmed 21 deaths, 16 in the Eaton fire area and five in the Palisades area, and sadly, yes, unfortunately I anticipate the number to go up. Missing persons, we have 23 active missing persons reported, 17 in the Eaton Fire area, six in the Malibu area. All of them are adults. Thank God there's no juveniles, but if you believe you have somebody who's missing, make sure you report that to us as soon as possible.
(13:13)
For any updated information that anybody may have, questions, very important questions regarding evacuation orders or warnings or any road closures, please go to LAcounty.gov/emergency for assistance. The American Red Cross is doing an amazing job. Please contact them and again, for some of the negative things I talk about, there are some amazing stories of community members coming forward to donate items. It's very inspiring. For donations, go to Emergency Network Los Angeles, and now it's my pleasure to introduce Assistant Chief Dominic Choi from the Los Angeles Police Department.
Assistant Chief Dominic Choi (13:56):
Okay, good morning. I want to start by just assuring everybody that
Assistant Chief Choi (14:00):
But our primary focus still remains the safety and wellbeing of our residents. These fires have caused significant disruptions, but we are working tirelessly with our partners to protect lives, property, and secure critical infrastructure. So as of this morning, LAPD has, in the city, 266 officers deployed to the Palisades fire. We also have support from our National Guard partners who have deployed 200 soldiers assigned to the incident, and we're very grateful for their support.
(14:32)
We also have dedicated resource investigating our missing persons reported. So at this time, as of this morning 6:00 AM, we have a total of 26 people reported missing in the city of Los Angeles. 17 of those individuals have been located safely. Of the nine remaining, two most likely were found in the fires deceased, but they haven't been positively identified by coroner's office yet so those are still waiting to be identified. One individual we believe is located safely in a shelter, but that person, we're waiting for confirmation on that. There are six that remain unaccounted for and we're diligently trying to identify and locate these people.
(15:16)
So in total, in the city of Los Angeles, since Tuesday when these fires occurred, we have three fatalities. Again, two were found in the fires and one was a burn victim that was transported earlier this week to a hospital. That person later passed away.
(15:30)
If you want to make a missing persons report, you can do so either in person or over the phone. You can call any one of our 21 geographic stations and make that report, or you can call our Missing Persons Investigation Unit directly. I'm going to give you the number. It's 213-996-1800 and select option three. That telephone is manned 24 hours a day currently.
(15:57)
As of this morning, the city of Los Angeles, related to the fires, has a total of 14 arrests, three for curfew, one for impersonating a firefighter, one for possession of burglary tools, four for burglary, one for DUI, one for felony vandalism, and three for shoplifting. As the sheriff just mentioned, it's not just for looting or burglary that you're going to jail or curfew. If you're in the area, you don't belong in the area, you will be stopped and questioned, and whatever crime is being committed, you will be held accountable for that. So please stay away from these evacuation areas.
(16:33)
Regarding escorts, we talked about this a little bit yesterday, but we tried to be compassionate and put together a team to escort residents to their homes to either retrieve small pets or their medication. But that line became exceedingly large and it was causing more problems than solutions. We have halted this escort service for the safety of everyone involved. Currently, we don't have any timeline of when we're going to open up that service, if at all. So please be patient with us. We know you're waiting.
(17:05)
If you are still waiting at any of these checkpoints to be let in or escorted, please do not wait there. You will not be let in or allowed to have an escort at this time.
(17:18)
Also, another important reason for stopping these escorts is because we have search operations beginning. Over the next 48 hours, we'll be working alongside LAFD's Search and Rescue our ATF partners, as well as the LA County Coroner's Office, throughout the burn areas, giving priority to those people that are reported missing in these burn areas. From there, grid search will take place that could result in crime scene preservation and then recovery of remains. We hope that the high volume of resources dedicated to this effort will expedite the process.
(17:51)
And as many of you know, the dry condition's and wind's increasing, it's possible that evacuation orders may increase. I know overnight we saw some of the evacuation orders turn into warnings, but we can absolutely see some of these areas increase to mandatory evacuations again. So I urge you, we urge you, please heed these orders. It can save your life.
(18:13)
And as we also previously mentioned, identifying the cause of these fires is critically important to all of us. In conjunction with our partners and led by ATF, we have created a Los Angeles Regional Wildlife Investigative Task Force. And while their work is still in the early stages, we're committed to identifying the cause and origin of these fires, and we're also committed to holding anyone who's responsible for these fires accountable.
(18:39)
And to further protect the residents of Los Angeles, in the city, our curfew is also still in effect from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM. In short, if you don't belong there, don't be there.
(18:52)
In closing, I want to reiterate that our department and all of us standing here this morning are with you. I want to express my deepest gratitude to the firefighters, our fellow law enforcement partners, and volunteers who are putting themselves in harm's way to protect our communities and help people recover. Their bravery and dedication are truly inspirational. We're also grateful for the patience and cooperation of our residents during this difficult time. We know this is not easy. Thank you and be safe.
(19:23)
At this time, I'd like to introduce Los Angeles County District Attorney, Nathan Hochman.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Thank you. With firefighters literally putting their lives on the line to save lives and to save homes, with law enforcement working around the clock to keep security at a high level, with over 200,000 people evacuated, and I'm one of them, and with people who have lost lives, lost homes, lost businesses, there are still people in our community who rather than saying thank you, look at this as an opportunity to commit crime and to take illegal profit and advantage over the situation. We've seen this come up and you've heard law enforcement describe the arrests that had been made, whether those arrests are for looting, burglary, grand theft. Whether those are arrests are for arson. Whether those arrests will eventually be for price gouging because we have been seeing price gouging with hotels, people offering residents well above the 10% addition that they can charge. We've seen that with medical supplies, other types of supplies, price gouging going on.
(20:45)
So the criminals have decided that this is an opportunity, and I'm here to tell you that that is not an opportunity. You will be arrested, you will be prosecuted, and you will be punished to the full extent of the law. At 2:00 PM today, we'll be holding a press conference to announce the first charges in a looting case and the first charges in an arson case. This is not an arson case tied to the major fires. It was an arson case that was done on the side in essence. You'll hear that these people who've committed these crimes are facing very significant sentences. I have working with over 750 deputy district attorneys and the entire law enforcement community to bring these people who are despicable and disgraceful to justice.
(21:36)
And we're not only going to see what's happening right now in connection with bringing stability to our community, whether it's, again, going after the looters, the arsonists, or the price gougers, but we're starting to see the criminals emerge who are going to go after the recovery efforts. These are people who are contacting people and pretending to be GoFundMe operations to help people who have suffered. And GoFundMe, by the way, actually is an excellent organization that has put in place protections, that if you use their site, you can use it safely. But these are people who are creating fake GoFundMe sites. I tell people to be very, very cautious, when you give your money away to check out the organizations that you are doing it to. I applaud anyone who wants to donate to these causes, whether with money or services, but make sure that they are going to the right operations. Again, you can go to Emergency Network LA at enla.gov, or you can go to recovery.lacounty.gov to see the types of operations that you can have confidence in.
(22:50)
And we're also going to see scams coming up with insurance proceeds. We're going to see scams coming up with government benefits, because we are going to literally have billions of dollars come into Los Angeles County over the next months and years. And for the criminals who view this as an opportunity, let me again give you this warning, an absolutely unmistakably clear warning, that if you go ahead and you want to rip off people, and the system, and governments that are trying to help the people who have suffered from these tragedies, you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted, and we will seek maximum punishment against you.
(23:35)
I hope that I'll have the opportunity to tell you at a later point that this warning has been heeded, that deterrence works. Because if we are going to actually have the stability and the rebuild, it's going to based on everyone contributing. But for those who don't want to heed this message, the warning has been cast out there and the warning will actually have teeth behind it.
(24:06)
I'd now like to introduce Los Angeles Board of Supervisors Chair, Kathryn Barger.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Thank you. As I discussed yesterday, FEMA relief is essential to getting our impacted residents back on their feet. Today and yesterday, FEMA staff have been at seven county libraries, plus the Alhambra Library, providing support to individuals who are seeking FEMA relief. Tomorrow, these services will transition to centralized assistance centers, one at Pasadena City College and the other at UCLA Research Park. These centers will be in-person venues where all impacted individuals can receive direct support for FEMA's assistant program, which helps residents access lodging, essential items, and other large financial needs. You can visit recovery.lacounty.gov for all the details.
(25:04)
And I would encourage everyone listening to go to one of these sites because I was at Pasadena Convention Center, I know [inaudible 00:25:13], you were as well, and I saw people handing out cards. I don't know who they are, I don't know who they represent, but people are looking for an opportunity. At these recovery centers, you will have legitimate government officials who are going to work with you to make sure you receive the benefits you deserve.
(25:36)
I want to thank FEMA for their continued support for our impacted residents. Our residents need this support to begin rebuilding, and believe me, after last night's meeting that I attended with my constituents, they are desperate. So many residents I've heard from, especially those without insurance, are concerned they won't receive enough assistance to rebuild their lives. On top of FEMA assistance, I'm going to be advocating for innovative loan and housing solutions to bring people back to their communities. People need help, and they need to know what kind of support they're going to receive. Last night, I joined hundreds of impacted victims in Pasadena to hear their stories, understand their needs, and to discuss what comes next. Many wildfire survivors I've met and spoke with have repeatedly told me they're worried about the rebuilding process. Specifically, many have mentioned that they are eager to begin clearing debris and seeing what valuable possessions survived this devastating fire.
(26:44)
I want you to know that yesterday, the governor issued an executive order to streamline this rebuilding process. This executive order is going to make rebuilding homes easier by cutting red tape and make it as affordable and efficient as possible for our residents to clear debris. Yesterday's executive order, along with the previous order to waive the CEQA requirement in rebuilding, are two unprecedented actions that will be essential to making our community whole again. I know that our wildfire survivors want nothing more than to begin the rebuilding process, and it is our job in government to get out of the way. Our neighbors deserve nothing less.
(27:29)
To all the residents in our county, we must maintain diligence over the next few days as winds increase again. Please listen to law enforcement and their evacuation notices. And believe me, I heard last night many are frustrated. These next few days are crucial in our fighting of the existing fires and also preventing any new fires. Thank you for taking it seriously.
(27:57)
I'd now like to introduce LA City Mayor,
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Karen Bass.
Karen Bass (28:04):
Thank you, Supervisor. Angelenos, as we continue to experience the shock, the grief, and the anger, we have to stand together, and it is in that spirit that we have seen hundreds, if not thousands of Angelenos traveling all around the region to deliver supplies, clothes, whatever they think might help the victims of these fires. As we've mentioned, the National Weather Service is predicting close to hurricane force level winds, and so we're making urgent preparations. My top priority and the priority of everyone else is to do everything we can to protect lives. As these winds approach. L.A. city firefighters and firefighters from across the county, state and nation and even overseas are in a proactive and strategic posture to save lives. Firefighting resources from LAFD and fire departments from all over are positioned in strategic holding locations. DWP is deploying water tankers to augment water supply for firefighters.
(29:15)
The emergency operations centers remain activated at the highest level to rapidly coordinate emergency response. As we prepare for more wind, we're also urgently working to provide people with much needed resources. This week, as Chair Barger said, our city and county will launch in-person local assistant centers that are tailored to those affected by specific fires. These local assistant centers are for Angelenos impacted by the Palisades and Hurst fires, and they will open at the UCLA Research Park, which was formerly known as the West Side Pavilion. It will operate from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m seven days a week. These centers will help people who have lost vital records like birth certificates, driver's license, social security documentation. They will help people who've lost their homes, our businesses apply for disaster relief loans, and they will provide referrals for mental health counseling and other services. We anticipate that there will be representation for over 20 city departments. There will be representatives from the state and federal departments and agencies.
(30:29)
Later today, we are also going to be releasing policies on the city level that will help with the rebuilding process. So as we continue to go through these next few days where the fires are still a serious threat, we also want to begin to help people put their lives back together and to prepare to rebuild our city. I also want to again remind Angelenos that lacity.gov is now a one-stop shop for assistance for those who are impacted, and a place to help Angelino's find a way to get involved. As the winds pick up, please stay safe, please heed the call to evacuate, should you receive that, and remember to heed all public safety guidance. Thank you.
Lindsay Horvath (31:22):
I'm Lindsay Horvath, Supervisor for the Third District of Los Angeles County. The latest Palisades fire updates, as you've heard, more than 23,000 acres have been impacted by this fire, and it is 14% contained. We have over 5,100 personnel, including 44 helicopters and 540 engines. The fire continues to hold along Mandeville Canyon, and we are grateful for our first responders and all those on the front lines fighting in this area. We know it is critical and you are doing a great job. We've also made significant progress in Topanga Oaks, Sylvia Park, Temescal Ridge, Tomahawland. All of these areas have been under threat and we are continuing to hold. Santa Monica has lifted their evacuation orders and downgraded to warnings in North San Vicente, moving from order to warning at 8:00 a.m. today. All of the warning areas have been lifted. A particularly dangerous situation has been issued, the strongest winds from Tuesday morning until Wednesday.
(32:34)
We strongly encourage caution and vigilance. This is the weather prediction that the National Weather Service had going into last week's event. So these conditions are significant, they are serious, and we need you to follow all orders. All Santa Monica Malibu United School District schools will remain closed today. All Santa Monica campuses except for Roosevelt Elementary will be open. All LAUSD schools will be open today except Canyon Charter Elementary, Kenter Canyon Charter Elementary, Palisades Charter Elementary, Marquez Charter Elementary, Topanga Charter Elementary, Lanai Road Elementary, and Paul Revere Middle School. Our Department of Mental Health has resources for how to speak with our young people about wildfires at dmh.lacounty.gov. We need to support our children in this time and make sure they're able to talk about this tragedy. Our DMH helpline is 80-854-7771.
(33:45)
Metro fares continue to be suspended for as long as conditions remain the same. We thank our Chair of the Metro Board, Janice Hahn, and our CEO, Stephanie Wiggins, for their assistance. Palisades Post Office has been relocated to Rancho Park Post office. Residents can pick up their mail at 11270 Exposition Boulevard on the first floor. Recovery.lacounty.gov has launched. You can find initial damage assessments as well as maps to indicate your property location and status, a comprehensive list of county resources by department, federal, state, local, and nonprofit emergency assistance. Once again, that website is recovery.lacounty.gov. Our Department of Economic Opportunities East L.A. Entrepreneur Center, and America's Job Centers of California Open today as well to support impacted workers as well as small businesses.
(34:48)
As far as public health updates, the Air Quality Smoke Advisory continues through next week. Please wear N95 masks outdoors. Fine particulates are airborne even in areas not impacted by the fires. Especially children and older adults, especially those with serious health complications, are particularly at risk. L.A. County Department of Public Health is providing N95 masks at all evacuation shelters and to community-based organizations. When you are at home, please close your windows and doors, run the air conditioning or air purifiers if you have them, and check your filters regularly. In your car, close the windows and vents. Turn your air conditioning on to recirculate. Do not in any way use leaf blowers or other actions that will push ash into the air.
(35:45)
Follow all drinking water advisories and, due to ocean contamination, avoid the following beaches, Malibu Point at Surf Rider Beach, Solstice Creek at Dan Blocker County Beach, and Inner Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro. To stay informed about the latest emergency orders, you can go to emergency.lacounty.gov and I want to once again thank all of those who are on the front lines keeping us safe through this very difficult time, all of our volunteers who have kicked into action to ensure that our community members are supported. And I also want to thank our Governor for an additional executive order in addition to the one that he issued yesterday to expedite debris removal and to reduce the risk of mudslides. As we know, rain is predicted starting next week and these complicated conditions may only worsen. We thank him for his foresight and his partnership.
Helen Chavez (36:47):
Helen Chavez, Communications Director for Chair, Catherine Barger. Chair Barger recognizes and thanks the following elected representatives for joining us this morning and for their ongoing support during this emergency. We have with us First District Supervisor, Ilda Solis, California Board of Equalization, Antonio Vasquez, Santa Monica Mayor, Lana Nagrete, and State Senator, Sasha Renee Perez. We are now going to transition to the Q&A portion of our press conference. Please raise your hand and wait to be called upon. When you are called upon, please announce your name and the media outlet that you were with. We're going to go start right her.
Gigi Graciette (37:25):
Gigi Graciette, Fox 11 News, Oh, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Okay. Gigi Graciette, Fox 11 News. I have a question about the fire, but I'm going to start with this question. Maybe I'll have a second chance. Assistant Chief Choi, to most families, if not all families who have pets, they are like family to them. Tomorrow will be seven days that those pets that are inside the houses that survived may be without water and most likely without food, which would put that in an extremely critical condition that could lead to death if it hasn't already. Is there nothing that can be done for those folks that are telling us they're desperate, they just want to go in, get their pet and go right out. They don't want to look at the house. They want to get their animals out. The fire broke out at 10:30 Tuesday morning. Many folks were at work already and have not been able to get back.
Assistant Chief Choi (38:23):
Yes, I can tell you my comments were specific to escorting that resident or those residents back to their house to do such things. There are other options that we can do. For example, officers that are patrolling the area can get a list of locations at the checkpoint. Officers can patrol these areas and go check themselves. I'm not saying that's exactly going to happen, but there are options where we don't have to leave a pet in there if we're made aware of that. So you can go to the checkpoints and talk to officers, but I urge you not to go there just to wait to go in to see your house, which is largely what a lot of these individuals are doing. They're waiting to be escorted to see their property, which we can't do. We still aren't doing medication and pets. However, we can come up with a way where if somebody knows a pet is in the residence that we'll do everything we can in our authority to go in there and get that pet.
Speaker 3 (39:12):
And then Gigi, on that note, Pasadena Humane Society is actually going into the Aldina area that's under evacuation orders and feeding pets. We will link up and see if we can duplicate that. Thank you.
Helen Chavez (39:28):
First to the woman right there. Yep. And then we'll go [inaudible 00:39:31].
Jayne Secker (39:31):
Great. Thank you. Oh, you've got to hold on to it. Great. Sorry. Hello, Jayne Secker, Sky News. A couple of questions. One to Fire Chief Moroni. More bad winds on the way. We know the conditions, as we've just heard, are going to be the same as last week. How confident are you that you're better prepared this time? And also a question for Mayor Bass, if I might. Our correspondent, David Blevins, asked you last week, if you owe the people of Los Angeles an apology for cutting the fire budget, you didn't respond to him then. Would you like to respond to us now?
Anthony Marrone (40:04):
So for the fire question, thank you. We're absolutely better prepared for this coming PDS, the severe fire weather event. You've heard the statistics, number of personnel assigned to the incidents. Over 5,000 firefighters assigned to the Palisades fire. Over 3,000 firefighters assigned to the Eaton fire. The state under the leadership of Governor Newsom has set up a mobilization center in Banning where we have resources staged that can come into L.A. County to assist with a new fire start or the expansion of one of our existing fires. We also have numerous aircraft, local government aircraft, helicopters. We have water bombers. We have retardant fixed wing aircraft from the state and federal government. We have military aircraft.
(41:02)
So we've not only augmented the ground resources, but also the air resources. I think that we're very well-prepared for the next event, but we're never sure that we're going to be able to catch the next fire and keep it small. They said 70 mile an hour winds. It's going to be very difficult to contain that fire. That's why we ask all residents in a brush-prone area to be prepared to evacuate if you get the evacuation order and start those preparations before the evacuation warning comes. Thank you.
Helen Chavez (41:42):
There was a two-part question to that, correct?
Karen Bass (41:46):
My focus is on us being prepared as a city for tomorrow. As you began, we could face another very difficult situation for thousands of Angelenos.
Karen Bass (42:00):
When we are past this period, there will be an evaluation of everything that went on. And at that point in time, we will see there is not agreement as to whether or not the budget was cut. All of those issues will be resolved when we are clear that Angelenos are safe and we are ready to rebuild our city. Thank you.
Helen Chavez (42:25):
Thank you. We're going to go right here in the middle. Next.
Jonathan Vigliotti (42:28):
Jonathan Vigliotti, CBS News for Mayor Bass please. Last week many people were working and could not get back in time to properly evacuate. As we've discussed in this room, there were pet care issues, healthcare issues, childcare issues. Now ahead of this latest event, you have businesses that are proactively closing, essentially treating this event like it was a hurricane or a blizzard. If they are taking those steps, why are you not implementing broader closures right now to keep your constituents safe?
Karen Bass (43:03):
We are doing everything we can to keep Angelenos safe. If there is a need for closures, that will be done, but right now we are in preparation for tomorrow. Thank you.
Jonathan Vigliotti (43:14):
Is [inaudible 00:43:15] though to treat this like it is a hurricane or a blizzard?
Karen Bass (43:18):
Absolutely it is. Which is why you see everybody here standing united, prepared, and ready to address what if hopefully we won't experience. But we are ready, we are prepared, and we will continue to do everything we can to keep Angelenos safe. Thank you.
Jonathan Vigliotti (43:36):
But now, this is important because this is the fourth time we've had these dire warnings. Each previous time there has been loss, so this is a critical time to make those decisions. And hurricanes and blizzards, like I've discussed, people stay at home, businesses are closed, people can then prepare to evacuate so there aren't pets left in their homes, there aren't children with daycare providers. They're scrambling. They scrambled last week. There are pets. So the question is what are you doing to make sure that that doesn't happen today?
Karen Bass (44:10):
I've answered your question.
Helen Chavez (44:11):
Okay, we're moving on over here in the back right there.
Morgan Winsor (44:15):
Hi. Morgan Winsor for ABC News. I have two questions, one for fire officials regarding the status of the investigation on the Eaton fire, and then a second for perhaps a district attorney on price gouging.
(44:28)
The first question, I'm wondering if officials are honing in on the transmission towers owned by Edison in the area of the Eaton fire as a possible source of ignition?
Anthony Marrone (44:41):
Yeah, thank you for your question. I'm going to turn that over to the LA County Sheriff. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The sheriff might have an update for you. If it is arson and not the transmission tower, then that would be a crime. I'd like the sheriff to speak to that.
Sheriff Luna (45:03):
Simple answer to that is yes, we're looking at everything. We have a team that is obviously focused on the response as we prepare for any event, and then the investigation not only into the recovery of the remains and the issues surrounding that, but anything that would've caused any of the fires anywhere in our jurisdiction. I think the chief from or the assistant chief from LA talked about a task force. We're on that as well. We're working together, and we expect to find answers.
Helen Chavez (45:34):
Okay, I saw a hand right here in the blue jacket.
Lauren Coronado (45:38):
Hi, good morning. Lauren Coronado with NBC4 News. This is for Chief Crowley. You mentioned wildfire patrols in high-risk areas. Can you identify those high-risk areas?
Kristin Crowley (45:50):
Sure, so and that's that lean-forward posture as we're looking to do everything in our power to ensure that we maximize our efforts with the resources that we have, which this whole patrol we're utilizing fire inspectors.
(46:06)
So with that we're going to be patrolling, taking a proactive approach. Anywhere where there's any wildland risk is where we're going to be patrolling. It's just extra set of eyes, ears. We can also help the community with questions. And that's really important the community also knows that the city, the fire department is leaning forward, we're utilizing the resources that we have. So to answer your question very specifically, it's anywhere where it's in the wildland area, that's where we're going to be putting our patrols out. Thank you.
Helen Chavez (46:37):
Thank you very much.
Lauren Coronado (46:37):
All right, thank you. I have one more question. Sorry, I should have asked right off the bat. For any fire official, I understand there's better air resources this time around, military-equipped. With these high winds, I know a big issue is that they weren't able to be utilized because of the high winds. When we're talking military-equipped, does that change things? Can you do those aerial attacks with these kind of aircraft?
Anthony Marrone (47:02):
It's not going to change it. So we still have wind cutoff speeds for fixed-wing retardant tankers, water bombers, and helicopters. The helicopters that we have at LA County Fire are military helicopters, they're patterned after the Black Hawk, and still we do have wind cutoff speeds not only for the safety of the helicopter, but what happens as the wind speeds increase, the effectiveness of the water drops or retardant drops is affected.
(47:31)
And the minute that aerial firefighting resources are no longer efficient or effective or safe, we have to ground them. That's the unfortunate truth. But we do have a lot of people on the ground that can still fight the fire. You saw our firefighters, 100-mile-an-hour winds, Eaton Canyon and Altadena, that kept fighting the fire even in those strong winds. Thank you.
Helen Chavez (47:54):
Thank you. We're going to go over here and then we'll go over here.
Dave Zahniser (47:59):
Oh. Thank you. This is Dave Zahniser at the Los Angeles Times. I was wondering if you could go sort of fire by fire and tell you where you are on determining the origin? Are you guys looking at whether or not New Year's Eve fireworks might've been a trigger for the Palisades fire with something then flaring up later? I know you mentioned the Eaton Canyon fire, but can you tell us, for example, is arson being viewed definitely as the cause of the Sunset Fire? Could somebody just walk us through each of them?
Karen Bass (48:30):
You talked about these.
Assistant Chief Choi (48:32):
[inaudible 00:48:31]. Yeah. I mean, I can talk about… So right now we have the task force that is robust, they're identifying cause and origin for each of these separate fires. There's so many of them.
(48:44)
None have been ruled out of arson. They're ongoing investigations. But also, the Palisades fire specifically, since that's the one that's still rampant in the city of Los Angeles, there's been no definitive determination that it is arson at this point. But we're looking at every angle.
Dave Zahniser (49:03):
Anything more specific?
Assistant Chief Choi (49:05):
It's an ongoing investigation. If I could, I would. I don't have the answer for you.
Helen Chavez (49:09):
Understood. Thank you. And we're going to go right here.
Kate Cagle (49:12):
Hi, this is Kate Cagle from Spectrum News 1. I have two questions. One for Fire Chief Marrone. Is there a definite threshold for wind speed when those aerial drops have to stop? Is 70 miles an hour that threshold?
(49:26)
And then my other question is given how dense some of these neighborhoods are where we've seen orders and warnings, I mean, all the way to Wilshire in Santa Monica last week we've seen gridlock when people are trying to all get out at once, have you guys worked on addressing that issue if people do have to evacuate tonight from an extremely dense area? Like we saw with the Sunset Fire, folks just couldn't get out because traffic was jammed. How do you address that?
Anthony Marrone (49:53):
Yeah, so to answer the first part of your question, there is a specific threshold. And I don't remember what that threshold is, although I used to work at Air Operations. 30 to 40 miles an hour is beginning, I believe, to be that threshold. I'll see if our CAL FIRE partner from the State of California remembers what that threshold is for helicopters and fixed-wing air tankers.
Helen Chavez (50:19):
Please say your name and your [inaudible 00:50:21].
Gerry Magana (50:20):
Good morning. Gerry Magana with CAL FIRE, representing Incident Management Team. So with the specific aircraft, they all have a different limitation. The problem is, is when you have substate winds, over 40 miles an hour is the issue, the problem is the gusts. So the gusts peak and the aircraft limitations or capabilities are then limited based on approach and departures, as well as Chief mentioned, the drop accuracy.
(50:57)
So each aircraft will have that limitation based on the manufacturer's recommendation. And then as far as the safety component, usually the limiting factor is gusts over 30 miles an hour, but the sustained winds, anything over 40 is pretty much going to ground most aircraft.
(51:16)
So again, each one of those aircraft have those specific limitations. But as an overall general rule, safety rule, the gusts is what is the issue, and this is the gusts that we've been having.
Helen Chavez (51:29):
Thank you.
Gerry Magana (51:29):
Thank you.
Helen Chavez (51:29):
Can you restate please your name and spelling?
Gerry Magana (51:32):
Yes. Gerry Magana, G-E-R-R-Y. Last name is Magana, M-A-G-A-N-A. Representing the CAL Fire Incident Management Teams. Thank you.
Helen Chavez (51:41):
Thank you so much. We have two last questions. There's a clarification over here.
Anthony Marrone (51:45):
I'd like to answer the second part of the question regarding community congestion and people leaving all at once under the evacuation order.
Helen Chavez (51:51):
Oh, I'm so sorry.
Anthony Marrone (51:53):
We really want residents in LA County to be prepared. If you don't have a wildfire evacuation plan for your family and your home, please make one today. Visit www.lacounty or, excuse me, www.fire.lacounty.gov/rsg. That stands for Ready! Set! Go!
(52:20)
I would recommend in an abundance of caution, if you get an alert on your telephone for an evacuation warning, leave then. Don't wait for the order, because we know from experience that if you wait for the order, you might get caught up in the congestion that you referenced.
(52:41)
And please do not silence the emergency alerts on your telephone. If we send out an alert at 3:00 AM on Tuesday night or Wednesday night, Wednesday morning when you're sleeping, we want you to wake up and evacuate. We know we had some issues earlier, but please do not turn off those wireless emergency alerts on your telephone.
Speaker 4 (53:12):
[inaudible 00:53:12] behind you.
Kate Cagle (53:12):
Have those issues been resolved, those alerts are now accurate? Sorry, my question was that those alert issues have been resolved and people can rely that that's accurate now?
Kristin Crowley (53:22):
I-
Speaker 4 (53:22):
[inaudible 00:53:23].
Kristin Crowley (53:23):
Yes. Yes. I just think it's very important that Chief Marrone and I stand together and have the exact same message, which is the Ready! Set! Go! piece is ready, set, go.
(53:39)
The community needs to also understand, you don't have to wait for the order. Knowing what we know and what we saw, if you're in any of these particular areas, that lean-forward posture, we keep talking about it, we saw the impacts, extreme impacts of the winds when what happened in Palisades, our professional advice to anybody out there is to make sure you're ready, to make sure you have a plan. We talk about the pets, we talk about the medications. Put your plan together, be ready.
(54:14)
And you do not have to wait. You do not have to wait for the order. And I think it's really, really important that everybody hears what Chief Marrone and I are saying. And in fact, the rest of the region, the rest of the fire chiefs are saying the same thing. Thank you.
Helen Chavez (54:30):
And Kevin, you were going to address the WeAlert issues?
Kevin McGowan (54:34):
Kevin McGowan, director with the LA County Office of Emergency Management. In partnership with the state, we have the wireless emergency alert system ready to go with state partnership.
Speaker 4 (54:44):
Yeah.
Helen Chavez (54:44):
Thank you. And we are at time. We will have one-on-one interviews. If you have any unresolved or unanswered questions, please approach to the front and we will connect you to the appropriate speaker. Thank you for today.