L.A. fires nowhere near contained: So far, at least 10 people have been killed by the wildfires in and around Los Angeles. More than 35,000 acres have been consumed, and more than 10,000 structures destroyed. Wind speeds had lessened last night, only to pick up again this morning, with gusts reaching 81 miles per hour in L.A.'s northern mountains. A new fire broke out last night, named the Kenneth fire, in the West Hills. The Palisades fire and Eaton fire are at 6 percent containment and 0 percent containment, respectively, both now ranking among the top five most destructive fires in California's history. ("Containment basically measures the fire's potential for growth, not how much of it has been extinguished," notes The New York Times.)
The California National Guard has been called in by Gov. Gavin Newsom, and President Joe Biden has pledged that the federal government will cover the area's emergency response costs for the next six months. (There are only a few days left in Biden's term, so it remains to be seen whether President-elect Donald Trump will maintain this commitment.) The Pentagon has sent in Navy helicopters to help with the firefighting.
