Firefighters were also struggling to contain the Eaton Fire, which broke out around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, and battling what is called the Hurst Fire, which ignited around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday in Sylmar, north of San Fernando.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said two arrests were made Wednesday morning for looting and issued a stern warning to anyone hoping to profit from the ongoing catastrophe.
“If you’re thinking about coming to any of these areas to steal from our residents, I’m going to tell you something: They’re going to catch you, they’re going to arrest you, they’re going to arrest you. be prosecuted,” Luna said. “Don’t do that. Stay away from these areas.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who was in Ghana when the fires spread on Tuesday, was expected to return to the city on Wednesday.
Newsom, who was scheduled to travel to Washington, D.C., for former President Jimmy Carter’s memorial service, canceled his trip due to the wildfires, a spokesperson confirmed.
Los Angeles is the movie capital of the world, but due to the ongoing fires, the Screen Actors Guild was forced to cancel a live event scheduled for Wednesday morning to announce its annual awards nominations and instead He did it online.
Black smoke could be seen in the skies over Los Angeles neighborhoods like Silver Lake and in nearby communities like Burbank, which are miles away from the infernos.
As a result, many of the city’s best-known attractions, including the famous Hollywood Sign, were closed to the public on Wednesday, officials said.
So were many schools in Los Angeles Unified, the second-largest school district in the country, due to dangerous air conditions.
An index above 300 represents a state of emergency, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s air quality index. But some parts of Los Angeles are seeing rates above 500, while some Pasadena locations are seeing rates of 600 to 1,200.
Jacob Soboroff reported from Los Angeles. Corky Siemaszko reported from New York City.
Marlene Lentang, Kyla Guilfoil and Aria Bendix contributed.
