California: Biden urges Congress to help in fighting fires

The death toll from the wildfires in Los Angeles has risen to 10, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner.

Sheriff Robert Luna of Los Angeles County stated at an earlier press conference that he expects the number of fatalities to increase.

Meanwhile, more than 10,000 structures, many of them homes, have been burned in wildfires in the Los Angeles area, according to the officials.

More than 5,300 structures have been damaged or destroyed in the hilly coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, making this the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history.

The NFL has moved the Los Angeles Rams' wild-card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings to Arizona after days of devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

In a brief statement, the league said the decision was made "in the interest of public safety."

The game will be played Monday night at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals, in Glendale, Arizona.

The league announced the decision a few hours after another fire broke out in an area several miles from the Rams' training complex in the Woodland Hills neighborhood.

US Vice President Kamala Harris has canceled her upcoming trip to Singapore, Bahrain and Germany due to the ongoing wildfires in California, the White House said.

"In response to the historic wildfires in Los Angeles, the Vice President has made the decision to cancel her and the Second Gentleman's upcoming trip to Singapore, Bahrain, and Germany," the White House said.

Earlier, US President Joe Biden also canceled an upcoming trip to Italy, where he was scheduled to meet with Pope Francis, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

US President Joe Biden the wildfires ravaging were the worst in California's history, as he pledged extra federal funds and resources to help the state cope.

"This is the most widespread, devastating fire in California's history," Biden said as he convened a special meeting of senior administration officials at the White House.

Biden also said he will ask Congress for help in fighting the raging fires in Los Angeles, adding that lawmakers need to provide more assistance in dealing with the situation.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris lamented the fact that many insurance companies have canceled policies for many of those affected.

The governor of California Gavin Newsom said the state was "aggressively coordinating local, state, federal, and out-of-state resources to suppress the LA wildfires" in a post on social media platform X.

Newsom provided a breakdown of resources currently deployed and said that there were currently over 7,500 firefighting personnel deployed along with 1,162 fire engines battling wildfires across the Los Angeles County.

In terms of aerial support, there were 31 helicopters six air tankers helping with firefighting efforts.

These air tankers are capable of carrying thousands of gallons of fire retardant or water which is then dropped over burning areas, in support of firefighting ground teams.

Firefighters have managed to make some progress as they battled the devastating fires in the Hollywood Hills area early on Thursday, however, two other massive wildfires were threatening Los Angeles from the east and west.

Firefighters were able to gain the upper hand on the Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills resulting in authorities being able to lift an evacuation order in the area. The fire had put the densely populated neighborhoods on high alert.

The Los Angeles Fire Department's Erik Scott said they were able to contain the fire because "we hit it hard and fast and Mother Nature was a little nicer to us today than she was yesterday."

The biggest fire has ripped through 17,000 acres (6,900 hectares) of the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, and has been described by city fire chief Kristin Crowley as "one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles." 

In Altadena, another 10,000-acre fire was also at "zero percent containment," although the spread had "significantly stopped" as wind gusts reduced, county fire chief Anthony Marrone said.

 

Los Angeles is the latest in a number of cities around the world forced to battle flames.

As global temperatures rise, scenes of blazing urban areas are becoming more frequent. Last summer, black smoke billowed behind Athen's iconic Parthenon temple as flames tore through the city's suburbs. 

The image was a stark illustration that the wildfires intensifying around the world are not confined to remote, rural areas, but also having a huge impact in cities.  

The same summer, a large fire also broke out among the trees on Monte Mario hill in the center of Rome. From Halifax in Canada to Cape Town in South Africa, Japan's Nanyo City.

The growth of cities and the increasing rural abandonment are compounding wildfire risk, experts tell DW. Read more on what cities can do to better protect themselves.

Germany, too, is worried about two of its landmark buildings in the Palisades, which hold great cultural significance: the Thomas Mann House and Villa Aurora.

Villa Aurora, an elaborate Spanish-style villa from 1927 that was once an intellectual center for people who fled Nazi Germany, is especially at risk, as it is located in the immediate vicinity of the fires.

"The destruction of these important cultural sites would be a cultural catastrophe. They are symbols of exile and the freedom of art," Federal Culture Commissioner Claudia Roth told the German press agency DPA.

Read DW's report about the significance of the two buildings.

The wildfires raging in the Los Angeles region have triggered air and dust advisories for millions of people across Southern California, with thick clouds of smoke and ash filling the sky.

The advisories were issued for 17 million people, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management district.

Air quality in regions near the fires was most affected, with an index of 173 measured in East Los Angeles, for example — 123 points above what is considered the maximum level for good air quality.

Medical experts have often warned of the deleterious effects of wildfire smoke and the fine particulate matter it contains on human health.

The smoke can cause a range of respiratory and cardiovascular issues, while toxic chemicals from burning structures can also contribute to illness and health problems.

The first days of 2025 have seen fires raging around Los Angeles, and in July 2024 the Canadian town of Jasper in the province of Alberta was devastated. Fire destroyed at least one-third of the town's buildings, and the neighboring Jasper National Park, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site was also damaged.

And, as we continue to heat the planet by burning fossil fuels, those fires are set to worsen, endangering more people and wildlife.

Some of the key areas through which fire management is attempting to adapt to a new climate reality include strategic burning, adaptive planting and drone technology.

Read DW's report on how these methods can help protect the planet's forests.

A number of entertainment celebrities are among the thousands of people who have so far lost their homes to the Los Angeles wildfires.

Well-known names such as Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, Cary Elwes, Ricki Lake and Diane Warren have confirmed that their residences have burned down as fires rage through some of California's most prestigious areas.

Other stars such as Mark Hamill, James Woods and Mandy Moore have said they had to flee their homes.

Major annual events in the Hollywood agenda have been rescheduled, including the Critics Choice Awards from January 12 to January 26.

The Academy has offered a two-day extension to the Oscars nominations voting window "to give members more time to cast their ballots" as thousands were evacuated amid the fires.

A new fire that broke out in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday is also threatening many tourists sights including the Walk of Fame and Hollywood Bowl.

Outgoing US President Joe Biden will not depart on what would have been the final overseas trip of his presidency so he can "remain focused on directing the full federal response" to the wildfires, the White House says.

In a short statement, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden had traveled to Los Angeles on Wednesday to meet with police, fire and emergency personnel.

After that trip, he made the decision to cancel the upcoming trip to Italy, Jean-Pierre said.

Biden had intended to have one more audience with Pope Francis in the Vatican on Friday. He had also planned to meet with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during the trip.

Firefighters are struggling to contain at least five large-scale wildfires in the Los Angeles area of US' most populous state of California, with five people so far reported to have died in the blazes.

The fires extend from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena. One blaze, dubbed the Sunset Fire, has been raging since Wednesday near the world-famous film hub of Hollywood.

Evacuation orders have been issued to some 130,000 people and nearly 108 square kilometers (42 square miles) have been burnt out, local fire authorities say.

The fires have been described as the worst  in the history of Los Angeles.

Movie stars and celebrities have been among those to lose their homes to the flames.

Climate experts say a number of factors, including near-hurricane-force winds and drought, have combined to create favorable conditions for the blazes.

They say such events are becoming ever more common as human fossil-fuel usage causes the Earth's atmosphere to heat.