VICTIMS of the Los Angeles wildfires are reportedly having their FEMA applications denied as the destructive flames have scorched 36,000 acres and displaced over 180,000 people.
The out-of-control fires, which are now thought to have killed 11 people, are responsible for the destruction of 10,000 homes and businesses in several parts of Los Angeles.
Kathryn Barger, the chair of the Los Angeles County Board, described the scenes in Altadena as “like a war zone.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Barger told reporters on Friday.
“You can go blocks where there’s no homes, and then you go a block you’ll see a little bit of smoldering on a tree, but none of the homes been impacted.
“There’s no question that, especially around Eaton County, I was absolutely… Shocked is not even the word for the destruction that it caused in that area.”
Barger raised concerns when she said individuals affected by the wildfires are being denied assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
She said FEMA implemented an online form for victims of the Los Angeles fires to fill out to seek aid.
However, Barger claimed that upon completing the form, individuals instantly got denial messages.
“I’m following up on that to find out what is going on because it is completely mind-boggling to me that people who lost everything are filling out a form, as told, and then are getting an immediate denial,” she said.
However, FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell later told CNN the denials could mean the agency needs more information.
“Typically, what it is is we’re still waiting to find out what their insurance company is going to cover because we can’t duplicate those benefits,” she told the outlet.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”LA fire ‘arsonist’ accused of starting fire in celeb enclave is arrested after being ‘tackled by residents’” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”pV1KxHf2t” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6366915653112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Criswell encouraged individuals seeking assistance to fully read the letters or notifications from FEMA because “we probably just need more information.”
Barger’s comments came minutes after Criswell told reporters at the White House that the federal agency had enough money to assist victims affected by the wildfires.
“With the recent supplemental, FEMA received $27 billion, and so we are now able to continue to support the ongoing recovery efforts for all the disasters that we’ve been supporting, to include now the immediate response and the initial recovery efforts that are going to be needed here in California,” Criswell said via video.
Criswell could not disclose the financial implications the wildfires would have on her agency, but she said it was “going to be billions.”
“Thanks to the bipartisan support of Congress, we have enough funding to support this recovery effort and these response efforts,” she added.
“There’s two things — they need to register for assistance with FEMA so that they can get in our system and we can continue to work with them on a case-by-case basis because we know that everybody is going to have an individual and unique need.
“And they need to contact their insurance company because their insurance company may also provide alternate living expenses.”
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Barger and FEMA for comment.
‘SUPER SCOOPER’ GROUNDED
On Thursday, a Canadian “Super Scooper” aircraft, a crucial tool in the battle against the blazes, was grounded after a drone slammed into it, causing serious damage.
The aircraft, one of only two planes that can douse flames with over 1,500 gallons of water at a time, collided with a civilian drone in the Pacific Palisades Fire area at around 1 am on Thursday.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department released a photo of the Super Scooper that showed a hole in the front of one of its wings.
The damage caused firefighters to pull the plane out of service until Monday.
No injuries were reported, but the crash is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration, and Los Angeles leaders have vowed to find the owner of the drone.
They warned that flying a drone in the middle of firefighting efforts is a federal crime that can lead to a $75,000 fine and 12 months in prison.
RACE TO PUT OUT THE FLAMES
The specially designed CL-415 firefighting planes are used to scoop up more than 1,500 gallons of ocean water to drop on active fires.
Two Super Scoopers are sent to California from the Canadian province of Quebec each year under a 31-year-old agreement between local government leaders, according to CNN.
The damage to the plane comes as out-of-control flames fueled by fierce winds have been tearing through neighborhoods for days.
As crews continue to work to put the fires out, fire responders and cadaver dogs are combing through charred debris in search of bodies.
So far, authorities have confirmed 11 deaths – but it is feared the toll could be much higher as the flames wreak havoc.
More than 180,000 residents have been forced to flee their homes – with a further 200,000 warned they may need to quickly evacuate.
The Palisades Fire, which is burning on the city’s western side between Santa Monica and Malibu, and the Eaton Fire, in the east near Pasadena, have consumed some 53 square miles.
Neighborhoods have been reduced to ash, with celebrities including John Goodman and Leighton Meester watching their homes burn down.
A third fast-moving inferno dubbed Kenneth Fire has sparked mass evacuations in Calabasas and Hidden Hills.
The U.S. Sun has learned that the Kardashians, who have properties in Hidden Hills and Calabasas, have vacated their homes as the flames threatened the area.
Kourtney Kardashian’s $11 million Calabasas mansion appears to be the most at risk under current conditions.
Her home would place her within the confines of the evacuation warning.
Kim Kardashian’s $60 million Hidden Hills property, as well as Kylie Jenner’s $37 million estate, just north of Hidden Hills, have placed them on the edge of the evacuation warning zone.
Meanwhile, mom Kris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian’s side-by-side mansions, also in Hidden Hills, are not yet in the official evacuation zone but are just a few miles away from the center of the blaze.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said areas of the city “look like a bomb was dropped in them,” branding the fires a “crisis.”
Kenneth Fire ignited on Thursday afternoon after five separate fires sparked on Tuesday morning – causing mass destruction.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing another wave of criticism for her lack of leadership in responding to the fires.
“We’re not going to allow politics to interfere, and we’re not going to allow politics to divide us,” Bass clapped back at reporters.
“I’m gonna spend every moment that I can to make sure that I’m in as many areas as possible meeting and talking to residents.
“We’re moving into recovery mode at this time.”
Bass received blowback from the public online as firefighters continue to try and contain fires in parts of Los Angeles that are still burning.
“Karen Bass should be fired today! LA needs leadership NOW! This is far from over,” one person fumed on X.
A second wrote, “Mayor Karen Bass is not meeting this moment as a leader.”
“Resign right now Karen Bass you are pathetic,” another said.
The devastating fires are set to have a costly impact on the city and its residents – with private forecaster Accuweather estimating the total damage and economic loss up to $150 billion.
Joe Biden announced on Thursday that the federal government will cover 100 percent of the cost of the fires for 180 days.
The outgoing president said the costs will include first responders’ salaries and shelters that are housing displaced residents.
[boxout headline=”‘War zone’ LA feels ‘broken’ as fires still ravage the city – but we will rebuild” intro=”The U.S. Sun’s Assistant Editor for Exclusives Katy Forrester is an LA resident and she witnessed first-hand the horror as flames engulfed the city. She said the city feels like a “war zone” but has the strength to rebuild: “]EVERY year Los Angeles braces itself for wildfires. It is not uncommon to see flames torching the hills and even houses burning to the ground.
But many residents have never witnessed anything as devastating as this week. And it’s nowhere near over.
I spent time near Pacific Palisades, where thick smoke filled the air, and saw desperate families fleeing the city while others begged police to give them access to their properties as roads were blocked off.
“Everything is gone” was heard many times, as thousands of people were left homeless and with few possessions.
I was lucky to only have the power go out in my home, but I’ll never forget what I witnessed traveling throughout the city.
It was like a war zone.
During a visit to a shelter, I spoke with a resident who has lived in his home for almost 30 years and is battling cancer. He stayed long after he was told to pack up and go.
It was only when flames began leaping around his building that he finally gathered his belongings and ran out.
I reported from Altadena, where buildings were still engulfed in flames, and few fire trucks were in sight as emergency services were overwhelmed.
Cars and school buses were completely torched, and heartbroken families stood around in shock, not being able to process what had happened.
As the sun went down, I drove back home towards the city center, which I felt was safe, until I saw orange flames leaping behind buildings just minutes from my house.
I felt sick. I’ve never known wildfires so close to Hollywood, and suddenly, phones were blaring with emergency notifications to evacuate the area.
Traffic lights and street lamps were out, and areas filled with fallen trees from the strong winds became gridlocked.
I feel extremely lucky I live minutes outside of the evacuation zone, but friends panicked and fled their homes.
Although many worldwide will merely shrug when they hear wealthy people have lost their homes, the reality is very different.
The city as a whole feels broken, everyone from single mothers to elderly people have been through hell.
And people are angry.
Dozens have spoken of their insurance policies being canceled just months before the fires, while others are reeling over alleged corruption and mismanagement.
They may be angry. But they are also hopeful. The people of Los Angeles are made of strong stuff.
We will get through this. And we will rebuild.
Kenneth Fire started in the late afternoon in the San Fernando Valley just 2 miles from a school serving as a shelter for fire evacuees.
By the evening, the blaze had moved into neighboring Ventura County before rapidly spreading overnight to more than 800 acres.
About 400 firefighters remained on the scene overnight to guard against the fire flaring up.
Governor Gavin Newsom released a statement on Friday demanding an investigation into the city’s Department of Water and Power over the lack of water supply and the dry hydrants.
“The ongoing reports of the loss of water pressure to some local fire hydrants during the fires and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir are deeply troubling to me and to the community,” Newsom wrote.
“While water supplies from local fire hydrants are not designed to extinguish wildfires over large areas, losing supplies from fire hydrants likely impaired the effort to protect some homes and evacuation corridors.
“We need answers to how that happened.”
MOST DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN LA HISTORY
The Palisades Fire is the most destructive in Los Angeles’s history and has burned almost 20,000 acres alongside the coast.
Parts of Sunset Boulevard have been torched in that blaze, leaving one of the world’s most iconic streets in rubble and buildings gutted.
Palisades – the largest fire – has destroyed more than 5,000 homes and structures in its path.
Meanwhile, the out-of-control Eaton Fire has now wrecked up to 5,000 houses as the blaze spread to almost 14,000 acres on Thursday.
Other fires in the region include the Sunset Fire, which is ravaging Hollywood Hills.
Of the 11 deaths so far, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley confirmed five were in the Palisades Fire and county officials said the Eaton Fire had killed six.
The remains of three victims are still being identified, the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner said.
Two of the dead were Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy.
They were waiting for an ambulance to come and did not make it to safety when the flames roared through, Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White, told The Washington Post.
Shari Shaw told KTLA that she tried to get her 66-year-old brother, Victor Shaw, to evacuate Tuesday night but he wanted to stay and fight the fire.
Crews found his body with a garden hose in his hand.
On Thursday, recovery crews pulled a body from the rubble of what was a beachfront residence in Malibu.
A charred washer and dryer were among the few things that remained identifiable in the home along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Some 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate from the Eaton Fire – which is burning near denser suburbs than the Palisades blaze.
All of the large fires that have broken out this week in the LA area are located in a roughly 40km band north of downtown, spreading a sense of fear across the nation’s second-largest city.
Dozens of blocks were flattened to smoldering rubble in scenic Pacific Palisades.
Only the outlines of homes and their chimneys remained.
In Malibu, blackened palm strands were all that was left above debris where oceanfront homes once stood.
[boxout headline=”Celebrities lose homes to wildfires” featured-image=”32692639″]The wildfires haven’t spared the homes of the rich and famous with Hollywood A-listers tragically seeing their houses turned to smouldering rubble.
Those who have had their homes burned down include:
- John Goodman
- Anthony Hopkins
- Paris Hilton
- Leighton Meester and Adam Brody
- Billy Crystal
- Miles Teller
- Eugene Levy
- Anna Faris
- Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag
- James Woods
- Hunter Biden
Other celebrities have been forced to flee their homes after evacuation orders were issued around the Palisades fire and the Sunset fire.
They include:
- Mark Hamill
- Mandy Moore
- Tom Hanks
- Reese Witherspoon
- Ben Affleck