Tens of thousands of residents in California are without power as several wildfires race through suburban areas north of Los Angeles.

Why It Matters

The Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires blazing in Southern California have burned down homes and businesses, with widespread evacuations ordered for residents.

Power outages can cause significant disruption and threats to life, particularly for those who depend on electrically powered medical assistance.

What To Know

Thousands of people have been told to leave their homes due to an “immediate threat to life” as fast-growing fires blaze through Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, California. A state of emergency has been declared by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and the causes of the fires have not yet been determined.

The Palisades Fire is the worst of the three, having burned 2,921 acres in Los Angeles County at the time of writing. A report by CNN said the fire is burning through about five football fields a minute in the Palisades and Topanga State Park areas.

The Hurst and Eaton fires are smaller, currently at 100 and 1,000 acres respectively, but are growing at a quick pace because of strong Santa Ana winds. The Hurst fire is in Sylmar, while the Eaton one is burning in Altadena and Pasadena, both of which are in Los Angeles County.

Even those who still have power may not be able to use it considering the high number of mandatory evacuation orders and warnings in place.

Power Outages

Estimates provided by PowerOutage.US say that more than 220,000 homes are without energy in Los Angeles County. A further 29,000 are impacted in San Bernadino County, and more than 16,200 in Ventura County. As well as this, some 12,400 homes are without power in Riverside County.

The following outages have been reported by suppliers in the impacted areas:

• South California Edison: Current outages stand at 106, with 73,114 customers impacted according to its website.
• Bear Valley Electric Services: While the current number of outages for customers is unknown, the servicer has said it “is aware of the outage affecting customers in portions of Big Bear Lake.”

What People Are Saying

CalFire wrote in its latest update on the Palisades blaze: “Extreme fire behavior, including short and long-range spotting, continues to challenge firefighting efforts for the Palisades Fire. Winds gusts up to 60 MPH are expected to continue through Thursday, potentially aiding in further fire activity and suppression efforts.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass posted on X on Tuesday evening: “We’ve declared a state of emergency to amplify our response to this devastating fire and clear a path for a rapid recovery. To the hundreds of brave firefighters and first responders who have been responding all day to this blaze—we thank you. To the thousands of families impacted by this horrific fire—the City of Los Angeles is providing resources and shelter as this fire continues.

“The City is working AGGRESSIVELY to confront this emergency,” Bass added.

University of California climate scientist Daniel Swain said in a briefing just after 4 p.m. Tuesday: “This event is not only not over, but it is just getting started and will get significantly worse before it gets better.”

What’s Next

Exactly when power will be restored to impacted customers is unclear. With the current 0 percent level of containment, it could be some time before crews are able to reach the area to assess damage and restore power to homes that are still standing.