This blog is now closed. You can read our latest story here. Firefighters have reported significant gains in containing two massive wildfires burning around Los Angeles. Firefighters are also tackling smaller blazes set by arsonists in recent days. This came as the last wave of windy, fire-prone weather moved through southern California. In the mountains, gusts reached up to 50mph, but many areas saw relatively light winds late in the morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Better conditions expected in the coming days should help fire crews make even more headway and allow residents to return to their neighborhoods to begin rebuilding. As the firefight continues, the names of people who lost their lives in the blaze are being released. One of the most recent people identified is year-old Zhi-feng Zhao, an Altadena resident who immigrated from China in His son Shaw Zhao told reporters that he bought the Altadena home in Thanks for joining our live coverage of the Los Angeles wildfires so far today.
These are the top headlines we followed this afternoon and evening:. There are five wildfires currently raging in Los Angeles county. They include:. The National Weather Service in Los Angeles said the dry winds fueling wildfires had eased on Wednesday and were forecast to change direction on Thursday afternoon. More than , customers remained without power in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Nearly 30 people were still missing, Los Angeles county sheriff Robert Luna said. Deputies have searched more than 5, properties for victims from the Eaton Fire and hoped to finish in that area by Thursday, he said.
The fires have killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes. Still, dry conditions and locally gusty winds will linger into Thursday β especially in some mountain areas. Officials formed a taskforce to combat crimes related to the Los Angeles wildfires. The taskforce is composed of federal and local law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and local prosecutors, and will focus on arson, looting, fraud, illegal drone activity and related offenses, according to the United States attorney for the central district of California.
