Multiple wildfires continued to burn in Southern California yesterday, with officials reporting at least 10 deaths. Over 10,000 homes across 27,000 acres have burned, and 20 suspected looters have been arrested.
Wind conditions improved Friday, allowing firefighters to push back the flames and increase containment. As of Friday morning, the Palisades Fire was 8% contained, the Eaton Fire 3%, the Hurst Fire 37%, and the Kenneth Fire 35% contained. See a map of the fires here.
Insurance officials have estimated that damages from this week’s fires may exceed $20 billion, surpassing the $12.5 billion in damages from the 2018 Camp Fire, which was the most costly blaze in the nation’s history.
President Biden announced on Thursday that the federal government would cover 100% of costs for the initial disaster response, including debris removal, temporary shelters, and salaries for first responders for 180 days.