Residents in Southern California are anxiously awaiting the go-ahead to return to their homes after a series of deadly wildfires swept across the Los Angeles area last week, but as FOX Business Correspondent Max Gorden reports they are going to need to wait a bit longer as critical fire weather returns to the region this week.
LOS ANGELES – As firefighters battle the raging infernos in Southern California, harrowing footage released by the Los Angeles Fire Department showed their helicopters plunging into the heart of the flames.
The death toll from devastating wildfires has now climbed to at least 24 – with dozens more still missing – and is expected to rise as search and rescue teams sift through the charred remains of homes and communities.
The LAFD’s Air Operations released a video Friday that showed helicopters flying above California’s Santa Monica Mountains as the Palisades Fire rages below. The chilling footage offers a glimpse into the perilous conditions faced by aircrews, who are risking their lives to combat the blazes.
The Los Angeles Fire Department Air Operations released a video on Friday showing helicopters flying above California’s Santa Monica Mountains as the Palisades Fire rages below.
As aircraft continue to drop water and fire retardant on the steep hills to stem the eastward spread of the wildfires, on-the-ground firefighting has intensified.
POWERFUL IMAGES SHOW LOS ANGELES HEROES ON FRONT LINES OF CALIFORNIA’S HISTORIC WILDFIRES
A fire fighting helicopter drops water as the Palisades fire grows near the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood and Encino, California, on January 11, 2025.
(PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP / Getty Images)
That fiery beast, along with the monstrous Eaton Fire, has consumed thousands of acres, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The cause of both fires remains under investigation.
Fire personnel respond to homes destroyed while a helicopter drops water as the Palisades Fire grows in Pacific Palisades, California on January 7, 2025.
(DAVID SWANSON/AFP / Getty Images)
Over 12,000 personnel, including firefighters, National Guard troops and law enforcement, are battling the fires. The arsenal includes over 1,660 pieces of equipment, from fire engines and water tenders to aircraft and heavy machinery.
A helicopter makes a water drop on fire that encroaches on a home in the Mandeville Canyon area where homes were evacuated on Saturday, January 11, 2025.
(Mindy Schauer/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register / Getty Images)
Adding to the firefighters’ woes, relentless Santa Ana winds are forecast to return Monday and exist through the week, threatening to fan the flames further. A few gusts up to 70 mph will be possible in the San Gabriel, Santa Susana and western Santa Monica Mountains, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
Forecasters have issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation Fire Weather Warning for Southern California, highlighting the extreme risks posed by the impending wind event
“We’ve only had four of those, and the three previous ones that have happened in the past six months did result in fires,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said. “That’s how we got the Mountain Fire, the Franklin Fire, and then, of course, the current situation that we’re in.”