Santa Ana winds rise in Southern California; new wildfire warnings issued

Millions in Southern California face new wildfire warnings as strong winds fuel blazes near Los Angeles.

Millions of Southern Californians faced new wildfire warnings on Tuesday (January 14, 2025), and tens of thousands saw their power shut off as strong winds blew across the parched landscape around Los Angeles where two massive blazes have been burning for a week.

Santa Ana winds that began gusting over the mountains before sunrise were forecast to continue until Wednesday (January 15, 2025) morning with enough force to carry fire-sparking embers for miles and stoke new outbreaks in a region where at least 25 people have already been killed.

“Life threatening and destructive and widespread winds are already in Los Angeles,” LA city Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told a news conference.

Much of Southern California was under elevated fire risk, with crews on high alert from the Mexican border to Central California, far north of Los Angeles.

Nearly 90,000 households lost electricity as utilities shut off power to prevent their lines from sparking new blazes.

Weary and anxious residents were told to be ready to flee at a moment’s notice. They remained vigilant, keeping an eye on the skies and on each other: Police announced roughly 50 arrests, for looting, flying drones in fire zones, violating curfew and other crimes.

“Of those, three people were arrested on suspicion of arson after being seen setting small fires that were immediately extinguished,” LA Police Chief Jim McDonnell said. “One was using a barbecue lighter, another ignited brush and a third tried to light up a trash can,” he said. All were far outside the disaster zones. Authorities have not determined a cause for any of the major fires.