A-list actors, musicians and other celebrities were among the tens of thousands of people affected by terrifying wildfires in Los Angeles this week that killed at least five people. Over 70,000 people were evacuated from Los Angeles and the Greater Los Angeles areas of California in the last 24 hours due to four to five major fires that remain uncontained as the wind speed is very high in Palisades, Eaton and Hurst areas. 

Los Angeles is fighting the largest blaze in its history amid water and firefighting shortages. A state of emergency has been declared in the area, with Washington sending help to bring the situation under control. Retired firefighters with experience in firefighting, have been called for help. More than 1,000 buildings have burned in fires that have broken out around America’s second-biggest city, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes. The situation remains tense in the areas, with a blanket of smoke covering the skies. 

Firefighters Struggle To Contain Situation

Hurricane-force winds whipped up fireballs that leapt from house to house in the upmarket Pacific Palisades area, incinerating a swathe of California’s most desirable real estate favoured by Hollywood celebrities. Gusty winds pushed the flames, pushing embers hundreds of meters and sparking new spot fires faster than firefighters could quell them.

According to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, his crews were overwhelmed by the scale and speed of the unfolding disasters.

“We’re doing the very best we can. But no, we don’t have enough fire personnel in LA County between all the departments to handle this,” he told AFP.

The blaze raging in Pacific Palisades had consumed around 16,000 acres as of Wednesday afternoon, taking 1,000 homes and businesses with it. A separate 10,600-acre fire was burning around Altadena, north of the city, where flames tore through suburban streets.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said an earlier death toll of two had now increased, with more deaths feared. “Unfortunately, it’s grown to five as we continue through this area,” Luna told radio station KNX.

“And remember, this is still a very fluid situation, there’s zero containment on this fire. I’m really praying we don’t find more, but I don’t think that’s going to be the case,” he added.

Evacuation orders were in place for about 70,000 people across the area. A large number of people who did not heed warnings to leave had suffered “significant injuries,” Marrone said.

Water Shortage

As a pall of dark smoke hung over Los Angeles, hydrants were drying as the water supply dropped in the area. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power chief executive Janisse Quinones pleaded with people to save water after hydrants in Pacific Palisades ran dry.

“We’re fighting a wildfire with urban water systems, and that is really challenging,” she said.

Joe Biden, who was in Los Angeles with California Governor Gavin Newsom, was briefed on what the president called an “astounding” situation.

“We’re doing anything and everything, and as long as it takes to contain these fires,” Biden told reporters.

Hollywood Screeched To A Halt

The showbiz capital has been besieged by multiple out-of-control blazes, with Hollywood events including a glitzy awards show and a Pamela Anderson film premiere among those cancelled as firefighters battle flames in hurricane-force winds.

Hundreds of homes were destroyed in the swanky Pacific Palisades area, a favourite spot for celebrities where multimillion-dollar houses nestle on beautiful hillsides, while other infernos sprang up across the north of the city.

Tesla boss Elon Musk showed the aftermath of the fire in one of the suburban areas in LA with cars, homes and trees completely charred.

A friend in LA just took this video pic.twitter.com/WJBWCHmCUs

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 8, 2025

Mandy Moore, the singer and “This Is Us” actress, told followers on Instagram she had fled with her children and pets from the path of a blaze that had left her Altadena neighbourhood “levelled.” 

“My sweet home. I am devastated and gutted for those of us who’ve lost so much. I’m absolutely numb,” she wrote, in a caption to footage of the destruction.

Emmy-winning actor James Woods posted a video on X showing flames engulfing trees and bushes near his Pacific Palisades home as he got ready to evacuate, and shortly afterwards said all the fire alarms were going off.

“I couldn’t believe our lovely little home in the hills held on this long. It feels like losing a loved one,” Woods said.

“Star Wars” star Mark Hamill told followers on Instagram that he had fled his Malibu home with his wife and pet dog, escaping down a road flanked by active fires.

Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis was also forced to evacuate, later writing on Instagram: “Our beloved neighbourhood is gone. Our home is safe. So many others have lost everything.”

Meanwhile, next week’s unveiling of the Oscar nominations was pushed back until January 19, to give Academy members affected by fires more time to cast their ballots this week. 

A high-level meeting between the Afghan Taliban leadership and senior Indian officials was organised is Dubai on Wednesday. From India, foreign secretary Vikram Misri attended the meeting, while from Afghanistan the acting foreign minister of the Taliban government Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi was present.

The meeting assumes significance as New Delhi and Kabul aim to foster ties in order to enhance cooperation between the two countries. Though New Delhi has continued aiding Afghanistan in a limited capacity, much of its bilateral ties has remained dormant since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.

The agenda for the meeting in Dubai was to boost bilateral ties between the two nations across varied sectors, including humanitarian aid, developmental assistance, trade, commerce, sports, cultural ties, regional security, and projects of national interest, such as the Chabahar Port in Iran, which acts as a key supply route for goods to reach Afghanistan. India and Afghanistan share a land border too, but that has remained cut-off by Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or PoK since 1947.

In the meeting India pledged further humanitarian support to Afghanistan. This included priority assistance in the healthcare sector, supply of medicines, and rehabilitation of refugees. New Delhi has so far dispatched several shipments consisting of 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat, 300 tonnes of medicines, 27 tonnes of earthquake relief aid, 40,000 litres of pesticides, 100 million polio doses, 1.5 million doses of the Covid vaccine, 11,000 units of hygiene kits for the drug de-addiction programme, 500 units of winter clothing and 1.2 tonnes of stationery kits, over the past few years.

The Afghan Minister appreciated and thanked the Indian leadership for continuing to engage and support the people of Afghanistan.

New Delhi has also conveyed to Kabul its readiness to respond to the urgent developmental needs of the Afghan people. “In view of the current need for development activities, it was decided that India would consider engaging in development projects in the near future,” the foreign ministry said.

As talks progressed, Afghanistan’s foreign minister underlined Kabul’s sensitivities to India’s regional security concerns and assured full cooperation in this regard. According to a press statement “It was also agreed to promote the use of Chabahar port for supporting trade and commercial activities, including for the purpose of humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan.”

Mr Misri also underscored the importance India gives to its historic, civilisational, and cultural ties with Afghanistan. “The foreign secretary underlined India’s historic friendship with the Afghan people and the strong people-to-people contacts between the two countries,” the foreign ministry said.

Foreign Secy @VikramMisri met Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai today.

Both sides discussed 🇮🇳’s ongoing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, bilateral issues and security situation in the region. India reiterated its commitment to… pic.twitter.com/a3UyuIqkAG

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) January 8, 2025

Sports, especially cricket, which is loved in both countries also figured in the talks. Both sides agreed to strengthen sporting ties.

Wednesday’s meeting between the two sides comes two days after New Delhi severely condemned the recent Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan that killed 46 people, including several women and children. The Pakistani air strikes were carried out on December 24. It invited massive criticism and a stern warning from the Afghan government.

Pakistani air strikes hit Barmal district in Afghanistan’s Paktika province. This was the second time in 2024 that Islamabad directly targeted “civilian areas” in Afghanistan, said the government in Kabul. In March 2024 too, a similar air strike by Pakistan had killed eight people, including three children.

On Monday, India strongly condemned Pakistan over the air strikes, saying it is Islamabad’s “old practice” to blame its neighbours for its failures within the country. “We have noted the media reports on airstrikes on Afghan civilians, including women and children, in which several precious lives have been lost. We unequivocally condemn any attack on innocent civilians. It is an old practice of Pakistan to blame its neighbours for its own internal failures. We have also noted the response of an Afghan spokesperson in this regard,” India’s foreign ministry said.

The Taliban, a predominantly Pashtun tribe which has a large presence across Afghanistan, is an ultra-conservative political and religious hardliner group. It refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The Taliban which was the government in Afghanistan in 1996, was overthrown by the US-led military coalition in 2001 after Washington launched its ‘war against terror’ focusing on the Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. Twenty years later, in 2021, when the US military left Afghanistan abruptly, the Afghan Taliban swept across the nation and regained its political importance by forming the government in the war-torn country.
 

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