Major brush fires burning in SoCal amid powerful windstorm

A fast-moving brush fire has erupted in the Hollywood Hills, near Runyon Canyon.

Mandatory evacuations have been issued for Laurel Canyon Boulevard (on the west) to Mulholland Drive (on the north) to 101 Freeway (on the east) down to Hollywood Boulevard (on the south).

LAFD responded to the blaze and additional crews are being summoned to the scene. Flames appeared to be spreading at a rapid rate uphill, and a large plume of smoke was quickly descending south toward Hollywood.

The fire is at 20 acres, according to CalFire.

A brush fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills just west of Runyon Canyon.

All schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District will be closed Thursday due to the fires.

"The confluence of factors - wind, fire, and smoke - have created dangerous, complex situations that present unsafe conditions for our school communities," read a statement from the district. "Select essential personnel will be contacted by their supervisors regarding potential work duties."

The district said it will continue assessing the situation over the next 24 hours while preparing for the possibility of remote learning on Friday, Jan. 10. A decision about Friday will be announced by 4 p.m. Thursday.

Thursday's meal distribution will be from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at eight sites (two per region). Families can stop by and walk into any of the following locations to get two meals per student. This is only available for LAUSD students.

o North: Mulholland Middle School, Sepulveda Middle School

o East: Hollenbeck Middle School, South Gate High School

o South: Fremont High School, Harry Bridges Span School

o West: Marina Del Rey Middle School, Sonia Sotomayor Arts and Sciences and Magnet

Mental Health Support Services: If you're in need of any mental health support, LAUSD said you can call its Student and Family Wellness Resource Line at 213-241-3840. Support is available from 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

"We encourage members of the Los Angeles Unified family who are in need during this difficult time to visit lausd.org to learn about available City, County, and community-based resources and connect with entities who are prepared to assist," said the district.

The water system used to fight the Palisades fire in Los Angeles buckled under the demands of what turned out to be the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history. Some hydrants ran dry, hindering the fight against the flames, local water officials said Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was pumping more water from aqueducts and groundwater into the system, but demand was so high, that wasn't enough to refill three one-million gallon tanks in hilly Pacific Palisades that help pressurize hydrants for the neighborhood. Many went dry and at least 1,000 buildings were engulfed in flames.

In a forceful press conference, officials implored residents to conserve water and not attempt to fight fire with garden hoses.

Read more here.

A "very preliminary" estimate from J.P. Morgan Insurance says that insurance losses from Palisades Fire could reach around $10 billion, with the majority of losses coming from homeowners rather than commercial buildings.

That's based on initial reports showing more than 13,000 homes and buildings are at risk due to the fire.

Insurance losses from the Palisades Fire could reach $10 billion with the majority of losses coming from homeowners, a preliminary report shows.