LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- At least 25 people are believed to be dead and more than a dozen others remain unaccounted for as multiple wildfires, fueled by severe drought conditions and strong Santa Ana winds, continue burning in Southern California.
The Palisades Fire, burning in the Pacific Palisades, and the Eaton Fire, burning in Altadena, have forced thousands to evacuate and destroyed more than 12,000 structures.
Here are all the current wildfires burning in Southern California at a glance.
Actress and Producer Jamie Lee Curtis is donating $1 million from her Family Foundation to support the recovery effort from the multiple fires still raging in Southern California.
Curtis, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, says she's in "communication with Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass and Senator Schiff as to where those funds need to be directed for the most impact."
Uber is offering to help residents impacted by the Southern California wildfires by providing free rides to evacuees (up to $40) to get to temporary shelters.
"We're teaming up with local authorities and first responders to make sure everyone who needs help evacuating gets a ride," said Camiel Irving, Uber's Vice President of Operations.
To redeem the discount, riders must apply the promo code "WILDFIRE25" in the Wallet section of their Uber app prior to requesting the ride to designated locations.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman had a message for those considering taking "criminal advantage" of the devastating wildfire event through looting or scams.
"If you think for a moment that you can take advantage of this right now or over the next weeks, months or years, you are wrong," Hochman said Wednesday. "If you go ahead and you want to loot, if you want to steal, if you want to engage in scams on vulnerable people who have just lost their house and their businesses, we're going to arrest you, we're going to prosecute you and you will absolutely be punished."
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department already arrested two individuals for looting Wednesday morning, the district attorney said. During a Thursday morning press conference, however, L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger provided an update, saying 20 people were arrested for looting.
"Again, the thought that they would want to take advantage of people in their most vulnerable situation when they've just lost a house or business, when they're literally evacuating for their lives, is despicable," Hochman said.
Seven months before the uncontrolled Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, the city's fire department budget for this fiscal year was cut by more than $17.5 million, records show.
Mayor Karen Bass signed the City of Los Angeles' budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The total budget for the city's fire department was $819.64 million.
Records show that for the previous fiscal year, the LAFD's total budget was $837.2 million. The total budget includes salaries, expenses and equipment.
The city's controller, Kenneth Mejia, posted a graphic on X in October confirming the fire department's budget was cut by $17.6 million. The graphic also showed that the city's police department budget increased by $126 million.
"This budget serves as a reset, in part by continuing to hire for critical positions including police officers and firefighters while eliminating some of the department's vacant positions, thereby prioritizing our City family over empty desks," Bass said in a statement in June.
-Laura Romero
