'Not out of the woods': Fire-scarred LA braces for another round of dangerous winds

An arson suspect who was arrested Tuesday in Pacoima admitted he started a small fire that burned a tree "because he liked the smell of burning leaves," according to Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell.

Speaking at a Wednesday morning news conference, McDonnell said officers responded about 5:15 p.m. to a radio call of a possible arsonist in the area of Glenoaks and Van Nuys boulevards.

A citizen had extinguished the fire and detained the suspect, who was then arrested by police.

An arson suspect arrested in Pacoima admitted he started a small fire that burned a tree "because he liked the smell of burning leaves," according to Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell.

The suspect was booked on suspicion of arson. His name was not released.

Hours later, around 9:30 p.m., firefighters responded to multiple reports of a suspect setting multiple piles of trash on fire near the intersection of Vermont Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood.

The firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze and officers took the unidentified suspect into custody, McDonnell said.

"The suspect admitted to setting multiple fires that day and stated that she enjoyed causing chaos and destruction," the police chief said. She was booked for arson.

The two suspects were taken into custody outside of the burn areas of the Eaton and Palisades fires. There was no immediate indication that they were connected to the major fires burning in Los Angeles County.

"As we continue to manage this historic, catastrophic event, we want to express our gratitude to everyone who has provided tips and remained vigilant in keeping the city safe," McDonnell said.

Efforts are underway to reunite people with their lost pets in the wake of the devastating fires in Los Angeles County.

During a Wednesday morning press conference, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell announced that a new dedicated phone line was established to specifically assist with inquires related to pets affected by the fire.

Anyone who is looking for their animal in the fire zone areas can call (213) 270- 8155 for assistance.

Tens of thousands of Southern California Edison customers are without power due to the dangerous red flag conditions, and more shutoffs could be coming to prevent any new wildfires.

New video from overnight shows lights out at gas stations and shopping centers in the San Bernardino mountains. The utility's power outage map showed Crestline and Lake Arrowhead among the areas without power Wednesday morning.

Tens of thousands of Southern California Edison customers are without power due to the dangerous red flag conditions, and more shutoffs could be coming to prevent any new wildfires.

SoCal Edison says it could cut power to more customers across Southern California because of the winds.

The majority of those shutoffs are expected to be in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

In a new quick-turn analysis, UCLA climate scientists found that climate change could be responsible for roughly a quarter of the extreme vegetation dryness present when the Palisades and Eaton fires began. But they say the fires would still have been extreme even without that moisture deficit.

"We believe that the fires would still have been extreme without the climate change components noted above, but would have been somewhat smaller and less intense," the team noted.

The climate scientists at UCLA's Climate & Wildlife Research Initiative considered what contributed to the fire "to quantify how unusual these factors are, in the context of the natural weather and climate variability."

The researchers examined the intense summer heat, drought and extreme precipitation that impacted the region in recent years. They concluded that the unusually warm temperatures during the summer and fall of 2024 are the most likely way climate change could have helped intensify the wildfires by lowering fuel moisture in the region.

However, the analysis found that this stretch of unusually warm weather was likely not the primary driver of the extreme vegetation dryness that was in place at the time of the wildfires.

Researchers point to the lack of early wet season precipitation as the main contributor of the extremely dry fuels, estimating that about 75% of the dryness was due to lack of rain and roughly 25% attributed to the stretch of anomalous warmth. They say the current rain deficit is more likely due to California's highly variable natural climate rather than human-amplified climate change.

"As I've often said, no one claims that climate change directly causes natural disasters. Instead, we highlight that human-caused climate change amplifies these events. As this issue becomes more pronounced, it's essential that we focus on mitigation, adaptation, and planning for the warming that is already inevitable," explained Ginger Zee, ABC News chief meteorologist and chief climate correspondent.

Based on their findings, the research team recommends aggressively suppressing fire ignitions when extreme fire weather is forecast, making homes more fire resistant, and building new units in low wildfire risk zones.

The analysis has not been peer-reviewed and additional findings are likely to emerge as new studies are completed.