New fire breaks out near Castaic Lake as strong winds, dry conditions linger across SoCal

The Pacific Palisades home where chef Daniel Shemtob and his wife dreamed of raising a family is now nothing more than a cratered pit of twisted metal and rubble. Gone are the gourmet kitchen, the nursery with the baby giraffe and elephant wallpaper, the half-century-old olive trees in the yard.

But even as the Los Angeles-area wildfires continue to burn, Shemtob has been soothing his soul by dishing out free, foil-wrapped breakfast burritos and tacos from his award-winning food truck to first-responders and weary evacuees.

It would be easy for the two-time Food Network competition winner to dwell on the loss of the home, which he and his wife, Elyse, moved into about eight months ago, leasing with an option to buy. Yet he smiles, thinking about the people he has met through the food giveaways.

One man was so happy with his sweet and spicy steak taco that he declared it the first time he smiled since his home burned. Another person loved the simple cheese quesadilla the chef made for him so much, he came back for more and brought six family members.

Then there was the National Guardsman who lent a sympathetic ear one cold morning.

"He sat and wanted to hear my story while he ate his breakfast burrito," said Shemtob, 36. "That was very cathartic."

A brush fire erupted in the riverbed of the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley and quickly grew to about 38 acres.

The fire was reported around 5 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Van Buren Boulevard and Clay Street, near the Western Riverside County/City Animal Shelter, according to CalFire.

CalFire initially said the Clay Fire was at two acres and burning at a slow rate of speed in the river bottom. No evacuation orders were issued, but an evacuation warning was in place for a couple of hours.

CalFire announced around 11 p.m. that the evacuation warning had been lifted, but cautioned that crews were still working in the area. The fire is 40% contained.

Firefighters battled a brush fire in Jurupa Valley that grew to about 38 acres.

The L.A. County Medical Examiner has attributed an additional death to the Palisades Fire, raising the combined death toll from the Palisades and Eaton fires to 28.

As of Tuesday evening, the medical examiner has tied 17 deaths to the Eaton Fire and 11 to the Palisades Fire.

Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday announced he's donating $1 million toward wildfire relief efforts in Los Angeles County, and the former California governor unveiled a new "L.A. Strong" T-shirt whose proceeds will also be donated.

In a social media post, Schwarzenegger said the $1 million will be divided between the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, the California Fire Foundation, and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles.

"I don't like when companies or rich people ask their fans to make their donations for them," he wrote.

The T-shirt features an image of Schwarzenegger posing during his bodybuilding days.

"The shirt might look familiar - it's based on an LA classic they sell to tourists on the Venice boardwalk, except I can use my image," he added.