As wildfires continued to ravage communities across Southern California Wednesday, driven by powerful Santa Ana winds, Angelenos, Californians and L.A. fans across the globe are scrambling for information about the status of beloved landmarks.

There are three fires across the region destroying thousands of acres of woods, brush and buildings and Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency.

The Palisades Fire, between Malibu and Santa Monica, threatened more than 10,000 homes, according to L.A, Fire Chief Kristen Crowley. About 30 miles inland, the Eaton Fire prompted authorities to warn of "an immediate threat to life" in Altadena, near Pasadena. And the Hurst Fire, in the San Fernando Valley northwest of downtown L.A., has forced evacuations of nearby residents.

Several landmarks have sustained damage or are in imminent danger. Here's what we know so far.

Palisades Charter High School

Palisades Charter High School, which was featured in popular movies including "Teen Wolf," "Carrie" and 2003's "Freaky Friday," was damaged by fire, according to several local news outlets. The football field and several campus structures were affected. The school posted a closure notice on its website, adding, "Students and families are advised to avoid the area and adhere to all evacuation orders. Please stay safe!"

Will Rogers State Park and Topanga State Park

Two popular state parks were also impacted by the wildfires.

Will Rogers State Historic Park, where the famous movie cowboy once had a sprawling ranch overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, was closed to the public. Topanga State Park, with miles of trails winding through the cliffs and canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains, was also closed due to the fires.

According to maps on the Cal Fire website, the Palisades fire was edging into the Santa Ynez Canyon and Topanga Beach areas along the Pacific Coast Highway, or PCH.

Getty Villa and Getty Center

The Getty Villa, on PCH, home to Greek and Roman art and antiquities in a recreated Roman country home, said on its website it would remain closed through at least Monday. The Villa museum is sandwiched in the foothills between Will Rogers State Park and Topanga State Park in Pacific Palisades, just north of Santa Monica.

The Getty Center, perched on a hill above the much-traveled 405 freeway is a 30-minute drive away (in normal conditions) and out of the immediate fire zone, was also closed through Monday.

This is a developing story. Check back throughout the day for updates.

Old photo of fire captain Shane Lawlor and his two sons at a Santa Monica Fire Station. Lawlor has been a firefighter for 17 years. He was dispatched last week to the Pacific Palisades and is still fighting the fires there.

Jaleh Lawlor

When the fires in Los Angeles broke out just over one week ago, fire captain Shane Lawlor was quickly dispatched to the Palisades. He has been at work ever since. On his first day, Lawlor was on his team's fireline for 20 hours straight with no breaks for food or sleep. He's still working the fireline and has been sleeping on-site or at his station in Santa Monica when he's not on duty.

Back at his home in Carlsbad, Calif., Lawlor's son, Cian Lawlor, is a fifth grader and budding journalist at Magnolia Elementary School. The 11-year-old has a new podcasting kit that his family recently got him for Christmas.

Earlier this week, NPR asked Cian to interview his dad over Zoom. It was the first rest day since the fires began for Lawlor, who took the call from his post at the Santa Monica Fire Department Station 2. Cian was at their home in Carlsbad, a few hours south of L.A. This was also the first time the father and son had connected in a week.

"I'm glad he gets to do this and help people in need," Cian says about his dad's job. "He puts out his heart for the greater good."

This interview was prepared and conducted by Cian, with help from Magnolia Elementary's broadcasting club, MagTV's director, Andrew Luria. The photos were taken by Cian's friend and fellow Magnolia student journalist, Eivan Wheyland. NPR sat in on their conversation.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Eivan Wheyland

Cian Lawlor: What goes through your mind when you're fighting fires such as this one? Were you scared?

Shane Lawlor: Scared? Not so much. But definitely, you have to take care of yourself. You have to understand your surroundings. It is so fast-moving, and there's so much going on that hearing important radio traffic that could be very important is very difficult. Making sure that you know when you are in the wrong place and you've got to get out of there is very, very important.

Cian: How did this fire compare in its size and damage to the other fires you have fought?

Lawlor: There've been big fires in California in the past that I've been on, but nothing like this for pretty much everyone.

I used to live in Santa Monica before, so I do know a lot of the neighborhoods that have been affected and those neighborhoods are all gone. They're not even there anymore.

In terms of the size of the fire, I haven't seen anything bigger in my career. I don't think very many people have. And in terms of the scope of the damage, it has been obviously just utterly devastating.

Cian: What were the winds like and how did they affect the fire and the job you were doing?

Lawlor: The wind makes you think that you are doing a good job on one side of a nice house, but then you go around the corner and the wind has caused the fire to start on the other side of the house. So you are kind of wasting your time and you need to redirect. So it just makes it very challenging.

The biggest effect on me was what we call embercasting. And that's just small, tiny little bits of embers that blow off a tree or a building when they're burning and they kind of whip around you. They can come up behind you. They're all over and when they're blowing it makes it very difficult to do your job.

Those embers are what start other fires. So you're constantly protecting yourself from those hot embers in that wind and you're constantly chasing the new fires that they're starting. So that makes it very, very difficult.

Cian: When you look at the destruction and all the homes lost in the fires, what is your reaction?

Lawlor: It starts with a sense of disappointment that you couldn't have saved a lot or more of these homes. And then it moves on to sympathy for the folks who have lost those homes.

And then you also kind of get a sense of appreciation for the fact that we still have a home to go to. We have to appreciate what we have, because there's plenty of families who don't have a home or anything like that anymore.

NPR

Cian: Tell me something that happened that made you really proud.

Lawlor: I'm very proud of the crews that were around me. They really did everything in their capabilities to save each and every home. They were working so hard all day and all night. No food, no anything for hours and hours, no sleep just to try and save whatever they could. That's a big sense of pride.

Cian: What is the morale like at the department now?

Lawlor: There's definitely fatigue, physical fatigue, and there's definitely mental fatigue from it. But we're doing okay. Everyone is very appreciative of all the support we've been shown. There is so much food and so many well-wishers coming to our fire stations that it really gives us a boost every day to keep going, knowing that we're hopefully making just a little difference in someone's life.

Cian: Are you still currently fighting fire? What does your job look like on a daily basis now?

Lawlor: Yes, I am. I'm currently assigned to the Palisades Fire. We started on 12-hour shifts, and now we're working full 24-hour shifts. So you're talking to me on my rest day. It's as much a physical rest as it is a mental break. And then I will be reporting back for my 24-hour shift at 6 a.m. tomorrow, and I'll be there for another 24 hours. So we are still directly engaged on the fire line, which is literally the very edge of the fire, where if the fire is going to kick up again, that's where it will start.

You have people who hike in and they use tools to put in hoseline along the entire perimeter of this fire. And if anything comes up, now there's a hoseline in place and they can fight it. Does that answer your question buddy?

Eivan Wheyland

Cian: Got it. Do you have any questions for me?

Lawlor: What would you want to tell a ten-year-old boy whose home is now gone or has been affected by the fire?

Cian: I would tell them, I'm glad you're safe. Look on the bright side. Everything's going to be okay. How can we help you with your needs?

Special thanks to Cian's mom, Jaleh Lawlor, Magnolia Elementary School's broadcasting club, MagTV, and the club's director, Andrew Luria.

MagTV is a 2024 fourth-grade winner in the NPR Student Podcast Challenge, which you can learn more about here.

The wildfires burning in Southern California are a catastrophic disaster, disrupting services and operations for many organizations – including the Postal Service’s ability to deliver mail and packages – across the Los Angeles region. During this time, the Postal Service's primary focus is to maintain the safety and security of our employees, while ensuring that customers affected by the ‘California Wildfires’ receive their mail and packages as swiftly as possible.

The Postal Service operations team is working around the clock to restore operations wherever safely possible. USPS is committed to delivering mail safely and where allowable, constantly adjusting our operations for a swift restoration of services in impacted areas. The full recovery of service to the impacted areas may stretch forward for some time.

Postal Service Operations Update:

Operations at the Point Dume Post Office, located at 29160 Heathcliff Rd, Fl 1, Malibu, CA 90265, has resumed retail services and mail delivery (delivery limited to accessible areas). Malibu customers unable to receive street delivery to their residence or business, may pick up mail from the Point Dume Post Office.

Operations have resumed retail services and mail delivery at the following locations:

La Canada Flintridge607 Foothill BlvdLa Canada Flintridge, CA 91011-9998Mon – Fri: 10 am – 5:30 pmSat: 10 am – 3 pm

Malibu Post Office23838 Pacific Coast HighwayMalibu, CA 90265-9994Mon – Fri: 9 am – 5 pmSat: 9:30 am – 1:30 pm

Woodland Hills Post Office21200 Oxnard StWoodland Hills, CA 91367-9998Mon – Fri: 8:30 am – 6:00 pmSat: 9 am – 5 pm

Encino Station5805 White Oak AveEncino, CA 91316-9998Mon – Fri: 10 am – 5:30 pmSat: 10 am – 4:30 pm

The following post offices retail and delivery services have been relocated and customers are able to pick up mail & packages, submit address changes, and inquire about PO Box services:

Altadena Post Office, 2271 Lake Avenue, Altadena, CA 91001 - 9998 has been relocated to Pasadena Post Office, 600 Lincoln Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91109-9998

Pacific Palisades Post Office, 15243 La Cruz Drive, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272-9997 has been relocated to Rancho Park Post Office, 11270 Exposition Blvd Floor 1 Los Angeles, CA 90064-9998

Topanga Post Office, 101 S Topanga Canyon Blvd, Topanga, CA 90290-9998 has been relocated to Santa Monica Post Office, 1653 7th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401-9997

La Costa Malibu Station, 21229 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265-9992 has been relocated to Malibu Post Office, 23838 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265-9994

IS YOUR HOME IMPACTED? USPS can forward your mail to a temporary location. Customers may submit an Official Mail Forwarding Change of Address Order (COA) to reroute their mail (including packages and letters) online at https://moversguide.usps.com/ or by filling out a PS Form 3575 (COA) available at any post office.

Customers are reminded that the Post Office is always open, 24/7 including holidays, at www.usps.com. Using usps.com, customers can look up a ZIP Code, request free Priority Mail Flat Rate packaging, hold their mail, set up Premium Forwarding Service, and even print a mailing label and pay for postage using Click-N-Ship.

For more information about postal products and services, customers may call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) or visit the Postal Service online at www.usps.com.

The Postal Service appreciates its customers’ patience and understanding as we do our best to provide postal services while keeping the safety of our employees and customers as priority No. 1. For additional retail locations, please visit us online at https://tools.usps.com/locations/.

Fire officials are investigating the causes of multiple wildfires that are destroying homes and forcing thousands to evacuate across parts of Southern California on Wednesday.

The Palisades Fire started burning around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday and has scorched thousands acres around the beach towns of Santa Monica and Malibu. Around 6:30 p.m., the Eaton Fire broke out in Altadena near Pasadena and swelled to more than 10,000 acres. By 10:30 p.m. a smaller blaze named the Hurst Fire had ignited in Sylmar, in the San Fernando Valley northwest of downtown Los Angeles and consumed about 500 acres.

The cause of all three blazes are still under investigation, according to Cal Fire. But the powerful Santa Ana winds are likely driving their rapid growth.

"The combination of low humidity, dry fuels and shifting winds has heightened the potential for spot fires and rapid expansion," Cal Fire said in an update.

How do wildfires start?The natural and artificial causes of wildfires explained.

Even before the fires started, the National Weather Service had issued its highest alert for extreme fire conditions for much of Los Angeles County. The weather service office in Los Angeles warned Monday that wind gusts could reach 100 mph in some areas this week, prompting "extreme fire behavior" wherever blazes ignited.

"This is a particularly dangerous situation − in other words, this is about as bad as it gets in terms of fire weather," the weather service office in Los Angeles warned Monday. "Stay aware of your surroundings. Be ready to evacuate, especially if in a high fire risk area. Be careful with fire sources."

What causes wildfires?

A wildfire, an uncontrolled blaze that occurs on open land with vegetation, can be ignited by natural or artificial causes.

Lightning is the most common natural cause of wildfires. In higher elevations lightning sometimes strikes dry vegetation, which sparks a fire that can easily become uncontrollable, particularly when fueled by dry winds.

Get weather and fire alerts via text:Sign up to get current wildfire updates by location

In cities with roads near wildlife, such as in Southern California, it is very common for vehicles to unknowingly ignite a fire, Luca Carmignani, a Fire Advisor from the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, previously told USA TODAY.

Fires, ice and more: Sign up for USA TODAY's Climate Point newsletter for weather news and analysis.

'We can expect to see larger wildfires':Climate change helping drive an increase in large wildfires in the US

“For example, you have a truck with a train that drags on the road and generates sparks,” Carmignani said. “Or you have like a catalytic converter, there are different ways that cars and trucks can start a fire from the road.”

Strong winds can cause power lines to move, which may generate sparks that eventually land on dry fuel such as grass or vegetation, Carmignani said. He added that unextinguished campfires are also a prevalent human cause of wildfires.

Is it wildfire season?

Historically, wildfire season typically begins in July and ends around late November to early December, Carmignani said. This time of year has the driest conditions which are perfect for igniting and burning vegetation.

Last month, the Franklin Fire in scenic Malibu was quickly contained while November’s Mountain Fire burned tens of thousands of acres, destroyed and damaged hundreds of homes in western Ventura County and was the third most destructive wildfire in Southern California since at least 2013, according to the National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service's Los Angeles office issued a red flag alert Tuesday, the first in January since 2021, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"November, December, now January − there’s no fire season, it’s fire year. It’s year-round," California Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a press conference.

Climate change causing concern

"Climate change is leading to larger and more severe wildfires in the western United States," the 2023 National Climate Assessment reported. Warmer temperatures create conditions that make fire behaviors more dangerous, the assessment found.

Jon Keeley, a senior research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, previously told USA TODAY climate change isn’t the only reason for the increase in large fires.

In California, population growth, increasing fire ignitions and the Santa Ana winds are bigger factors in wildfires, Keeley said. These factors don’t appear to be affected by climate change right now, and climate change is likely to be a bigger driver in the northern part of the state rather than the south, he said.

Contributing: John Bacon and Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY

(This story was updated to add new information.)

After 40 years of family memories, Josie Papik lost her house in the Pacific Palisades fire

Community Contributor

|Updated Sat, Jan 11, 2025 at 11:06 am PT

By Shayla Papik –

Hearing sirens, Josephine Papik woke up Tuesday morning and saw fire on top of the mountains. She took solace in the fact that she lived two lots from the fire station.

“When I saw the fire, I was shocked. I couldn't believe it,” Josie says. “I just thought I'll be ok, it will never hit my house. Then I decided to start packing and putting things in my car.”

She picked up pictures, important papers and keepsakes. In every room in the Pacific Palisades house, there was another item full of memories. She remembered her kitties: Itty-bitty, Trixy, Maya and Smooch. She had to bring them.

All the while, Josie was talking on the phone. The fire wouldn’t reach her house, everybody assured her.

Find out what's happening in Santa Monicafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The two younger cats suffer from anxiety; they wouldn’t let Josie catch them to pack them in the car.

“It broke my heart that I had to leave them,” Josie says. “I didn't want to leave them, I didn't want them to die. It was like leaving my children. I have no words to describe it.”

Josie never saw Maya and Smooch again.

News came out in bits and pieces the next day, rumors mixed with facts, through shared videos and pictures, uncertainty and anxiety governed. A neighbor’s house was confirmed gone. She clasped at hope but was descending into the depressed resignation that her house would be gone too.

“I just cried, I couldn't believe it, I couldn't believe my house was on fire. The whole town was burning up,” Josie says. “It just didn’t seem possible. I don't remember the exact moment finding out how my house was burned. We kinda just knew.”

On Jan. 8, she found out. Incinerated was her home of 40 years. Her three children and 33 grandkids are fine. She took refuge with her son, Jimmy, who is also my dad, in Culver City.

On Jan. 9, Josie hiked up to her home, a 4-hour jaunt starting from Ocean Avenue at the Santa Monica Pier. Her mind was “tormented” while she walked with her son and daughter, their spouses, and one grandson. Her goal: to find forgotten items, her husband’s ashes, important papers, her wedding dress.

She held out the impossible hope of finding her beloved kitties.

She didn’t find anything. Immense sadness and desolation immersed Josie, her kids and grandson. They experienced endless emotions with tears and sorrow, standing over the ashes of the house all these people had shared cherished memories in, with family reunions, too many sleepovers, and spirit filled holidays spent.

Grandma’s house was no more.

About this reporter: Shayla Papik studies journalism at the Lighthouse Christian Academy in Santa Monica.