Palisades LA wildfire: Five killed as new Hollywood Hills blaze prompts further evacuations

Wildfires continued to rage over more than 27,000 acres in Southern California as crews battled the blazes and more than 150,000 people evacuated.

At least five people have been killed, countless are hurt and more than 1,000 structures are in ruin as the blazes devastate Southern California. The Palisades Fire is now the most destructive in Los Angeles history.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called on residents to “conserve water to the extent that you can” as firefighters battle the historic blaze.

“But make no mistake, Los Angeles will rebuild stronger than ever,” she said.

A new blaze erupted in Hollywood Hills on Wednesday night, prompting even more evacuation orders in the area. That fire has burned more than ten acres so far.

The Palisades Fire is now more than 15,000 acres, while the Eaton Fire has scorched some 10,600 acres.

The fires have forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents, including more than 60,000 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. More than 450,000 people are without power throughout the region, according to PowerOutage.

Homes have been destroyed across the LA area, including those owned by several celebrities.

President-elect Donald Trump has baselessly claimed Governor Gavin Newsom is to blame for the California fires because he failed to sign a “water restoration declaration.”

However, such a document does not exist.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that Newsom “refused to sign the water restoration declaration,” which he claims would have “allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California.”

“I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA,” Trump wrote. “He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!”

There is no such thing as a “water restoration declaration,” Izzy Gordon, Newsom’s communications director, told CalMatters on Wednesday. Gordon went on to call the claim “pure fiction.”

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