California wildfires latest: New wildfire tears through Hollywood Hills - as iconic LA landmarks at risk

'Fire weather' to continue throughout the day

The US National Weather Service has issued an updated forecast, in which it says there is a "critical risk of fire weather"  over parts of southern California throughout the day. 

"Strong high pressure over parts of the Northern Intermountain Region and Great Basin will set up Santa Ana winds over southern California," it said.

It's just past 2am in LA, so NWS update is intended to cover the west Coast's daytime hours. 

"Winds of 20 to 40mph, with stronger winds in the terrain, low relative humidity, and dry fuels have contributed to the dangerous conditions."

It's not 'traditional' wildfire season - so why have fires spread so quickly?

A real-life drama is unfolding just outside Hollywood. Ferocious wildfires have ballooned at an "alarming speed", in just a matter of hours. 

Why?

In this story, climate reporter Victoria Seabrook takes a look:

It's not 'traditional' wildfire season - so why have the California fires spread so quickly?

Oscar nominations and other key events delayed or cancelled

On Sunday night, Hollywood started the New Year with a bang as the Golden Globes kicked off awards season.

Just a few days later, the scenes in Los Angeles are very different.

Several premieres were called off yesterday and now key dates in the awards season calendar are being postponed or cancelled as firefighters battle the wildfires.

Production has also came to a halt on several television programmes.

Critics Choice Awards

The annual ceremony was due to take place this weekend, but has been postponed by two weeks, to 26 January, "due to the catastrophic fires", organisers said in a statement.

Joey Berlin, chief executive of the Critics Choice Association, said: "This unfolding tragedy has already had a profound impact on our community.

"All our thoughts and prayers are with those battling the devastating fires and with all who have been affected."

The rescheduled show will still take place at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, and will air live on E!.

BAFTA Tea Party

While the BAFTAs is a UK awards ceremony, organisers hold a networking event in the US ahead of the show each year.

The 2025 party was due to take place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills on Saturday. However, it has now been called off.

"The safety of our colleagues, friends and peers in Los Angeles remains our utmost priority and our thoughts are with everyone impacted," a spokesperson said.

Oscar nominations

Nominations for the biggest ceremony of awards season were due to be announced next Friday, 17 January, with films including The Brutalist, Emilia Perez, Wicked and The Substance set to be in the running.

The Academy has reportedly announced a two-day extension to the nominations voting window "to give members more time to cast their ballots", with the announcement of the shortlists now due to take place on Sunday 19 January.

Chief executive Bill Kramer confirmed the move in a memo to members reported by US entertainment publications including Variety and Deadline.

"We want to offer our deepest condolences to those who have been impacted by the devastating fires across Southern California," the statement said.

"So many of our members and industry colleagues live and work in the Los Angeles area, and we are thinking of you."

More information on the nominations announcement will follow soon, he said.

Writers Guild of America (WGA) nominations

The nominations for the awards, which recognise outstanding writing in film, television, new media, news, radio and promotional categories, were due to take place today.

However, a spokesperson from WGA West and WGA East said that "with Los Angeles under a state of emergency due to multiple wildfires", the announcement has been postponed to Monday, 13 January.

America's Got Talent

Auditions for Simon Cowell's US version of the hit talent show were due to take place on Sunday.

In a statement on Instagram, producers announed these would be postponed to a date to be confirmed.

"Your safety is our top priority. We will announce a new audition date soon. Stay safe," a statement said.

General filming

FilmLA, an agency which permits shoots in Los Angeles, has issued an alert advising that "personnel resources ordinarily available to support film production may not be available during the local state of emergency".

The LA County Fire Department has instructed that all permits used for filming in areas including Altadena, La Crescenta, La Canada/Flintridge and parts of Pasadena are withdrawn, the agency said.

"Other permit revocations are possible," it added.

NBCUniversal said it has suspended filming on TV shows Loot, Ted, Suits: LA, Happy's Place and Hacks – which was named best television series in the musical or comedy category at the Golden Globes on Sunday, alongside a win for actress Jean Smart.

How big are the fires now?

Five major fires are still raging across Los Angeles. 

Here's how big they are and how "contained" they are - meaning to what degree the fire department has them under control. 

• Palisades fire: At least 17,234 acres, 0% contained
• Eaton fire: At least 10,600 acres, 0% contained
• Hurst fire: At least 855 acres, 10% contained
• Lidia fire: At least 348 acres, 40% contained
• Sunset fire: At least 43 acres, 0% contained

The smaller Woodley fire also continues to burn but is under control.

Olivas fire, a small blaze that erupted in the brush of Ventura County (west of the Palisades and Malibu), was extinguished last night.  

Billy Crystal's home of 46 years destroyed - as other celebrities lose houses

US actor and comedian Billy Crystal, and his wife Janice, a producer, have confirmed their home of 46 years has been destroyed in one of the fires.

It comes after Paris Hilton earlier shared how her home in Malibu has "burned to the ground" (see our post at 2.53am).

In a statement, Crystal said: "Words cannot describe the enormity of the devastation we are witnessing and experiencing.

"Janice and I lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can't be taken away."

Crystal, who is best known for films including When Harry Met Sally, City Slickers, and Analyze This, said he and his wife have been left "heartbroken" at the loss of their home in the Pacific Palisades, "but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this".

Oscar-winning songwriter Diane Warren's beach home of 30 years has also been destroyed in the wildfire, she confirmed.

She said her pets had survived the ordeal.

The Hills stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag have also lost their home in the blaze.

The pair documented the escalation of the fire on Snapchat, with Pratt saying: "I'm watching our house burn down on the security cameras."

Adam Brody and Leighton Meester have also reportedly lost their home in one of the fires, according to US media.

Fire activity in Hollywood 'decreased' as some evacuation orders lifted

The Los Angeles Fire Department has lifted evacuation orders for some areas affected by the Sunset fire. 

According to the country sheriff's department, fire activity in Hollywood has decreased, with the blaze now contained to an area somewhere between 60 and 100 acres.

Why are firefighters running out of water?

There have been several instances of firefighters and witnesses reporting that water hydrants have gone dry across Los Angeles. 

Donald Trump blasted California governor Gavin Newsom, saying it was his fault frontline emergency workers did not have what they needed to tackle the blazes (see previous post). 

Our US correspondent Martha Kelner, who is in Los Angeles, challenged Mr Newsom over the claims yesterday.

But why have some hydrants run dry?

Wildfire attorney Ari Friedman, a partner and trial attorney at the Los Angeles-based law firm Wisner Baum, said the demand for water has simply overwhelmed the supply. 

"Because of the high rate of use, there was not enough water in the system to maintain the pressure the hydrants need to function effectively," Mr Friedman said. 

However, "that doesn't immediately point to an equipment or water line failure as a lawyer might think of it".

He said the Palisades area, the site of the biggest fire, is served by water tanks because of the area's high elevation. 

"It will remain to be seen whether it was feasible to have modernised the infrastructure so the water tanks were better supplied, or if options to connect the neighbourhood to the city's water grid had been adequately explored," Mr Freidman said. 

Trump blames governor for wildfires

If you missed it, president-elect Donald Trump last night took aim at California's governor, Gavin Newsom, repeating claims that firefighters did not have enough water in their hydrants to tackle the blaze.

He said: "It's a mistake of the governor, and you can say the administration. 

"They don't have any water. They didn't have water in the fire hydrants.

"The governor has not done a good job."

LA mayor left speechless by Sky News questions

In case you missed it, a Sky News team was on the same plane as the Los Angeles mayor as she landed back in the city yesterday.

Karen Bass was returning from a trip to Ghana when our correspondent David Blevins asked if she felt she owed an apology to LA citizens for being absent.

The mayor was speechless and stone-faced and refused to answer questions.

Iconic landmarks under threat in LA - with dozens already destroyed

As fires rage, more iconic landmarks in Los Angeles are coming under threat.

Large parts of the metropolitan area of the city are under evacuation orders, which include some of the most famous spots in the US, let alone California.

They include the Capitol Records building, the TCL Chinese Theatre, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Hollywood Bowl, one of the city's biggest entertainment venues.

The Hollywood sign is also near the evacuation area, as is the Griffith Observatory - made famous in the 1955 film Rebel Without A Cause.

The Los Angeles Zoo, also in the mountainous Griffith Park, is closed.

The Magic Castle, the private club attached to the Academy of Magical Arts, has temporarily closed as the Sunset fire spreads nearby.

Landmarks destroyed

Several landmarks and buildings have already been destroyed by the fires.

The iconic Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles has been left "in ruins" by the Palisades fire, according to eyewitness reports (see 7.35am post).

Theatre Palisades, a community theatre founded in 1963 by a trio of television writers, sustained "serious damage," according to its website.

The grounds of the Getty Villa, an art museum, have also burnt, though it's believed the art has remained undamaged.

The Altadena Golf Course, which dates from 1910, sustained serious damage as well, according to a video post on its Facebook page.

The Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center also told congregants on its website that its buildings were lost to the fire. 

Two popular state parks, the Will Rogers State Park and Topanga State Park, have also been severely affected by the wildfires.

Malibu Feed Bin, a much-beloved pet supplies store, announced that it had been "lost" to the flames.

Palisades fire now 17,000 acres

The Palisades fire, the largest of the blazes still raging in Los Angeles, has reached some 17,000 acres in size, according to authorities. 

CAL Fire said in its latest bulletin that it was noting "extreme fire behaviour, including short and long-range spotting".

It's now some 17,234 acres (70sqkm) in size, it added. 

Winds gusts up to 60mph are expected to continue through the day,  it said, "potentially aiding in further fire activity and suppression efforts". 

The blaze is still at 0% containment. 

Fire turning paradise into 'hell on earth'

Fires in Los Angeles have turned a "little piece of heaven" into a "hell on earth", correspondent David Blevins says. 

Reporting from Altadena, he says more than 1,000 structures have been destroyed by the biggest of the six blazes, the Palisades fire, including some of the most expensive homes around. 

"These are million-dollar homes, [it's] an area which is, of course, where the rich and famous come to enjoy their peace and quiet and tranquillity and to many, this is their little piece of heaven," he says. 

"And for the last 48 hours, it has been their hell on earth." 

Many are already discussing this as the "most costly fire in the history of this state". 

Another long night ahead for firefighters

These images show firefighters tackling the 15,000-acre Palisades fire in what will be another long night for emergency workers in Los Angeles, where it's nearly midnight.  

A union chief yesterday said he expected many to be taking on 48-hour shifts.

Satellite imagery shows wildfire devastation

Satellite imagery shows the devastating effect the wildfires have had on Los Angeles.

In the comparison pictures below, you can see a block of houses in Altadena from before and after the fires began.

The second shows smoke covering the Pacific Coast Highway along the Malibu coastline.

'Like a bomb had detonated': Sunset Boulevard 'in ruins'

The iconic Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles has been left "in ruins" by the Palisades fire, according to eyewitness reports.

The major thoroughfare in the cities of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood looked as though a "bomb had detonated" in the area, according to reports by the Los Angeles Times. 

Reporters from the outlet had a look around as some of the flames retreated, and noted charred buildings, hollowed out banks and "the metal skeletons of the ATMs out front left twisted by the intense heat".

A video taken by our NBC News colleague Katherine Picazo yesterday showed a bulldozer moving abandoned cars in an apocalyptic scene...

The celebrities evacuated after Malibu fire less than a month ago

The fires come less than a month after celebrities and thousands of others were evacuated from the path of a fast-moving wildfire that swept through neighbouring Malibu.

Among those forced to leave their homes were singer Cher, British actress Jane Seymour, and actor Dick van Dyke, who turned 99 a few days later, and his wife Arlene.

Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang star Van Dyke wrote on Facebook: "Arlene and I have safely evacuated with our animals except for Bobo escaped as we were leaving.

"We're praying he'll be ok and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires."

Happily, Bobo the cat was found when they returned to the property.

-SKY NEWS