As multiple deadly wildfires fanned by Santa Ana winds scorched the Los Angeles area, destroying hundreds of homes and forcing the evacuation of nearly 180,000, area restaurants stepped up to provide food and refuge to firefighters, first responders and those forced to leave their homes.
Officials said at least 10 people were confirmed dead by Friday morning, but the death toll was expected to rise as flames spurred by 99-mph winds ravaged one of the nation’s most densely populated areas. Additionally, at least 2,000 structures were destroyed.
Hundreds of U.S. Forest Service personnel took to the fire lines as FEMA helped coordinate the federal response amid a federal disaster declaration.
“This is a highly dangerous windstorm that’s creating extreme fire risk – and we’re not out of the woods,” Gov. Gavin Newsom warned in declaring a state of emergency.
Numerous restaurants announced they would be closed while others offered food, discounts and shelter to those affected by the fires, Restaurant Business reported.
World Central Kitchen said it was distributing free hot meals in response to the wildfires to both first responders and evacuation sites, including the Pasadena Convention Center and Rose Bowl Stadium.
Door Dash also jumped in, providing $150,000 in credits to first responders and front-line organizations and offering $10,000 grants to local restaurants.
“We are heartbroken for the people of the Los Angeles area who have been so deeply impacted by the devastating and horrific fires,” the company said, noting it had been forced to suspend operations in the Palisades and Eaton fire areas.
“We have continued to adjust our operations as the situation evolves, and we will continue to follow local guidance and monitor conditions closely,” the statement added.
The two biggest fires – Palisades and Eaton – were 0% contained, the official state website showed Thursday evening while two much smaller blazes, the Hurst fire and the Lidia fire, were 10% and 60% contained, respectively. Late Thursday, another fire started near the Calabasas neighborhood with many small brush fires popping up throughout the area.
Palisades, which ignited Tuesday morning and is considered the most devastating ever to hit the area, has consumed more than 17,000 acres along the Pacific Coast Highway between Malibu and Santa Monica while the Eaton fire, which began Tuesday evening, has devastated more than 10,000 acres, forcing evacuations for parts of Altadena, Pasadena, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Glendale and all of La Cañada Flintridge.
The Los Angeles Fire Department set up a large animal evacuation site in Burbank to save livestock, RFD-TV reported. The Los Angeles Equestrian Center also offered its facilities.
In all, at least 45 square miles were affected in an area not known for wildfires. A 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew went into effect Thursday to prevent looting.
“It’s been a brutal 22 hours,” Pasadena City Manager Miguel Márquez told the LAist.
Note: The image above is a stock image; it is not directly related to the recent LA wildfires.
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