1,800 California National Guardsmen activated for LA fire response

Nearly 2,000 California National Guardsmen have been activated to help battle deadly wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people in the Los Angeles area, Pentagon officials said Monday.

One thousand eight hundred California Guardsmen will support response efforts, including firefighting crews, aircraft and military police that are working in support of local law enforcement, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a Monday briefing.

Eight C-130s equipped with Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems, which can drop 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant, were stationed nearby at Channel Islands Air National Guard Station to assist in fire-fighting efforts.

The planes dropped 16,000 gallons of fire suppressant over the weekend to contain the fires, according to Ryder.

Ten Navy helicopters with water delivery capabilities and 500 active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton, California, are on standby to assist if requested by lead response agencies, Ryder said.

Over the last week, multiple wildfires have burned tens of thousands of acres across the Los Angeles area, killing at least 24 people and destroying thousands of homes and businesses.

California Governor Gavin Newsom increased the number of activated California National Guardsmen by 1,000 over the weekend, with deployed service members including military police forces and other Guardsmen supporting firefighting training, according to a release.

“The men and women of the California National Guard have been on the ground since day one — not only fighting fires, but also assisting with public safety efforts in communities devastated by these fires,” Newsom said. “We thank them for their efforts to keep our communities safe.”

As of 2 p.m. local time, the Palisades fire, the largest of the blazes, was 14% contained, having destroyed 1,280 structures, ravaged 23,713 acres and killed at least eight people, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

A status report provided by the same department also shows that the Eaton fire, which decimated the Altadena hillside community, is 33% contained as of late Monday afternoon. It has burnt 14,117 acres, destroyed 1,902 structures and killed at least 11 people.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning through Wednesday as Santa Ana winds were expected to pick up again and potentially reach between 45 and 70 miles per hour, threatening to worsen the blazes.

The weather agency warned of extreme fire danger in an a post on social media platform X on Monday, citing a “high risk for rapid fire growth if a fire starts,” before issuing an even stronger warning within the hour.

“PDS Red Flag Warnings are for the extreme of the extreme fire weather scenarios,” the post said. “In other words, this setup is about as bad as it gets. Stay aware of your surroundings. Be prepared to evacuate. Avoid anything that can spark a fire.”

About 92,000 people remain under evacuation orders, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said during a press conference Monday morning.