New wildfire erupts in West Hills, California, expands to 500 acres; Blaze encroaches on Mountain Wilson

LOS ANGELES — At least five people are believed to be dead — with the Los Angeles County sheriff saying he expects that number to rise — as a series of devastating fires grow uncontained across Southern California amid dry and windy conditions, leaving officials scrambling to contain the historic destruction.

The sheriff’s office made a correction Thursday evening, noting that three people have died in the Eaton Fire and two people in the Palisades Fire. It was previously reported that all five were in the Eaton Fire.

A new fire that erupted Thursday, the Kenneth Fire in West Hills, has grown to nearly 1,000 acres since igniting in the early afternoon.

Officials say a person has been detained for questioning in connection with this new blaze that has prompted evacuations.

Police responded just after 4:30 p.m. after a caller reported a possible arson suspect, according to Los Angeles police.

No arrest has been confirmed and an arson investigation is underway.

At an early evening news conference, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said they expect the Kenneth Fire to rapidly spread due to high winds, “This is a reminder that this is a very dynamic situation that can change quickly.

The Kenneth Fire was first reported 2:40 pm near the Victory Trailhead at the border of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, Ventura County Fire said.

“Please act swiftly, move quickly, evacuate now,” LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said.

A number of fires are still burning throughout the LA area, including the massive Pacific Palisades and Eaton Fires, which have torn through thousands of acres, destroying buildings and leading to at least five deaths.

Amid the new fire outbreak, an emergency alert about an evacuation warning was sent out to cellphones across Los Angeles County, but the alert was sent in error.

Santa Monica city officials have just issued a statement saying there is no change to evacuation orders and warnings in that city, despite the alert.

“I have been informed the evacuation warning that many of us received on our phones was mistakenly issued countywide due to a technical error,” L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn tweeted.

Rep. Adam Schiff shared a sobering message with residents of Los Angeles County during a Thursday press briefing: “If you’re told to evacuate, then get the hell out.”

“You might think you can outrun a fire. You are not going to outrun these fires. You’re just not the way they are moving, the unpredictability of how they’re moving, the swiftness with how they’re moving, you are not going to outrun these fires,” the Democratic representative said.

Adding to the stern warning, Schiff said, “If you stay, you’re going to die in them, and it’s not worth it. So if you’re told to evacuate, get the hell out. Save yourselves. You can rebuild, because we are going to rebuild.”

Newly released numbers show the devastating Palisades Fire has burned over 19,000 acres with 6% containment. An estimated 5,316 structures have been burned or destroyed, and that does not include structures that have been damaged.

The Palisades Fire is larger than all of Manhattan (14,600 acres) and more than five times bigger than Downtown Los Angeles (3,700 acres).

The Eaton Fire, which has left three people dead in the Pasadena and Altadena areas, is now burning near the famed Mount Wilson Observatory and communication towers in the Angeles National Forest.

ABC7 Los Angeles’ AIR7 chopper was over the fire Thursday morning. A large plume of smoke over the area made it difficult to assess whether the flames had destroyed Mountain Wilson.

If the fire compromises the site, which houses antennas and transmitters, that could affect your ability to watch the ABC7 Los Angeles Eyewitness News broadcast. You can watch continued streaming coverage on the ABC7 website or by downloading the ABC7 Los Angeles app.

During an afternoon news conference, President Joe Biden announced that the federal government will cover 100% of the disaster response to the Los Angeles wildfires for 180 days, up from the 75% to 90% that is typically covered.

Biden said the increase comes following a request by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“It’s going to pay for things like debris and hazard material removal, temporary shelters, first responders, salaries and all necessary measures to protect life and property and folks,” Biden said during a briefing.

The president vowed to help those impacted by the devastating wildfires.

“You’re living through a nightmare, I know,” he said. “I promise you, we’re going to help you get through this, and eventually recover and rebuild.”

MORE: Before, during and after photos show scenes of destruction from CA wildfires

Thousands of structures are destroyed or damaged after several fires broke out across Southern California amid historically dry and windy conditions.

“At one point, we’ll be able to do a more thorough search of these impacted areas, some of them look like a bomb was dropped in them, where we will be able to bring in canines and other things to help us,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, who added he is not able to confidently give an update on additional fatalities at this time. “Unfortunately, based on the preliminary information I’ve seen, at least in the two large fires that we’re dealing with on each side of the county, unfortunately, I think the death toll will rise.”

More than 7,500 firefighters have been deployed to battle at least six major wildfires dotted around the Los Angeles area, along with several smaller blazes.

The wildfire emergency in southern California shows no signs of slowing as crews battled new wildfires overnight on Wednesday, including one in the Hollywood Hills, which is not far from landmarks like the Dolby Theater and “Hollywood Walk Of Fame.”

All evacuation orders in the Hollywood Hills area have been lifted, fire officials said Thursday morning.

Nearly 400,000 homes and businesses have lost power and more than 100,000 people were under evacuation orders across Southern California.

CA FIRES: Here’s how to help the victims

Another round of Santa Ana winds is forecast to sweep into Los Angeles on Thursday night into Friday morning, putting most of the region under a critical fire risk, as emergency responders battle to contain five quickly spreading wildfires.

Red flag and high wind warnings have been issued through Friday afternoon for wind gusts 40 to 60 mph, with 70 mph possible in the mountains.

Relative humidity could drop to as low as 5% for Southern California.

Because of the dry and windy conditions anticipated, a critical fire risk has been issued for much of the area for the next 24 hours.

Mayor Karen Bass deflected when asked about the city’s preparation for the fires and her decision to travel to Ghana for its president’s inauguration while serious warnings were in place for wildfires.

Bass said that should not be the focus at the moment.

“We have to protect lives, we have to save lives and we have to save homes. Rest assured, when that is done, we will absolutely do an evaluation to look at what worked, what didn’t work,” Bass told reporters Thursday.

“My focus right now is on the lives and on the homes,” Bass said.

Bass was also asked about a reduction in budget for fire, to which she highlighted the serious budget deficit and said the numbers cited could be misleading because some funding could initially be held back. She said she did not believe reduced funding had any detrimental effect on fighting these wildfires.

“I’m not here to talk about our budget,” Bass added.

Across Los Angeles, it’s too early to know the true scale of the damage as video and photos show unimaginable scenes.

The fire in Pacific Palisades is now the most destructive in Los Angeles history, leveling entire blocks and reducing grocery stores and banks to rubble.

The flames tore through highly populated and affluent neighborhoods, where mansions were reduced to flaming embers.

Video recorded from sister station ABC7 Los Angeles’ AIR7 chopper on Thursday morning showed the widespread destruction in Pacific Palisades after a wildfire that has grown to more than 17,000 acres ripped through the area.

“It’s hard to describe the destruction down here,” ABC7 helicopter reporter Scott Reiff said. “It’s just so devastating. I didn’t think this was going to happen. We came up over the hill, the smoke cleared, and what we’re seeing down here is destruction on a scale that we’ve never seen anything close to this.

“Not the ’92 earthquake, nothing like this,” Reiff said

Flare-ups overnight Wednesday illuminated the Santa Monica Mountains above Pacific Palisades.

The toll from the fires is still being calculated. At a Thursday morning news conference, L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said the Palisades Fire along the coast burned thousands of structures. “It is safe to say that the Palisades fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles,” she said.

A map shows the multiple wildfires raging across Los Angeles County, which are being fueled by dry conditions and a rare wind event, with gusts up to 100 miles per hour.

The Eaton Fire exploded to more than 10,000 acres in just 24 hours, with the flames marching down the mountains into densely packed communities, killing at least three people.

The power, transportation and sewer systems have been “significantly damaged” in the fires, Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella said during the briefing, as they focus on utility restoration.

There is also a “tremendous amount of debris” that needs to be cleared, he said, warning that some debris may be hazardous and toxic.

Maxar satellite before and after images capture the destruction from the blazes.

The city of Pasadena has issued an unsafe water alert, warning people not to drink tap water.

He said the reservoirs are full and “continue to be ready and at the disposal of our firefighting friends,” though the municipal water system “continues to suffer poor water quality” due to the ash and debris.

“I would just say, with all caution, anyone who’s remained behind, if there is any residence in your area that is burned to the ground and you are still there, you should just go ahead and boil water,” he said.

Residents are being asked not to drink tap water and to drink bottled water only.

“Bottled water should be used for all drinking (including baby formula and juice), brushing teeth, washing dishes, making ice, and food preparation until further notice,” the city’s alert said. “This also applies to pets and domestic animals.”

The city is also urging people not to try to treat the water themselves.

Officials said boiling, freezing, filtering, adding chlorine or other disinfectants, or letting water stand will not make the water safe.

MORE: Billy Crystal, Paris Hilton and other celebs lose homes in LA fires

The California National Guard activated more than 600 service members in what’s being called a “massive response.”

Military police are helping law enforcement and firefighters.

Events across the Southern California region have been canceled or rescheduled.

Monday’s Vikings-Rams wild card game, which had been set to be played in Los Angeles County’s SoFi Stadium, has been moved to Arizona “in the interest of public safety,” the NFL announced Thursday.

“The decision was made in consultation with public officials, the participating clubs and the NFLPA,” the NFL said.

The game will be played at State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals.

The NBA is postponing Lakers-Hornets game Thursday at Crypto Arena due to raging wildfires across the Los Angeles area, sources tell ESPN.

The full scope of the damage may be unknown for days.

Take a look at the latest stories and videos about the deadly California wildfires here.

ABC7 Los Angeles contributed to this report.