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Thousands Remain Evacuated As Wildfires Scorch LA County

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TOPSHOT - A home is engulfed in flames during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles County, California on January 8, 2025.  (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Here are the morning’s top stories on Thursday, January 9, 2025…

  • More fires have sparked in Los Angeles as fire crews work tirelessly through the day and night to contain them. Tens of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes. Thousands of homes and structures have been destroyed in the fires.
  • Thousands of Los Angeles County residents at risk of losing their homes to fires are on the state’s insurance plan of last resort. That’s according to reporting from our California Newsroom partner, CalMatters.

Thousands Of Residents Remain Under Evacuation Orders In LA County

Nearly 180,000 residents across Los Angeles County have been evacuated and an estimated 2,000 structures lost as destructive fires continue to burn in Southern California.

We still do not have a clear understanding of how many homes have been destroyed. We know that many beloved local businesses have burned down. We know the death toll, now at five in the Eaton Fire, could continue to rise.

At a news conference Thursday, L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley put the fires in context: “It is safe to say that the Palisades Fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles.”

LA Fires Threaten California Insurance Market Stability

The Los Angeles County firestorm continues to rage, taking at least five lives, causing injuries and destroying thousands of buildings. Many homes in some of the most affected areas are covered by the California FAIR plan, the state’s insurer of last resort. The fires could further destabilize an already rickety insurance market.

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According to reporting from CalMatters, more and more LA-area residents have been forced onto the FAIR plan in recent years. Policies in the Pacific Palisades alone spiked by more than 80% between 2023 and 2024. In an emailed statement to CalMatters, FAIR Plan officials wrote that the plan has the ability to pay out claims, though they said, “It is too early to provide loss estimates as claims are just beginning to be submitted and processed.”

The timing of the disaster threatens to undermine the fledgling progress state officials have made in attracting insurance companies back to the California market. In the past year, officials have overhauled insurance regulations, working to increase coverage availability to consumers in high-risk areas while responding to long-standing industry requests.

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