2025 is off to a burning start across the state. The Los Angeles wildfires, back in January, are now projected to be one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. In an I-Team exclusive, CAL FIRE under pressure. News Channel 3’s Karen Devine watched as wildland-trained firefighters went through grueling exercises, being tested to
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ALTADENA, Calif. (KESQ) – A transmission tower suspected of starting the Eaton Fire in January has been removed by Southern California Edison and the parts are being moved to a warehouse today to be tested in a lab. Â Â A helicopter lifted a part of a transmission tower out of Eaton Canyon on Wednesday, footage
Continue Reading LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – Some Southern California Edison power lines near the suspected origin of the Eaton Fire were flagged as fire hazards and overdue for maintenance, raising questions about the utility’s role in the catastrophic Jan. 7 blaze, according to company records cited today by the Los Angeles Times. As investigations continue and lawsuits
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PASADENA, Calif. (KESQ) – Los Angeles County and the city of Pasadena both filed lawsuits today against Southern California Edison alleging the utility’s equipment sparked the deadly Eaton Fire that scorched more than 14,000 acres and destroyed thousands of structures. “The county’s complaint against SCE alleges that witnesses, photos, and videos indicate the fire started
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LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KESQ) – In a contentious and emotional hearing, the Los Angeles City Council today denied former Fire Chief Kristin Crowley’s appeal of her firing by Mayor Karen Bass over what Bass characterized as leadership failures related to January’s deadly Palisades fire. The council voted 13-2 to sustain Crowley’s termination after she gave
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LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KESQ) – Kristin Crowley, who was fired by Mayor Karen Bass as chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department last week, notified the city today she is appealing her termination to the Los Angeles City Council. Â Â Crowley announced the decision in an email sent to City Council members Thursday afternoon. In
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LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KESQ) – Last month’s Palisades and Eaton wildfires caused between $28 billion and $53.8 billion in property damage, with business disruptions projected to result in economic losses of up to $8.9 billion in Los Angeles County alone over the next five years, according to a study published today. LAEDC-2025-LA-Wildfires-StudyDownload The report commissioned
Continue Reading LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KESQ) – Â Mayor Karen Bass fired Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley today — citing what the mayor called failures in leadership ahead of the January windstorm that led to the deadly Palisades Fire, as well as what Bass said was Crowley’s refusal to prepare an after-action report on the firefight.
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LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KESQ) – A Culver City man pleaded guilty today to recklessly operating a drone that crashed into and damaged a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft battling the Palisades Fire last month. Peter Tripp Akemann, 56, entered his plea to a federal class-A misdemeanor count of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, according to
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Musicians for CA Wildfire Relief, a benefit concert in support of those impacted by last month’s wildfires in Los Angeles County, is scheduled to be held Tuesday at the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa. The concert begins at 5 p.m., and will include performances by The Barry Baughn Blues Band, Lisa Lynn and
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It’s a day News Channel 3 anchor Karen Devine said she won’t soon forget. Karen traveled to Altadena to meet up with a friend who lost her home in the Eaton Fire. A friend who made a last-minute decision that saved her life. “I’ll be safer if I stay, I’ll be safer if I stay,
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SYLMAR, Calif. (CNS) – Southern California Edison officials conceded in a regulatory filing today that it’s equipment may be associated with the ignition of the Hurst Fire, which burned nearly 800 acres in the Sylmar area during the height of the January Southland firestorm. The Hurst Fire, which erupted Jan. 7 and was fully contained
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Is your home prepared for an emergency? News Channel 3’s Shay Lawson is looking out for you and met with Cathedral City Fire Chief Michael Contreras. He shared what you need to do to protect your family. Outside “First of all, we look at vegetation. Is the vegetation neatly kept?” Contreras said. “If this bush
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CAL FIRE personnel are using artificial intelligence to detect wildfires. The technology has been developed using the University of California, San Diego’s Alert California wildfire cameras. It has been deployed across all 21 CAL FIRE dispatch centers across the state, including here in Southern California. Here’s how it works: Artificial intelligence, which has been trained
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Right now, some serious arson offenses can be charged as misdemeanors allowing offenders to avoid serious consequences. In light of the LA wildfires, local State Assemblymember Greg Wallis (R) wants to ensure that all arson offenses are treated as felonies. Wallis has just introduced a bill that aims to reclassify all arson offenses as felonies,
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As Los Angeles recovers from the devastating January fires, a city official today encouraged visitors to come to the city, saying tourism can be a “lifeline” for local businesses and workers. Adam Burke, board president and CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention, noted more than 540,000 residents work in the tourism industry, and
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PASADENA, Calif. (CNS) – Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, today honored Altadena resident Edgar McGregor with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition for his “quiet but dogged heroism” during the night the Eaton Fire erupted. Â Â McGregor, a climate scientist, saw flames just blocks away from his home on Jan. 7. While evacuating his family, he also
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1/31/25 – Palisades fire, Eaton fire, Hughes fire, Border 2 fire are 100% contained. 1/28/25 8:25 a.m. – The Border 2 Fire is now 74% contained 8:00 a.m. – California fire victims could recover damages from oil companies under proposed law. It would create a new pathway for victims of wildfires and insurance companies to
Continue Reading A Culver City man has agreed to plead guilty to recklessly operating a drone that crashed into and damaged a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft battling the Palisades Fire earlier this month, federal authorities announced today. Â Â Peter Tripp Akemann, 56, agreed to enter a plea on a date to be determined to a federal misdemeanor
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