Areas under evacuation orders due to the Palisades and Eaton fires could be under a 12-hour curfew starting as early as 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9.
At a news conference earlier in the day, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna announced the potential curfew as part of an effort to combat looting and crime in the burned areas. The curfew would be in effect until 6 a.m. Friday, Jan. 10, according to officials.
An announcement confirming the curfew is expected later Thursday evening.
As of Thursday afternoon, the Sheriff’s Department has made 20 arrests related to looting in burn areas, according to a news release from LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office.
The Sheriff’s Department and local law enforcement have been working to protect residents’ property, the release states, and 400 members of the California National Guard are expected to be deployed as early as this evening to assist with traffic control and infrastructure protection.
Police departments in Azusa, Arcadia, Los Angeles and Santa Monica have expressed requests for the county to access National Guard support, according to Barger’s office.
“We just activated hundreds of additional California National Guard members to help battle blazes and keep our Southern California communities safe,” Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in a Thursday Jan. 9 post on “X,” formerly known as Twitter.
By midday Thursday, the Eaton fire had grown to over 13,000 acres with no containment. The Palisades fire had reached over 17,000 acres by Thursday afternoon.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.