Cal Fire said Saturday night that four fires are actively burning in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
They include the Palisades Fire, at 23,654 acres and 11% containment; the Eaton Fire, 14,117 acres, 15% containment; the Kenneth Fire, 1,052 acres, 90% containment; and the Hurst fire, 799 acres, 76% containment.
Combined, the fires have burned thousands of homes, killed an estimated 16 people and led to the evacuations of nearly 200,000 residents.
With Southern California firefighting resources stretched to the maximum, the call has gone out across the state, the nation and to neighboring countries for assistance.
Cal Fire reported that it is receiving assistance from several states — Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington — and from Canada and Mexico.
Lake County Fire Protection District Chief Willie Sapeta responded to assist on Thursday. At 4:30 a.m. that morning he was assigned to the Eaton fire, according to a fire district Facebook post.
Chief Sapeta, a fire service veteran who has fought Lake County’s most devastating wildland fires, is working in the Altadena community as a strike team leader, Lake County Fire reported.
“Immediately upon arriving he reported an immense amount of support from the LA community to all first responders,” the district said in its Facebook post, which was accompanied by a picture of Sapeta and a restaurant staffer who delivered breakfast burritos to the firefighters to thank them for their service.
On Saturday morning, more Lake County firefighters headed south.

The Lakeport Volunteer Firefighter's Association said four Lakeport Fire firefighters set out on at 8:30 a.m. as part of a strike team with engines from Kelseyville, along with personnel from Monterey, Solano and Humboldt counties, on a 10-hour journey to the fires in Southern California.
The association noted, “When staffing allows we take the opportunity to help our brothers and sisters in need.”
On Saturday evening, the Governor’s Office said California's historic deployment of resources to Southern California is being augmented with even more support in anticipation of another round of severe fire weather expected starting Monday through Wednesday.
“The assets will join the ongoing firefight and preposition at strategic locations throughout Southern California to be ready for any new fire starts,” the Governor’s Office reported.
The Governor’s Office said the additional resources being sent to the fires brought the total on Saturday to more than 14,000 personnel, including firefighters, guard service members, highway patrol officers and transportation teams to support the ongoing firefight.
The personnel include 1,680 California National Guard servicemembers after Gov. Gavin Newsom doubled the number of deployed earlier on Saturday.
In addition, these response efforts include more than 1,700 pieces of firefighting apparatus that are in place or on the way, including 1,350 engines, 80 aircraft, 150 dozers and 160 water tenders to aid in putting out the fires, the Governor’s Office reported.
“Even as we pivot to recovery for the thousands of Californians impacted by the devastating Los Angeles hurricane-force firestorms, we’re ready for another round of severe fire weather. Hour by hour, we are surging more people and more firefighting equipment to Southern California. Californians should stay informed and stay ready,” Newsom said.
Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency on Tuesday and has issued two executive orders to support communities affected by the ongoing fires.
On Wednesday, President Biden quickly approved Gov. Newsom’s request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to support ongoing response efforts.
The state also received continued federal assistance to combat the Hurst, Eaton and Palisades fires.
Cal Fire said 2025 is starting out as a particularly challenging year for fire.
For the first 11 days of this year, there have been 101 wildland fires that have burned 40,198 acres statewide in Cal Fire’s jurisdiction.
For comparison, during the first 11 days of 2024 there were 39 fires that had burned two acres. The five-year average for that start-of-year timeframe shows 46 fires and 13 acres.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.