Page 4 - Los Angeles

Explained: Sean Diddy's trafficking case and celebrities named during trial

Rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs' trial on charges of sex trafficking has grabbed attention, not only for the disturbing allegations, but also for the names of A-listers named during proceedings

1 killed, 32 injured in collision of bus, SUV on Los Angeles area freeway

One person was killed and 32 people were injured, including two critically, when a tour bus and a sport utility vehicle collided on a Los Angeles area freeway early Sunday, officials said. The lone occupant of the SUV died after the vehicle became engulfed in flames following the crash just after 5 am in the Hacienda Heights area, about 20 miles (32 km) east of downtown LA, the California Highway Patrol said in a news release. CHP Officer Zachary Salazar said 32 people were taken to hospitals, including the two in critical condition. He said the remaining people transported had injuries ranging from moderate to minor. A passenger on the bus, Joe Runnel, told KTLA-TV that people were begging for mercy in the moments after the crash that closed two lanes of State Route 60 for several hours. I was thrown from the back seat of the bus to the floor about three or four seats down, Runnel said. Glass was on me there was a lot of hollering. The preliminary investigation suggests that the

LA firefighters union leaders suspended over alleged misuse of funds

Top officials at the Los Angeles firefighters labour union were suspended Monday after an audit conducted by its parent organisation found over $800,000 in credit card spending, some of it by the union's president, could not be accounted for. The International Association of Fire Fighters, which oversees firefighter unions across the country, wrote in a letter to the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City that it would be placing the union under a conservatorship to properly manage its finances. The union represents more than 3,600 members of the Los Angeles Fire Department, according to its LinkedIn. According to the letter from IAFF President Edward Kelly, the organisation voted to suspend union President Freddy Escobar and two other officials who made thousands of credit card transactions with no receipts or other documentation justifying them. Escobar posted a statement on his Instagram account denying the allegations. I'm going to defend myself because I have nothing to hide

Ex-LA fire chief fails to get job back after ouster over deadly wildfire

The former Los Angeles fire chief who was ousted by Mayor Karen Bass after the most destructive wildfire in city history failed to win back her job Tuesday, falling short with her argument that her dismissal was based on false accusations about her conduct and decision-making. Former Chief Kristen Crowley appealed to the City Council to reverse Bass' decision, which followed finger-pointing between Crowley and City Hall over the wildfire devastation and the fire department's funding. The council voted 13-2 to shelve the proposal in what amounted to a show of support for Bass, a first-term Democrat who has been criticized for being in Africa as part of a presidential delegation on the day the fires started, even though weather reports had warned of dangerous wind and wildfire conditions in the days before she left. The rift between the mayor and the chief created a sensitive political situation for Bass who has been trying to show a unified front as the city confronts the massive job

Oscars 2025: 'Anora' stuns with five wins, Adrien Brody wins best actor

Oscars 2025: 'Anora' sweeps with five wins, Sean Baker makes history, Mikey Madison stuns with Best Actress win; Conan O'Brien's Hindi greeting takes the internet by storm

Equipment may have started blaze that erupted during LA firestorm: Utility

A California utility said Thursday that its equipment may have sparked a small wildfire in Los Angeles that broke out the same day as two massive blazes in the area that killed at least 29 people and destroyed thousands of homes. Southern California Edison said the Los Angeles Fire Department is investigating the cause of the Hurst Fire and believes the utility's equipment caused the blaze, which did not destroy any structures or cause any deaths. In a required filing with state utility regulators, SCE said absent additional evidence, SCE believes its equipment may be associated with ignition of the Hurst Fire. In a second filing, the utility said it is looking into whether an idle transmission line became energised and possibly sparked the deadly Eaton Fire, which also sparked January 7 devastated Altadena. But it still maintains there's no evidence that its equipment was responsible for starting that blaze. The utility acknowledged last month that fire agencies are investigating

Universal Studios gives first responders of LA fire free theme park tickets

As per The Hollywood Reporter, the offer is valid until April 10, and a 50 per cent discount on up to three one-day general admission tickets for any guest

Rain falling in South California helps firefighters, creates risk of ash

After weeks of windy and dry weather, rain has fallen in parched Southern California and is expected to aid firefighters who are mopping up multiple wildfires. But potentially heavy downpours on charred hillsides could bring new troubles such as toxic ash runoff. Los Angeles County crews spent much of the past week removing vegetation, shoring up slopes and reinforcing roads in devastated areas of the Palisades and Eaton fires, which reduced entire neighbourhoods to rubble and ash after breaking out during powerful winds Jan. 7. Most of the region was forecast to get around an inch (about 2.5 centimeters) of precipitation over several days, but the threat is high enough to prepare for the worst-case scenario of localized cloudbursts causing mud and debris to flow down hills, the National Weather Service said on social media. So the problem would be if one of those showers happens to park itself over a burn area, weather service meteorologist Carol Smith said. That could be enough to

Firefighters battling to tame raging wildfire north of Los Angeles

Firefighters fought to maintain the upper hand on a huge and rapidly moving wildfire that swept through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles and resulted in more than 50,000 people being put under evacuation orders or warnings. The Hughes Fire broke out late Wednesday morning and in less than a day had charred nearly 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) of trees and brush near Lake Castaic, a popular recreation area about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that are burning for a third week. Though the region was under a red flag warning for critical fire risk, winds were not as fast as they had been when those fires broke out, allowing for firefighting aircraft to dump tens of thousands of gallons of fire retardant on the latest blaze. By Wednesday night, about 14% of the Hughes Fire had been contained. The situation that we're in today is very different from the situation we were in 16 days ago, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone .

YouTube, Google donate $15 million for Los Angeles wildfire relief

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, assured everyone in Los Angeles of his support

Southern California faces new wildfire warnings as winds regain strength

Weary and anxious from a week of massive blazes burning around Los Angeles, Southern California residents faced dire new wildfire warnings and power shutoffs Tuesday while they prepared to flee at a moment's notice as fire-fuelling winds blasted across the scarred landscape. The winds, predicted to reach near hurricane-force in some areas, were expected to peak Tuesday morning before easing and then regaining strength later in the day. A beefed-up firefighting force was in place to attack flareups or new blazes. A week after the first fires began, the flames have destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people. Life threatening and destructive and widespread winds are already here, LA city Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told a news conference. Residents gathered up their pets and family photos in case they had to make a hasty escape. In other developments, nine people were charged with looting, including a group that stole an Emmy award from a house that had been evacuated,

Hollywood's filmmaking continues despite massive LA wildfires: Report

Disney's movie assembly lines - like the rest of Hollywood's - have been almost completely unaffected

Here's how this $9 million mansion survived California's brutal wildfires

Amid California's Malibu wildfires, a $9-million mansion survived untouched. Its owner, a retired waste executive, calls it a 'miracle'

Los Angeles wildfires: Blaze claims 25 lives amid fierce Santa Ana winds

LA wildfires: New evidence suggests that the Palisades Fire, one of Los Angeles' most destructive blazes which started on January 7, may have reignited from a New Year's Eve fire in the same area

Lawsuit claims utility's equipment sparked Eaton Fire, probe underway

A lawsuit filed on Monday against Southern California Edison claims the utility's equipment sparked the deadly Eaton Fire burning just outside Los Angeles and Edison has acknowledged fire agencies are investigating whether its equipment may have started a smaller LA-area fire that broke out the same day. Authorities still haven't determined an official cause for any of the fires, which began last Tuesday amid hurricane-force winds and have killed at least 24 people in and around Los Angeles. A team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is taking the lead on the investigations and whether there is a connection between any of them. Firefighters are still battling to contain the Eaton Fire that broke out near Pasadena, destroying at least 7,000 homes and other structures and laying waste to entire neighbourhoods. Attorneys representing a homeowner who lost their home said that it is their belief that Edison's equipment caused it. Video taken during the fire's earl

Here's what to know about pink flame retardants being used to slow LA fires

Aircraft battling fires raging through the Los Angeles area are dropping more than water -- hundreds of thousands of gallons of hot-pink fire suppressant ahead of the flames in a desperate effort to stop them before they destroy more neighbourhoods. The fires have killed at least 24 people, displaced thousands and destroyed more than 12,000 structures since they began last Tuesday. Four fires driven by strong Santa Ana winds have charred about 160 square kilometres, according to Cal Fire. Fire agencies say the suppressants -- most often used to fight forest fires -- are an invaluable tool. But what is in them and are they safe? Why they are being used in Los Angeles The fires are burning quickly through canyons and other rugged areas that are difficult for firefighters on the ground to reach, Cal Fire said. While fire suppressants can be very effective, they do have limitations, the agency said, "Strong winds can make it too dangerous to fly at the low altitudes needed for drops a

Los Angeles area in extreme fire danger as crews battle enduring blazes

More powerful winds were expected to trigger new wildfires that could set back the recent progress made in containing blazes in the Los Angeles area that have destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people. Much of Los Angeles area to remain under an extreme fire danger warning through Wednesday A large portion of southwest California spanning eight counties around Los Angeles is under a red flag warning for extreme fire danger through Wednesday. Certain areas of LA and Ventura counties, including valleys, foothills and mountains throughout the Santa Monica and Santa Susana ranges, were in what the National Weather Service calls a "particularly dangerous situation". The Palisades and Eaton fires are burning on the southern side of that area, and hurricane-force winds are forecast to return on Tuesday. The weather service urges residents to "stay aware of your surroundings. Be ready to evacuate. Avoid anything that can spark a fire". Interactive maps show locations of

Oscars push back nominations announcement amid California wildfires

The Oscar nominations are being pushed back almost a week from their original date amid the ongoing California wildfires. Nominations will now be announced on January 23, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Monday. We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a joint statement. The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship. With fires still active in the Los Angeles area, the film academy also extended the nominations voting period for its members through Friday. Originally, nominations were to be announced that morning. The organisation that puts on the Oscars has also made the decision to cancel its annual nominees luncheon, an untelevised event best known for the class photos it produces annually. The Scientific and Technical Awards, previou

US-India is one of the greatest relationships: US ambassador Eric Garcetti

Garcetti, who was visibly nostalgic, said that the relationship of the US with India was one of the greatest relationships they have ever known

LA wildfires: 24 deaths, fire tornado & 12,000 damaged structures. Updates

Los Angeles fires: While the exact cause of the fires is yet to be determined, early estimates suggest that economic damages and losses could range between $135 billion and $150 billion