National Guard deployed to assist efforts to fight Los Angeles fires

WASHINGTON

Nearly 400 members of California’s National Guard are being deployed to assist efforts to fight wildfires that have devastated many parts of Los Angeles, the county’s sheriff said Thursday.

"We have had approximately 400 National Guard members throughout the state ready to support us, and as I just stated, they will be coming in," Robert Luna told reporters during a press briefing.

“We expect that they may be on site as soon as tonight,” he said, adding they will be assisting local officials with traffic control and critical infrastructure.

"They will be staged throughout the Los Angeles region, and our emergency operations bureau is currently working on specific missions, both in the area of Pasadena, the City of Santa Monica," he said.

Luna said that local authorities will also implement a curfew within the specific impacted areas in around the two fire areas, both for Palisades and Eaton, as early as Friday, between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time.

Speaking at the briefing, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said the Eaton Fire has grown to 13,690 acres and is 0% contained.

"We now have a confirmation that we have a potential for over 4,000 to 5,000 structures damaged or destroyed in the fire," he said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to Marrone.

He also said a firefighter sustained a significant injury in a fall, adding he is resting comfortably in an area hospital in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery.