LA cops rush to ‘burglary’ at Kamala Harris’ Brentwood home as fires spark looting chaos: Live updates

Two men were arrested near Vice President Kamala Harris’ Brentwood home on Saturday.

LAPD was called to the scene around 4:30 a.m. but were not on the property when they were detained.

Law enforcement sources told NBC Los Angeles, ‘they likely had no idea where they were.’

The two men were detained for breaking curfew, but released after police found no evidence they were committing a crime, reported KTLA.

In an angry TikTok, The Hills alum, 41, who lost his home in the Palisades fire, confronted Moore’s detractors head-on.

‘Let me tell you about Mandy Moore. Mandy Moore, when I was younger, shout-out Mandy Moore. She booked my hotel for me because she was such a nice friend.’

Photos have shown the remains of homes burned by the Palisades Fire, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, California.

A New York City influencer has sparked fierce debate over her ‘dystopian’ Los Angeles fire relief efforts – with some disapproving of her beauty product goodie bags and others rushing to her defense.

She wrote on Thursday: ‘Putting together bags of products to send to LA. If you guys have any stuff you can donate, DM @cocoschiffer.’

The photo showed pink bags filled with cosmetic supplies, which some viewers felt trivialized the devastation being caused by the ongoing flames.

Jeffery Ku and his wife Cheryll captured their 34-minute escape from the Eaton Fire blaze on their Ring doorbell camera.

Cheryll saw the flames at 6:19 p.m. and told her husband they needed to flee. Flames were rolling on the hillside above them, and the couple started to pack their belongings in the car.

‘Winds gusting, no electricity, we grabbed what we could. I took videos of the fire between trips to the car, and I never would have imagined how quickly the conditions could get worse,’ Ku said.

‘By the time we left, smoke had filled the air, making it hard to breathe, embers flying everywhere, and the sky was bright orange.’

At 6:45 p.m., Ku sprayed down their roof while ash and embers swirled around them.

‘I remember saying goodbye to our home as I backed out of our driveway for what I thought would be the last time I would ever see our home again. Grateful that our home still stands,’ he said.

An emotional Hall Jr spoke to CNN after his Pacific Palisades home burned to the ground in fires that have so far killed 16 people.

‘I thought I had more time,’ Hall told CNN. ‘I saw the fire charging down the hill and knew that I had to get out of there. I opened up the back of my SUV, I loaded a painting, one other object.

‘By the time I was going back in from that run, hot embers were raining down from the sky. I knew at that point that I just didn’t have much time. I could see the embers hitting the roofs of the houses around me and made that decision: it’s time to go.

‘The medals were in a closet in my bedroom, 70 feet away, and I didn’t have time to go get them. From the time that I saw the first plume of smoke at the top of the hill … I had about three minutes between then and when it came charging towards me.

‘It wasn’t easy to leave that behind. I worked a lifetime to achieve that and the memories remain but the souvenir is gone.’

Hall Jr represented the United States at three Olympic Games – in 1996, 2000, and 2004 – winning five gold, three silver and two bronze medals.

Ricki Lake has uncovered the moment psychic Tyler Henry predicted that her home would burn in a fire.

The 56-year-old former talk show host lost her Pacific Palisades home, like many other public figures, in this week’s raging Los Angeles wildfires.

On Thursday she revealed that her sprawling abode had been destroyed in the inferno, despite her best efforts to save it.

And on Saturday, she appeared on Instagram to share a highlight from an October 2024 episode of Live From The Other Side With Tyler Henry in which the medium warned of the destruction to come.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone advised the threat of fire remains high on Sunday.

‘These winds, combined with low relative humidities and low fuel moistures, will keep the fire threat in Los Angeles County very high,’ Marrone said.

‘I asked our county residents in wildfire-prone areas to understand that the necessary public safety power shut-offs are important for our collective safety in preventing the next wildfire natural disaster.’

The Kenneth Fire burned 1,052 acres across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties since it broke out on Thursday.

Fire officials said the blaze was 100 percent contained on Sunday after crews worked overnight to put it out.

The homes of Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton, Anthony Hopkins, Tina Knowles, John Goodman, Candy Spelling, Milo Ventimiglia, and Miles Teller are among those destroyed, while dozens of other stars face an anxious wait alongside their neighbors to learn if anything could be saved.

At least 29 people have been arrested in the fire zones, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said on Sunday.

Luna said 25 people were arrested in the Eaton Fire area and four in the Palisades.

‘When I was out in the Malibu area, I saw a gentleman that looked like a firefighter and asked him if he was okay because he was sitting down. I didn’t realize we had him in handcuffs,’ Luna said.

‘We were turning him over to LAPD because he was dressed like a fireman, and he was not. He just got caught burglarizing a home.’

President-elect Donald Trump blamed the fires ravaging Los Angeles on ‘incompetent’ officials in an early Sunday morning Truth Social post.

‘The fires are still raging in L.A. The incompetent pols have no idea how to put them out. Thousands of magnificent houses are gone, and many more will soon be lost,’ he said.

‘There is death all over the place. This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our Country. They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?’

Dennis Quaid was stopped for an interview while evacuating from the Los Angeles wildfires on Friday evening, and the internet is focused on the ‘overeager’ reporter talking to him.

In a now-viral news clip, the 70-year-old actor was interrupted by a reporter for NBC 4 Los Angeles and his cameraperson outside of his Brentwood home.

While he was trying to pack up his car, the reporter, Robert Kovacik, started asking him questions and Quaid answered them politely.

However, viewers of the news segment took to X, formerly Twitter, to slam the reporter for being ‘obnoxious’ as he ‘bothered’ Quaid.

John Carr, 65, ignored evacuation warnings to stay behind and save his inherited house his parents built in Palisades.

He leaped over fences, hurting a rib in the process, as the flames began to enter his rear garden and creep nearer to his home.

‘The house was built by my mother and father in 1960 and I lived here my whole life so there’s a lot of memories here. And I think I owed it to them as well to try my best to save it,’ the brave former pilot said.

‘Some things in life are worth fighting for, you know. If I were to lose this house, it would be very difficult to afford to build a new house, to pay the enormous property taxes they have here. What would I do?’

While now a resident of up-market enclave Montecito, it’s well known that Meghan Markle grew up in Los Angeles.

Meghan now lives some 90 miles away from the city, in the Montecito mansion she shares with her husband Prince Harry, 40, and their children Archie and Lilibet.

However, it seems her connection with LA remains strong, as over recent years, she has carried out a number of charitable activities in the city.

The Sussexes have rallied around victims by making donations to relief efforts through their Archewell Foundation and have opened their $29million Montecito mansion to loved ones who were forced to evacuate.

Kathryn Barger, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, blasted GoFundMe for charging hefty transaction fees on fire-related fundraisers on Saturday.

‘Let me go off-script for a minute,’ Barger said. ‘I was shocked to find out that to give $500, they were going to charge me $95.’

‘So, I’m going to be reaching out to the CEO of GoFundMe to find out if, at the very least, they can cut the cost in order to ensure that the money goes directly to the family.’

GoFundMe told Buisness Insider they charge 2.9 percent plus $0.30 for each transaction, which ‘helps us pay our payment processors and safely deliver funds.’

‘The comments made at the press conference were inaccurate,’ the spokesperson said.

‘GoFundMe is primarily powered by voluntary tips and relies on these completely optional contributions from donors to maintain our quality customer service, trust and safety protections, and world-class fundraising technology.’

While it’s still too early for an accurate tally of the financial toll, the losses so far likely make the wildfires the costliest ever in the U.S., according to various estimates, leaving behind devastation that will ripple far beyond California’s borders.

With tens of thousands of displaced LA residents who have lost all but the clothes they were wearing, plus a few select personal items, insurance companies will be on the hook for colossal payouts.

It will inevitably lead to a rise in insurance premiums for Americans across the country as companies work out how they can best pay out claims.

With losses surpassing a staggering $135 billion, according to a preliminary estimate by AccuWeather, the aftermath of this inferno is set to burden federal programs, strain insurance markets, and reshape the lives of Americans nationwide.

One person reacting to the interview on X picked up on the governor’s restless movements and said: ‘Who the hell is he dancing with?’

Another said: ‘Watching Gavin Newsome (sic) his body language and speech suggests he is overwhelmed.’

‘At the beginning of his interview, the first thing he does is start waving his fingers,’ a third pointed out.

‘His physical gestures are over the top and distracting,’ another watcher thought.

Hollywood’s elite are fleeing their homes as the Los Angeles wildfires rage on – with celebrities racing to find refuge in hotels costing thousands of pounds per night.

And actors Dennis Quaid and Sarah Michelle Gellar are among those seen arriving at the Hotel Bel-Air, built in 1922 and which charges up to $15,000 per night for a room.

The effects of the Los Angeles fire disaster will be long-lasting and thousands of people have lost everything or been displaced.

Help for those who have lost their homes to the huge infernos is coming from around the world while many were forced to flee and are still unclear on when they can return.

But charities and government-run relief efforts are overwhelmed by donations of items they don’t need or don’t have the resources to sift through.

Thieves are also preying on kind-hearted people with convincing scams that won’t send a dollar to anyone in need.

A man who served 30 years in the Army said the LA fires have turned the town into a warzone.

‘It was difficult, I mean it’s like Afghanistan type difficult,’ Jim Cragg told NBC News.

‘Everyone up here is doing a great job. I’ve been talking with LAPD, LA fire. They’re doing everything they can, but it’s a war zone.’

Cragg said he was able to save his home by placing a cheap lawn sprinkler on his roof.

‘After the last brush fire got close to us a couple years ago, I bought these cheap sprinklers, the ones that wave back and forth, and bought hoses,’ he said.

‘I had them ready, popped up on my roof, turned them on, sprayed down fire retardant on the side of my house and I left, got out with my family.’

Governor Gavin Newsom was slammed for his over-the-top body language in an interview he gave to NBC’s Meet The Press about his response to the raging wildfires in Los Angeles.

Newsom, wearing a black button down untucked with a pair of jeans, spoke with his hands all throughout the 18-minute-long conversation that took place in Altadena, a community that’s been ravaged by the Eaton Fire. He often clapped and made other big gesticulations as he answered questions.

Newsom also denied he was playing the blame game by opening an independent investigation into why the reservoirs were empty.

‘How could it be when we’re doing an independent investigation and we just want the adjudication of the facts? As I say, it’s not about finger pointing. It’s about answering the questions you and everybody want answered,’ he said.

The Duchess of Sussex ‘s Suit co-star Abigail Spencer has hailed Meghan’s support for Los Angeles fire victims as ‘excellent’.

Abigail, 43, who starred in Suits alongside Meghan Markle, also 43, and is due to appear in her upcoming Netflix series, With Love Meghan, took to social media to praise Archewell’s post supporting victims of the devastating LA fires.

Abigail shared the post to her Instagram, writing: ‘Excellent vetted resources for those looking to help’.

Palm trees can be seen in several photos still upright amid the burning wrecks of homes and cars.

One user, pointing to the destruction of homes and cars, that an apparent ‘heat attack’ had targeted the livelihoods of Californians.

These ‘attacks’ are, according to conspiracy theorists, designed to facilitate the eradication of national identities and form a one-world government.

But in reality, trees are often able to survive wildfires thanks to adaptations like thick bark and high moisture content that protect them from the heat.

Palm trees in particular are often safe from fires, as often fires occur at ground level – far from a tree’s canopy.

Celebrity realtor Oppenheim, 47, best known for his regular appearances on Netflix reality show Selling Sunset, has lashed out at local landlords for overlooking state laws that prohibit people taking advantage of a natural disaster.

Appearing remotely on BBC politics show Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, a visibly emotional Oppenheim said: ‘I think it should be exposed, but we’re having landlords taking advantage of the situation.

‘I had a client. We sent him to a house that was asking $13,000 a month. He offered $20,000 a month, and he offered to pay six months up front. And the landlord said: “No, I want $23,000 a month.”‘

He added: ‘There are price gouging laws in California. They’re just being ignored right now, and this isn’t the time to be taking advantage of situations, and it’s also illegal to take advantage of a natural disaster.

‘I researched the law last night. You cannot charge more than 10% pre-disaster market rates.’

Mountain lions, goats and donkeys in LA have been seen fleeing to safety from the blistering infernos as the city’s shelters fill up with lost pets.

Videos show wild animals running for their lives from the wildfires which have already claimed the lives of around 16 people while burning over 37,000 acres of land and destroying 12,000 structures in its wake.

In one clip take in the night, a mountain lion and two small cubs are seen running down Topanga Canyon Boulevard, California, away from the Palisades fire.

Californians are up in arms after it was revealed LA’s elite are hiring private firefighters for as much as $2,000 an hour to save their multi-million dollar homes.

In an effort to protect their investments the ultra-rich of Tinsel Town are hiring expensive private firefighters to save their homes using a bright pink flame retardant, a move that is infuriating many.

Governor Gavin Newsom is facing fresh fury after claiming he does not know how the Los Angeles wildfires happened – while appearing to cast blame on other officials, including beleaguered LA mayor Karen Bass.

Newsom has been accused of ‘passing the buck’ in his latest attempts to defend his response to the devastating ‘Palisade Fire’ inferno across the state.

The man previously touted as a potential Democrat presidential candidate has also been criticized over $100million cuts to funding earmarked for tackling wildfires.

The enormous image, captured by the Pléiades Neo satellite on January 9, shows Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades, as well as the Summit and North of Montana neighborhoods, engulfed in the smoke.

PR experts have questioned the timing of the release of Meghan Markle‘s Netflix cookery show and say it should be postponed amid the wildfires in Los Angeles.

The Duchess of Sussex’s long-awaited lifestyle series With Love, Meghan is scheduled to premiere on Wednesday, January 15.

Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, were seen in the city helping hand out food parcels to survivors after making the 90 mile journey from their $29million Montecito mansion.

But despite their laudable efforts, making donations to the cause from their Archewell Foundation, and opening up their luxury home to their displaced friends and loved ones, scores of experts say Netflix should push back the release date of Meghan’s show.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stood next to the wife of the Democrat California Governor Gavin Newsom who has come under increasing pressure from the likes of President-elect Donald Trump for his response to the raging wildfires.

The royal couple, who live near Santa Barbara, around 90 miles away from LA, were seen comforting victims as they handed out food parcels with Jennifer Newsom at the Pasadena Convention Centre, which is being used as an evacuation centre, on Friday.

California’s beleaguered governor Gavin Newsom has been accused of ‘passing the buck’ by saying in a new podcast interview he was struggling to get ‘straight answers’ from other local leaders and officials.

The Democrat state chief told Pod Save America and its host Jon Favreau: ‘So, I’m the governor of California and want know the answer – I’ve got that question, I can’t tell you, by how many people, “What happened” – on my own team, “What happened?”. I’ll be candid with you, I wasn’t getting straight answers.’

But there has been a backlash in response, with one X user posting: ‘If he doesn’t know what happened, when he’s the first who should know, then he isn’t fit for purpose and needs to resign.’

Meanwhile, LA mayor Karen Buss has faced new criticism after visiting a local fire HQ then posting a video message in which she was seen smiling.

Hollywood actor Mel Gibson, who says he has lost his home in the inferno, has now been asked by Fox News what advice he would give the pair – and said: ‘Spend less on hair gel.’

As the California wildfire crisis enters its fifth day, here is a rundown of the status of the biggest blazes as of Sunday morning:

The largest of the Los Angeles wildfires has scorched through 23,654 acres and leveled homes, businesses and structures in the Pacific Palisades right across to the Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu.

So far, the fire is thought to have claimed the lives of at least five people and is just 11% contained.

The most recent development has seen the blaze explode into the Mandeville Canyon area, after the blaze spread towards it and the Brentwood neighborhood, partially closing the 405 freeway.

The Eaton Fire broke out on Tuesday and has since torn through 14,005 acres of land.

The blaze resulted in evacuation orders for those in Altadena and Pasadena, with more people ordered to flee on Thursday as the flames becan to encroach on Mount Wilson.

Glenoaks Canyon and Chevy Chase Canyon residents have since been allowed back home, with the fire 15% contained.

It has been estimated that the Eaton Fire has destroyed 7,000 structures and is responsible for the deaths of 8 people.

The Kenneth Fire spans across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties and has so far burned 1,052 acres of land.

The blaze has been 90% contained since it broke out on Thursday and prior evacuation orders have since been lifted.

The smallest of the fires, the blaze is currently 76% contained and has affected 799 acres.

Evacuation orders were given to the areas around Sylmar, but these have since been lifted.