California fires weather forecast: Fire danger expected to increase as winds pick up
KABC
(LOS ANGELES) — There has been a reprieve from the strongest winds in Southern California over the past 24 hours, but winds are expected to pick up later Saturday into the night, raising the fire danger yet again.
The fire outlook for Saturday is back at the “Critical” level for much of southern California as dry, gusty winds fan the flames.
Wind alerts, including a High Wind Warning, are in effect for much of the Los Angeles area as this next round of Santa Ana winds arrive.
Northeast winds of 30 to 40 mph are expected by Saturday night with gusts up to 65 mph.
Another major wind event is expected between Monday night and Wednesday, which may lead to rapid fire spread yet again.
Smoke has also lead to significantly reduced air quality all across the Los Angeles area and there won’t be any major improvements until these fires subside.
Southern California is not out of the woods yet when it comes to fire danger.
At least 11 people have been killed by the devastating wildfires. The two biggest are the Palisades Fire, which has decimated the coastal community of the Pacific Palisades, and the Eaton Fire, which has scorched home after home in Altadena.
As of Saturday morning, the Palisades fire, at 21,596 acres, was 11% contained and the Eaton fire, at 14,117 acres, was 15% contained, according to Cal Fire.
Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office in Bozeman, Montana. Via Google Maps Street View
(BIG SKY, Mont.) — A Montana man has been charged in the killing of a fellow camper that was so brutal it was initially reported by a 911 caller as a possible bear attack.
Daren Christopher Abbey, 41, of Basin, Montana, has been charged with deliberate homicide in the killing of Dustin Kjersem, authorities announced at a news conference Thursday evening.
Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said Abbey confessed to the killing after investigators zeroed in on him based on DNA collected from a beer can inside the slain man’s tent.
The sheriff said it does not appear the two men knew each other and that they met in a “chance encounter” as Abbey searched for a campsite.
“There does not appear to be any connection between our victim and our suspect,” Springer told reporters Thursday.
Kjersem’s body was found dead in a tent on Oct. 12 in a fairly remote camping area in the Moose Creek area.
The sheriff said Kjersem arrived in the Moose Creek area on Oct. 10 for a camping trip and had set up a wall tent, complete with a wood stove, beds and lamps.
That same night, Abbey was also in the area looking for a place to camp and noticed Kjersem had already taken the campsite, the sheriff said.
Abbey told investigators Kjersem “welcomed him to the campsite” and offered him a beer, the sheriff said.
Then at some point Abbey hit Kjersem with a piece of wood, stabbed him in the neck with a screwdriver and then hit him with an ax, the sheriff said.
The motive for the attack is still unknown, the sheriff said.
“We have a bit of his story, but … we don’t really know what the true story is,” Springer said.
The sheriff said Abbey later returned to the crime scene to remove items from the campsite that he believed might have evidence to tie him to the killing, including a cooler, firearms and the ax.
Kjersem was last heard from on Oct. 10 as he was leaving to go camping for the weekend. He had plans to pick up his girlfriend on the following day and take her out to the campsite, the sheriff said. When he didn’t show, she grew concerned and went with a friend to the campsite and found his body inside his tent.
The initial 911 call reported it as a possible bear attack.
When investigators responded to the scene of the crime, a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks agent with expertise in bear attacks did not find any signs of bear activity at the scene, prompting investigators to treat the incident as a homicide, according to the sheriff’s office.
An autopsy determined multiple wounds led to his death. Kjersem’s injuries included “significant damage” to his skull, Springer previously said.
Abbey’s DNA was identified on the beer can by analysts with the Montana State Crime Lab on Oct. 25, authorities said. Abbey was located in the Butte area. He was initially arrested on Oct. 26 on a probation violation.
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, has vaulted to the forefront of the presidential campaign as a top donor and impassioned speaker in support of former President Donald Trump.
Still, Musk has said in recent days that the candidate’s economic plans could cause financial pain, at least in the short term.
Among those proposals is the potential formation of a new “government efficiency commission” to be led by Musk. The group would scrutinize federal spending and slash programs deemed wasteful.
Speaking on a telephone town hall on Friday, Musk said spending cuts imposed by the commission would “necessarily involve some temporary hardship.” Ultimately, Musk added, the cost-cutting would “ensure long-term prosperity.”
“We have to reduce spending to live within our means,” Musk said.
Offering up another cautionary note, Musk voiced agreement with a post on X on Tuesday that warned of dire economic fallout if Trump wins the election and implements some of his key agenda items.
“If Trump succeeds in forcing through mass deportations, combined with Elon hacking away at the government, firing people and reducing the deficit – there will be an initial severe overreaction in the economy,” an anonymous user posted on X.
“Market will tumble. But when the storm passes and everyone realizes we are on sounder footing, there will be a rapid recovery to a healthier, sustainable economy,” the post added.
In reply, Musk said, “Sounds about right.”
ABC News contacted Musk-owned companies, Tesla and SpaceX, in an effort to reach Musk for comment. He did not immediately respond. America PAC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In response to ABC News’ request for comment, the Trump campaign praised Musk, saying he is uniquely equipped to help improve government efficiency.
“As President Trump has said, Elon Musk is a genius, an innovator, and has literally made history by building creative, modern, and efficient systems. Elon Musk has dedicated himself to America’s future by offering to serve with President Trump to ensure our government works more efficiently and uses America’s taxpayer dollars effectively,” Brian Hughes, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, told ABC News.
“The commission will ultimately be staffed and dedicated to this mission, and President Trump is committed to having Mr. Musk lead this commission to analyze the functionality of our government,” Hughes added.
On the campaign trail, Trump has vowed to slap tariffs of up to 20% on all imported goods and deport millions of undocumented immigrants. Economists widely view those proposals as likely to drive up consumer prices, since companies typically pass along the costs of taxes and wage increases to customers.
Trump has also floated the notion of eliminating the personal income tax for all Americans. The U.S. would pay for the lost tax revenue with far-reaching tariffs, Trump told Joe Rogan last week.
The individual income tax currently accounts for roughly half of the $5 trillion in revenue that the federal government brings in each year. It would be all but impossible to make up for the lost revenue with increased tariffs, experts previously told ABC News.
Last year, the U.S. imported about $3.8 trillion worth of goods, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis found. To generate the same amount of revenue currently brought in by the individual income tax, a tariff would have needed to be set at about 70%, said Alan Auerbach, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
However, a tariff of such magnitude would significantly reduce U.S. trade, slashing the total amount of imported goods and, in turn, reducing tax revenue.
Musk, who leads Tesla and SpaceX, has taken an active role as both a large donor and vocal proponent backing Trump.
Musk donated about $75 million to a pro-Trump Super PAC over a three-month period ending in September, according to disclosures filed to the Federal Election Commission. Musk, who owns X, frequently posts messages in support of Trump on the social media platform, where he boasts more than 202 million followers.
The U.S. national debt currently stands at about $35 trillion. President Joe Biden has added to the national debt over the course of his term in office, just as Trump did.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic plans would increase primary deficits by $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years, according to a budget model created by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. The plans put forward by Trump, meanwhile, would increase primary deficits by $5.8 trillion over that period, the model found.
Speaking on a telephone town hall on Friday, Musk vowed to closely examine the federal budget if appointed head of a potential “government efficiency commission.”
The role means “looking at every line item, every expense, and saying is this necessary at all?” Musk said.
(LOS ANGELES) — As firefighters work to contain the slew of brush fires spreading across Los Angeles County, among the emergency responders on Thursday were nearly 800 incarcerated individuals, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) confirmed to ABC News.
The prisoners, who voluntarily sign up to be a part of the Conservation (Fire) Camps program, are embedded with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection crew members (CalFire).
The participating individuals are paid between $5.80 and $10.24 per day plus $1 an hour when responding to active emergencies, according to CDCR.
“CDCR Fire Camp Program firefighters are proud to be embedded with CAL FIRE personnel to protect lives, property, and natural resources in Southern California,” the law enforcement agency said in a statement.
Incarcerated firefighters have been working “around the clock” cutting fire lines and removing fuel from behind structures to slow fire spread, according to the agency, which called the program a source of “crucial support” during emergencies.
The exact number of hours the incarcerated crew members have worked since brush fires erupted in Los Angeles on Tuesday was not immediately clear.
CDCR’s Fire Camp Program operates 35 minimum-security facilities in 25 counties across California — including two camps designated for incarcerated women.
There are over 1,800 incarcerated individuals staffing the camps across the state, according to the agency.
Participating prisoners have joined the thousands of federal, state and local emergency responders that are battling at least five sprawling wildfires across Los Angeles County.
The largest of the devastating blazes, the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades, has scorched over 19,000 acres, destroyed thousands of structures and remains entirely uncontained as of Thursday afternoon.
The Eaton Fire, in Altadena, has spread over 10,000 acres and is also 0% contained, according to CalFire.
There have been at least five deaths between the two fires, a number officials warn may rise as emergency efforts continue.
More than 180,000 Los Angeles County residents have been ordered to evacuate as wind-driven infernos both big and small spread in the area.
