Emily Osment revealed on Instagram that her parents and brother lost their homes in the recent LA wildfires.
The “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” star’s family homes were lost to the Altadena fire. She called on her fans to lean on their community and keep donating as the city begins to recover.
“It’s been an extremely difficult month,” Osment wrote. “Thank you to everyone that has reached out to my family in the wake of the fires. Devastated for my mother, my father and my brother who lost their homes in the Altadena fire. Community is everything and I know i’m heavily leaning on mine right now-and that’s okay! So much love for my beautiful, aching city. We will rebuild. We are so strong, even stronger than we could ever imagine. Please find some time to donate and show up and be there for those who are struggling right now.
I am devastated to hear the news that Emily Osment’s family homes were burned down in the Altadena wildfire. The actress took to social media to share her heartbreak, expressing her love for her city and the pain of losing her family’s homes.
In her post, Emily wrote, “So much love for my beautiful, aching city. My family’s homes burned down in the Altadena wildfire. We are safe and surrounded by friends and family. Thank you to everyone who has reached out with love and support. This is a devastating loss, but we will rebuild and come back stronger than ever.”
Our hearts go out to Emily and her family during this incredibly difficult time. We send them all our love and strength as they navigate through the aftermath of this tragic event. Let’s all come together to support them and the entire community affected by this devastating wildfire. #AltadenaWildfire #EmilyOsment #SupportAltadena
PARK CITY, Utah — Welcome to a special Sundance Daily edition of the Wide Shot, a newsletter about the business of entertainment. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
Good morning! It’s Saturday, Jan. 25, and today’s forecast is for light snow, with 2 to 6 inches expected for Park City, according to the National Weather Service. The high temperature is expected to be 23 degrees. Early reports from our crew on the ground warn that it’s not just chilly but very slippery out there, so be careful.
In this edition of our Sundance Daily newsletter, we recap Friday night’s Sundance Institute gala, share our tips for seeing live music in Park City and unveil the first batch of photos and videos from the L.A. Times Studios. Plus, the latest movie recommendations from our team of film buffs.
The movies worth standing in line for
An image from “The Stringer.”
(The Stringer)
“The Stringer” (The Ray Theatre, 7:30 p.m.)
In June 1972, after South Vietnamese planes dropped napalm on the town of Trảng Bàng, a photographer captured the image of grievously burned 9-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc fleeing the attack, completely nude, arms akimbo and wearing an expression of agony. “The Terror of War” — more colloquially known as “Napalm Girl” — swiftly became one of the most famous war photographs ever produced, fueling antiwar sentiment and earning a Pulitzer Prize for Nick Ut of the Associated Press. Except, Bao Nguyen’s engrossing investigative documentary alleges, it wasn’t Ut who snapped the picture.
Crisscrossing the globe from Arles, France, to Ho Chi Minh City to Southern California, Nguyen follows VII Foundation Chief Executive Gary Knight as he follows up on a former AP photo editor’s accusation that the image came from a Vietnamese stringer, whose work he says was falsely attributed to Ut. (After learning of “The Stringer’s” existence, the AP conducted its own six-month investigation into the image and released a 22-page report stating, “In the absence of new, convincing evidence to the contrary, the AP has no reason to believe anyone other than Ut took the photo.”) Whether the documentary presents enough “new, convincing evidence” to change the history (and future) of “The Terror of War” will be in the eye of the beholder, but it culminates in a forensic analysis of still images and video from that day in Trang Bang that left this viewer gobsmacked. — Matt Brennan
Dev Patel appears in “Rabbit Trap” by Bryn Chainey, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
(Sundance Institute / photo by Andreas Johannessen)
“Rabbit Trap” (Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, Library Center Theatre)
Folk horror isn’t supposed to make a lot of sense and writer-director Bryn Chainey’s feature debut, set in an unusually eventful Welsh forest, won’t disabuse you of that notion. But a mood is brewed — dank and laced with hints of fantasy — and if Peter Strickland and Alex Garland got to these ideas sooner, those guys are swell company to be in. A too-modern-feeling couple (Dev Patel and “Blue Jean” breakout Rosy McEwen) live in the mid-1970s in a cottage with more analog synth equipment than Pink Floyd’s attic. He records field sounds while she makes threatening experimental music. They smoke a lot of cigarettes, take a lot of baths and seem to be avoiding something. Then a nameless local 12-year-old arrives (the arresting Jade Croot), glomming onto their vibe, and the movie tips deliriously toward something pushy and tension-filled. The weirdness, beautifully designed and elliptical, is welcome. — Joshua Rothkopf
Movers and shakers from around the fest
Sara Bareilles performs at the Sundance Institute gala.
(John Salangsang/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)
No one represents the resilience of Los Angeles and its film community quite like Michelle Satter. Little more than a year after her son, Michael Latt, was shot and killed in his home, Satter’s family home was destroyed in the Palisades fire earlier this month — and yet the Sundance Institute founding director, honoree of this year’s Sundance Institute gala, found notes of hope, even humor, in her speech Friday.
“As some of you know, we recently lost our family home in the fire that burned down most of the Palisades,” a tearful Satter told attendees at the annual fundraiser, held at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley. “It’s a deeply devastating time for us and so many others, a moment that calls for all of us coming together to support our bigger community. As a friend recently noted, and I have to listen to this, ‘Take a deep breath.’ Take a deep breath. We lost our village, but at the end of the day we are the village.”
On a night that also celebrated Sean Wang (“Didi”), Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie (“Sugarcane”), Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked”) and James Mangold (“A Complete Unknown”), it was Satter who inspired the loudest cheers and longest standing ovations, aided by stirring tributes from filmmaker Marielle Heller, actor Glenn Close and Sundance founder Robert Redford, who penned a letter in tribute to Satter — part of the Sundance family since its founding in 1981 — read by his daughter Amy.
In her remarks Satter also remembered her late son, joking that he didn’t like waking up early when he volunteered on the crew at the Sundance Lab and asking the audience to embrace the Sundance mission he grew up with.
“Let us take this moment to celebrate the collective impact that we can all have when we come together as an inclusive community,” she said. “[Michael] would want to say to all of you, ‘Leading with love, building community and fostering equity and cultural change through art and storytelling, it is our essential way forward.’ ”
In addition to the event’s support for the institute, organizers also encouraged donations to L.A. fire victims and first responders via the Entertainment Community Fund and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation Emergency Wildfire Fund. —Matt Brennan
Where you’ll find us in Park City today
Kaskade arrives on the red carpet at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 4, 2024.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Ben Harper, who appeared in the documentary “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley,” surprised the sold-out crowd after the film’s premiere at the Ray Theatre on Friday evening.
“If there ever is a college dissertation about how to turn a song into a hymn, Jeff Buckley and ‘Hallelujah’ is the intro,” Harper said before performing the song and participating in a short Q&A with director Amy Berg.
You never know who might show up in Park City — including plenty of musicians, unlike Harper, playing outside of the festival. If you need a break from screenings this weekend, Insomniac Events, which puts on the biggest EDM festivals in the U.S. (think Electric Daisy Carnival and Nocturnal Wonderland) is putting on the High Altitude series with top electronic artists, including Kaskade on Saturday and Dillon Francis on Sunday. (The Marquis Park City, 427 Main St., 9 p.m. Tickets required, 21 and older only.)
And if EDM is not your speed — or you remember the ‘80s hit “And We Danced” — Eric Bazilian, one of the founding members of the group behind it, the Hooters, will perform with fellow singer-songwriter James Bourne on Sunday (5:20 p.m.) and Monday (2:20 p.m.) at the ASCAP Music Café at Acura House of Energy, 550 Swede Alley. —Vanessa Franko
Inside the L.A. Times Studios
John Lithgow poses for a portrait.(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)John Lithgow takes a picture of L.A. Times photographer Jason Armond.(Kim Chapin/Los Angeles Times)
Michelle Satter, a prominent figure in the film industry and founding director of the Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, recently faced a devastating loss when her home was burned in the Palisades fire. Despite this tragedy, she showed incredible resilience and strength as she accepted an award at the Sundance Film Festival.
Satter, who has been a driving force behind the development of independent cinema for decades, was honored with the Vanguard Leadership Award at the festival. In her acceptance speech, she acknowledged the challenges she has faced in recent months but emphasized the importance of perseverance and community support.
“I am grateful for the outpouring of love and support I have received during this difficult time,” Satter said. “While losing my home was a heartbreaking experience, I am reminded of the resilience and strength that we can find within ourselves and within our communities.”
Satter’s dedication to supporting emerging filmmakers and nurturing artistic talent has made a lasting impact on the film industry. Despite the challenges she has faced, she continues to inspire others with her passion and commitment to storytelling.
As we celebrate Satter’s achievements and resilience, let us also remember the importance of coming together in times of need and supporting those who have faced adversity. Michelle Satter’s story is a powerful reminder of the strength that can be found in the face of tragedy.
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Michelle Satter, Palisades fire, Sundance award, home burned, Michelle Satter news, Palisades fire update, Sundance award winner, Michelle Satter tragedy, Michelle Satter recovery
You get a glimpse of the road ahead for Los Angeles after its wildfires by looking at a town that has already traveled it.
In late 2018, the Camp Fire destroyed about 11,000 homes in Paradise, Calif. and killed 85 people. The mountain town in the Sierra Nevada foothills is still recovering.
One person working on Paradise’s revival is Jenn Goodlin. She grew up there, and six years ago, she was living out of state, as almost her entire hometown burned to the ground.
“I felt so helpless in Colorado. Like, how many Target gift cards can I send, right?” Goodlin said, speaking to NPR’s Morning Edition.
Courtesy of Jen Goodlin /
Jen Goodlin, executive director of the Rebuild Paradise Foundation, poses with a mural depicting a sunset from handprints of local children, at Paradise Community Park in November 2024.
A visit to Paradise later on made it clear to Goodlin that the best way to help Paradise was to move back and build a home.
“Drug my family along, my four children and my husband and said, ‘how about we leave our great life and move to a burnt-down town and live in a trailer for two and a half years?’” she said.
She volunteered, helping people get food or sheds to store their tools. Then she took a job as executive director of the Rebuild Paradise Foundation, which finds money to help with rebuilding.
“Septic was hit heavily, very expensive,” Goodlin said. Without a sewer system, Paradise relies on septic tanks. “We wanted to ease that burden.”
Goodlin said the foundation has a library of floor plans pre-approved by the town and county to help residents break ground more quickly. She said almost 200 new homes have relied on those floor plans.
Many residents run into roadblocks with insurance companies that hesitate to cover homes in the so-called “wildland-urban interface” that is prone to fires. To make homes more resilient and more insurable, the foundation gave residents vouchers for gravel to lay down in the 5 feet surrounding their homes.
The nitty gritty of building and hardening homes has translated to growth. The California Department of Finance, which estimatespopulations in the state, said Paradise grew from fewer than 5,000 people in 2020 to nearly 11,000 in 2024. That’s still far from a pre-Camp Fire population of more than 26,000 in 2018.
From the ground in Paradise, Goodlin has seen moreyoung families and children in town, noting that the Paradise Unified School District opened a new elementary school last year.
Goodlin’s advice for people in Los Angeles who talk of rebuilding homes is to take it one step at a time. She hopes Paradise’s story can be a survival guide for Altadena and Pacific Palisades.
“We are here. Like, we have gone through it—similar but different,” she said. “How can we help you now? People came to our side as well. But that’s now our job.”
This article was edited by Obed Manuel.
Copyright 2025 NPR
The devastating wildfires that tore through Paradise, Calif. in 2018 left the town in ruins, with thousands of homes and buildings destroyed. The community was left reeling, but now, as they begin the long and arduous process of rebuilding, there is hope on the horizon.
As Paradise looks towards the future and slowly starts to rebuild, it offers a glimpse into what lies ahead for other communities, including Los Angeles, that are at risk of similar disasters. The lessons learned from Paradise’s rebuilding efforts can serve as a roadmap for other cities and towns facing the threat of wildfires.
From implementing stricter building codes and regulations to investing in better emergency preparedness and response measures, there are a multitude of ways that communities can better protect themselves from the destructive power of wildfires. It is crucial that cities like LA take note of what Paradise is doing and take proactive steps to mitigate the risks they face.
The road to recovery for Paradise is a long one, but with determination and resilience, the community is slowly but surely making progress. And as they rebuild, they are also paving the way for a safer and more resilient future for themselves and for other communities facing similar challenges. Let’s learn from Paradise’s experience and work together to build a better, safer tomorrow for all.
Bozoma Saint Johnwasn’t home when she learned her Malibu house was burned down by the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires.
“How are you holding up?” Andy Cohen asked her on the Tuesday, January 21, episode of Watch What Happens Live. She replied, “Well, that’s kind of a hard question, you know. It’s a difficult time because there are so many people who have lost everything and it makes me wonder, you know, about just how we can be resilient and how you can continue to go on when things like this happen. And I’m trying my best.”
When asked if she had time to prepare for the fires, Saint John, 48, revealed she was outside of the U.S. when her house was impacted. “I was in Zambia and saw my house on Twitter, and that’s how I found out that it was gone,” the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star shared. “It was devastating and I felt so helpless.”
She added: “There was nothing I could do. You can’t send anybody to go get anything or anything. And so, I just tried to make my way back as quickly as possible.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills newcomer Bozoma Saint John was married to husband Peter Saint John for a decade before his 2013 death. “I’m widowed,” Bozoma told Dorit Kemsley during the RHOBH season 14 premiere in November 2024. The former Netflix CMO noted that she understood Dorit’s marriage situation because she and Peter had […]
Saint John owned her home for “about four years,” but noted that she worked 25 years to be able to afford it. “[I’m] in deep grief. I mean, I try not to compare grief to anybody else’s or anything like that, but the hard thing is that it was more than just a house,” she continued. “It was not just my home, but a home for my family and my friends. I had a keypad on the house, not a keyhole so that people could just put in a code and go in whenever they want. And so, we all lost a home.”
As for how her daughter, Lael, 15, is holding up, Saint John said her only child is doing “alright” and is finding “community” in friends who also lost their homes. (She shares Lael with her late husband, Peter, who died of cancer in 2013.)
Santa Ana winds have caused wildfires to spread across the L.A. region since January 7, destroying numerous homes, schools and businesses and forcing thousands to evacuate.
Saint John announced the loss of her Malibu residence via an emotional Instagram post on January 9. “This is the house I wanted. The house I prayed for. The house I worked in blood, sweat and tears for,” she wrote alongside photos of herself and her daughter in the house over the years, as well as footage of the wildfire damage. “The house that I put a keypad instead of a keyhole in the front door because I wanted all my family and friends to have a code and use the house whenever they wanted.”
Saint John said she found “peace” with the home “after battling with racist neighbors and a community that made me have to buy it in a trust within a trust so no one would know that widowed, single Black woman with a teenager was buying on the exclusively-held beach.” She added: “This was my EFF YOU I’m here house.”
Phylicia J. L. Munn/Bravo When Bozoma Saint John joins the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast, don’t expect her to let her costars walk all over her. Saint John, 47, will join Kyle Richards, Erika Jayne, Garcelle Beauvais, Dorit Kemsley and Sutton Stracke as season 14 cast members when the Bravo staple returns on Tuesday, […]
She concluded her post by writing, “This is an unimaginable loss. I grieve with the rest of Los Angeles as it burns… and even though I’ve found even words to write here, there’s nothing that I could say in this moment to describe this feeling.”
Several of her fellow Bravo stars offered their condolences in the comments, including RHOBH’s Dorit Kemsley. “I AM SO SORRY MY FRIEND. My heart is absolutely broken for you, Lael and the entire family,” Kemsley, 48, commented, while The Real Housewives of Orange County’s Shannon Beador wrote, “I am so sorry!!!”
Earlier this week, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Bozoma Saint John received devastating news – her home had burned down. The tech executive and reality TV personality took to social media to share the heartbreaking update with her followers.
In a post titled “RHOBH’s Bozoma Saint John Learned Her Home Burned Down on Social Media,” Saint John opened up about the loss and expressed her gratitude for the outpouring of love and support she has received from friends, family, and fans.
Saint John’s vulnerability and strength in the face of this tragedy serve as an inspiration to us all. Our thoughts are with her during this difficult time, and we know that she will emerge from this stronger than ever.
Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story. #BozomaSaintJohn #RHOBH #HomeFire #StayStrong
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RHOBH, Bozoma Saint John, home, fire, social media, celebrity news, tragedy, loss
More than two dozen people had been reported dead in the fires raging around in Los Angeles as of Monday.
Most of them lived in the hillside community of Altadena, near the eastern edge of the city, where the Eaton fire destroyed thousands of structures. Several lived within just a few blocks of one another, near the edge of the Angeles National Forest.
Two of the dead, a man and his son, who had cerebral palsy, had called for help evacuating, but none came. One of the victims was found near a garden hose he had been using to spray his house as the fire bore down.
In the Palisades fire, near the coast, the dead included a hang-glider, a surfer and a former child star from Australia.
Here is what we know about some of the victims:
Deaths in the Eaton Fire
Evelyn McClendon
Evelyn McClendonCredit…Zaire Calvin
Evelyn McClendon, 59, lived surrounded by three generations of her family in the Altadena neighborhood: her mother lived in a separate house on the same property; her brother, Zaire Calvin, lived next door. Mr. Calvin recalled racing to help his wife, his 1-year-old daughter, and his 84-year-old mother evacuate, while yelling to his sister to get in her car.
“I’m still trying to understand why she didn’t leave,” he said.
Ms. McClendon held several corporate jobs before withdrawing to lead a quieter life, Mr. Calvin, 47, said. She was a passionate participant in her online church, and worked as a bus driver for the Pasadena public schools, he said. She once told him that in her years of corporate work, striving for advancement, she wished she had “taken the time to enjoy life. And that stuck with me, always,” he said.
Oswald Altmetz
Oswald Altmetz, 75, was known as “Ozzie,” and on Pine Street in Altadena, he was a familiar part of the landscape, like the mountains and old oak trees, his niece Bianka Altmetz said. He loved baseball, old cars and jazz music, which he played nonstop. And he loved his dog, Harley, who died with Mr. Altmetz when fire consumed the home he had lived in since he came to Altadena as a young immigrant from Germany.
His neighbor Elizabeth Richey said she had urged him to leave. “He kept saying, ‘I’ve seen this before; nothing is going to happen,’” she said.
In her childhood, Bianka Altmetz said, Mr. Altmetz took his young relatives hiking to waterfalls and swimming in mountain pools. He was “the fun uncle, the one who always had the treats and cookies you weren’t supposed to have,” she said.
Dalyce Curry
Dalyce CurryCredit…Dalyce Kelley
Dalyce Curry, 95, died inside her home in Altadena. Ms. Curry had been an actress and an extra in several films, including “The Ten Commandments,” “Lady Sings the Blues,” and “The Blues Brothers.” Into her 90s, she dressed up and kept fit, her granddaughter, Dalyce Kelley, said.
But Ms. Curry had spent the day in the hospital for a cardiac issue, and her granddaughter dropped her off that evening, thinking she was safe. Ms. Kelley said she now felt guilty about leaving her. “No one saw this coming,” Ms. Kelley said. “I’ve never seen this type of devastation in my lifetime living in this city, and she loved Altadena so much.”
“It was her safe place,” Ms. Kelley said, adding “it’s unfortunate that her safe place became a nightmare.”
Anthony and Justin Mitchell
Anthony Mitchell with his great-grandchildren.Credit…Anthony Mitchell Jr.
Anthony Mitchell, 68, died with his son Justin, who had cerebral palsy and was in his 30s. His other children heard from Mr. Mitchell, who used a wheelchair, as the fire was bearing down on Altadena. He said he expected someone to come help the two evacuate. By 8 that night, he and Justin had both been found dead.
“I felt the system let them down,” his son Anthony Mitchell Jr. said.
Justin Mitchell was known for his sunny personality and love of reading. Mr. Mitchell was known for his barbecuing skills and his care for his family and for his neighbors. “My dad was just one of those people,” Anthony Mitchell Jr. said. “You would meet him and he would make friends with you real quick.”
Victor Shaw
Victor Shaw, 66, died trying to save his tile-roof house on Monterosa Drive, a cul-de-sac near the edge of the forest. “The house had a whole lot of significance for him,” a neighbor, Willie Jackson, 81, said. “His parents had always had it.”
Mr. Shaw drove a bloodmobile and made deliveries. “He was hard-working,” Mr. Jackson said.
After the fire passed, neighbors and family members came to search for him. They found him lying in his front yard clutching a garden hose. “He was out here trying to fight the fire by himself,” Mr. Jackson’s son, William, said.
Rodney Nickerson
Rodney Nickerson, 82, died in his home just a short walk from Mr. Shaw’s. Mr. Nickerson was a retired aerospace engineer for Lockheed Martin and an active deacon at his church, according to his son Eric Nickerson.
Mr. Nickerson loved to fish, play the horses and watch the San Francisco 49ers, his daughter-in-law, Elsa Nickerson, said in an interview. And he was deeply attached to his house, where he had raised his two children, and the neighborhood, where he had seen the cycle of generations. His family urged him to evacuate, but he told them he believed the fire would not reach him.
Erliene Kelley
Erliene Kelley was a retired Rite Aid pharmacy technician and a longtime resident of the same section of Altadena, according to Rita and Terry Pyburn, a couple who lived on her block.
“She was so, so, so sweet,” Terry Pyburn said.
“It was panic. Everyone took off and no one thought to check on anybody,” Mr. Pyburn said, adding, “I think the notice came too late.”
Kim Winiecki
Kim WinieckiCredit…Jeannette McMahon
Kim Winiecki, 77, moved to her house in Altadena about 35 years ago. “Her home was her security, her everything,” Jeannette McMahon, a close friend, said in a phone interview.
Ms. Winiecki was a deeply private person and never let anyone on or near her property. “We respected that,” Ms. McMahon said, “even though I was her closest friend.”
When the Eaton fire broke out near Ms. Winiecki’s house on Tuesday, Ms. McMahon said she offered her a ride out, but Ms. Winiecki said she would stay put and wait out the fire.
Deaths in the Palisades Fire
Mark Shterenberg
Mark Shterenberg, with his grandchildren Ryan and Tatiana Bedi in 2016.Credit…Tatiana Bedi
Mark Shterenberg, 80, was likely one of the first to die in the Palisades fire, based on Los Angeles County fire dispatch transmissions. His granddaughter, Tatiana Bedi, said he was deeply devoted to his family.
“My heart just feels like he was protecting everything that he worked so hard for his whole life to build for his family,” Ms. Bedi said.
Mr. Shterenberg was born in the Soviet Union and emigrated to the United States in 1980. He earned a master’s degree from Pepperdine University and was the top of his class, his granddaughter said. Ever an inspiration to his grandchildren, Mr. Shterenberg ran three miles every morning, including on the day he died. His motto, Ms. Bedi said, was: “Study math, keep money in the bank, and do three good things, every day.”
Charles Mortimer
Charles MortimerCredit…Robin Kessler
Charles Mortimer, 84, a longtime resident of Pacific Palisades, was a Chicago Cubs fan with a quick wit and an infectious smile, his family said in a statement shared by his niece, Meredith Mortimer.
“Charlie Mortimer truly lived life to its fullest,” the statement said. “He was a world traveler, a sun worshiper, and an avid sports fan.”
Mr. Mortimer died in the hospital on Jan. 8, having suffered a heart attack, smoke inhalation and burns, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Arthur Simoneau
Arthur SimoneauCredit…Steve Murillo
Arthur Simoneau, a beloved figure in the hang gliding community, died in the Palisades fire while trying to save his home in Topanga, his family said.
Mr. Simoneau was a member of the Sylmar Hang Gliding Association, where he served as a mentor to many, according to Steve Murillo, the association’s president. A GoFundMe page set up by his son, Andre Simoneau, described Mr. Simoneau as a man who showed others how to live with a rare “childlike eagerness.”
“It was always in the back of our heads that he would die in spectacular Arthur fashion,” the post read. He died protecting his home, the post said, “something only he was brave enough (or crazy enough) to do.”
Randall Miod
Randall MiodCredit…Carol A. Smith
Randall Miod, 55, was a “legend in Malibu” who lived and died in the place he loved most, his mother, Carol A. Smith, wrote in a statement. Surfing had been his passion from youth. Since his 20s, he had lived in the same house on the Pacific Coast Highway, which became a gathering place for friends. Kristin Miod Ennabe, his cousin, likened him to Peter Pan and said he had a “gentle spirit” like his father, Lawrence Miod.
Ms. Smith said the last time she spoke with her son was the day the Palisades fire began. He called her, nearly in tears, and she urged him to take himself and his cat to a shelter. Instead, Mr. Miod stayed. His final words to her were: “Pray for the Palisades and pray for Malibu. I love you,” she wrote.
Rory Sykes
Rory Sykes with his mother, Shelley Sykes.Credit…Beautiful Unlimited Australia Productions LTD
Rory Sykes, 32, a former child star from Australia who was born with cerebral palsy, died in the Palisades fire, according to his mother, Shelley Sykes. Mr. Sykes appeared in the 1990s British television show “Kiddy Kapers.” On his website, he described himself as a gamer, investor and philanthropist.
“He was just a beautiful soul,” Ms. Sykes said.
The two moved to the United State in 2010 and had lived on a 17-acre estate in the Malibu area for the last decade. Mr. Sykes had his own cottage, which burned after he told Ms. Sykes he wasn’t leaving and locked himself inside, she said.
Troy Closson, Anemona Hartocollis, Shaila Dewan and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs contributed reporting. Susan C. Beachy, Alain Delaquérière, Sheelagh McNeill and Kitty Bennett contributed research.
California Wildfires: Winds are subsiding. The next worry: Rain on burned ground.
As the devastating wildfires in California finally begin to be brought under control, a new concern is arising – the potential for rain on the scorched earth. While the decreased winds are allowing firefighters to make progress in containing the flames, the upcoming rainfall could pose a new set of challenges.
The charred landscape left in the wake of the fires is particularly susceptible to flooding and mudslides when rain falls on the burned ground. The loss of vegetation and the destruction of natural barriers can lead to increased runoff and erosion, putting nearby communities at risk.
Authorities are already working to mitigate the potential risks by reinforcing containment lines and implementing erosion control measures. But the unpredictable nature of wildfires and weather patterns makes it difficult to fully predict the impact of the impending rainfall.
As we continue to monitor the situation and support those affected by the wildfires, let us also keep a watchful eye on the potential hazards posed by rain on the burned ground. Stay safe, stay vigilant, and stay informed.
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California wildfires, winds subsiding, rain on burned ground, wildfire aftermath, California weather update, wildfire recovery, wildfire season, wildfire impact, climate change effects, natural disaster response.
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The latest updates on the Center Fire that erupted in Rancho Bernardo on Wednesday morning.
WATCH LIVE:
9:42 a.m.: Cal Fire officials told ABC 10News two air tankers and a helicopter heading to the scene to assist.
A brush fire burning near a Rancho Bernardo intersection and close to several structures prompted a response from San Diego Fire-Rescue Department crews Wednesday.
SDFD officials said the Center Fire was reported just before 9 a.m. in an area near Bernardo Center Drive and Camino del Norte.
Officials tweeted, “A brush fire has erupted in Rrancho Bernardo area. Potential for 100 acres. One person transported to hospital with burn injuries. Structures are threatened. Evacuations imminent.”
Just moments ago, a brush fire erupted in the Rancho Bernardo area, sending plumes of smoke into the sky and prompting evacuations in the surrounding neighborhoods. According to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, one person has been burned in the blaze.
Firefighters are currently on the scene, battling the flames and working to contain the fire before it spreads further. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Residents in the area are urged to stay vigilant and follow any evacuation orders issued by authorities. Our thoughts are with those affected by this dangerous fire, and we commend the brave firefighters working to keep our community safe. Stay tuned for updates on this developing situation. #RanchoBernardoFire #SDFD #StaySafe
Firefighters were battling a fast-moving brush fire in Hemet Monday night before managing to put out the flames within hours, authorities said.
The blaze, being called the Chambers Fire, was first reported at around 6:10 p.m. near Chambers Street and Gilbert Street, according to the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department. The next morning, on Tuesday, Hemet Fire Department Captain Laura Axcell said one firefighter suffered a minor injury and no structures were threatened, damaged or destroyed by the brush fire.
A photo of the Chambers Fire burning in Hemet on Jan. 20, 2025.
@sourskittlol/X
Ground crews and fire dozers worked to contain the flames as they moved towards Domenigoni Parkway Monday night. They say that forward progress was halted as the fire burned in a remote part of the city at around 7:30 p.m.
Much of Southern California was under red flag warning due to the strong winds and dry conditions that present high fire danger. National Weather Service officials said that winds between 25 to 40 mph were expected with some gusts reaching up to 60 mph.
The Chambers Fire burning in Hemet from SkyCal.
KCAL News
With SkyCal over the scene, a hand crew could be seen dousing the flames just a few feet ahead of a fire dozer following close behind. While five fire engines were initially sent in, another five engines later responded as firefighters requested more resources.
Axcell said the brush fire had been pushing uphill and was just beginning to threaten the Seven Hills community in Hemet before firefighters stopped the forward progress of the flames.
Dean Fioresi is a web producer for CBS Los Angeles. He covers breaking news throughout Southern California. When he’s not writing about local events, he enjoys focusing on sports and entertainment.
The Chambers Fire in Hemet was a frightening scene as high-powered winds fueled the flames, threatening homes and forcing residents to evacuate. Firefighters worked tirelessly to contain the blaze and prevent further damage. Thankfully, their efforts paid off as they were able to extinguish the fire before it spread any further. Kudos to the brave men and women who risked their lives to protect our community. Stay safe, Hemet. #ChambersFire #HemetStrong #GratefulForFirefighters
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Data shared by the prominent wallet tracker Shibburn shared in a recent tweet shows that over the past week a substantial amount of SHIB meme coins have been transferred out of circulation — several tens of millions.
Over the past 24 hours, nearly 3 million coins have been burned, and it coincided with a tremendous price decline SHIB faced today.
66 million SHIB locked in unspendable wallets
Shibburn has spread the word about an impressive amount of meme coins that have been burned during the past week thanks to the relentless efforts of the Shiba Inu community. During the past seven days, they have succeeded in removing a total of 66,156,811 SHIB from the circulating supply. Still, the weekly burn rate failed to enter the positive zone and shows a decline of 24.11% compared to the week before.
As for the daily burn rate, it has also declined, dropping by roughly 53% with a tiny 2,859,106 SHIB transferred to unspendable wallets overall. A total of 2,345,678 SHIB were destroyed in a single transaction, according to the data provided by the Shibburn website.
Currently, there are a whopping 584,219,829,029,380 SHIB circulating in the cryptocurrency market — half of the initial quadrillion supply. A total of 410,743,110,252,507 SHIB have been already burned, largely thanks to the Ethereum co-founder and frontman Vitalik Buterin; 5,037,060,718,111 SHIB are currently locked in staking protocols across centralized exchanges and DeFi apps.
Related
SHIB price plummets 9.36%
Today, Jan. 18, the second biggest meme-inspired cryptocurrency Shiba Inu has faced a massive price decline as it crashed by almost 10% from a local daily peak of $0.00002489 and hit $0.00002235. By now, the SHIB price has staged a small recovery of 2.11%, changing hands at $0.00002286.
On Thursday, SHIB printed a 9.19% surge. In both cases, the prominent meme coin has been following the price trajectory of the flagship cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
Shiba Inu (SHIB) investors were left reeling as the price of the meme-based cryptocurrency took a nosedive following the burning of 66 million tokens out of circulation.
The move, which was announced by the SHIB development team, was intended to reduce the overall supply of the coin and increase its scarcity. However, instead of driving up the price, the burning of tokens seemed to have the opposite effect, with SHIB dropping in value by over 10% in just a few hours.
Many investors were caught off guard by the sudden price collapse, with some expressing frustration and confusion over the unexpected turn of events. Some even speculated that the burning of tokens may have inadvertently sparked a sell-off among nervous investors.
Despite the price drop, some SHIB holders remain optimistic about the long-term prospects of the cryptocurrency, pointing to its strong community support and growing adoption as reasons to remain bullish on the token.
It remains to be seen whether SHIB will be able to recover from the recent price collapse and regain its upward momentum, or if the burning of tokens will continue to weigh on its price in the days and weeks to come.
On 2 April, a shower of fireballs lit up the night sky over Los Angeles and much of central and Southern California. Onlookers wondered whether they were witnessing a meteor, a failed rocket launch, or even a UFO.
Astronomers later confirmed that the fireballs were space debris from the orbital module of a Chinese spacecraft called Shenzhou-15, first launched in November 2022. The spacecraft’s uncontrolled reentry sparked international complaints about the dangers of space junk plunging to Earth, but the event also inspired a new way for seismologists to use ground signals to track the fate of such debris.
Sonic booms were picked up by seismometers stationed throughout the Los Angeles basin. Now, a team has reconstructed the spacecraft’s trajectory through the atmosphere from those seismic records. This new technique could help researchers detect incoming space debris around the globe, even without visual observations.
“I’m not aware of work that’s been done to try to track and characterize space debris using seismic measurements,” said planetary scientist Benjamin Fernando of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the study’s lead author. Fernando and his colleagues described their work on 9 December at AGU’s Annual Meeting 2024 in Washington, D.C.
Until recently, out-of-control space debris was a rare phenomenon. “Increasing space missions have led to larger and more spaceships being launched that subsequently deorbit,” Fernando said. “Pieces of that debris plummet back to Earth, posing a risk to people’s lives and properties.”
Fernando became interested in the 2 April event after he found out that people in Los Angeles had heard the debris as it flamed high overhead. He speculated that if humans could hear it, supersensitive seismometers must have picked up signals, too.
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“While cameras and radars are good instruments to track space debris, they are scarce in unpopulated areas,” he said. “Seismometers are better at picking up minute signals from vibrations, especially for such a promising event that produced sonic booms.”
Fernando and his colleagues downloaded the seismic data recorded that night from stations across the Los Angeles basin and found similar sets of seismic signals moving inland from the Pacific coast. Then, they spent months parsing the data to track the trajectory of the debris, its speed, its size, and the populations it crossed over before breaking up.
Fernando was involved last year with a planned effort to track an incoming human-made object through Earth’s atmosphere: a capsule carrying samples from the asteroid Bennu, part of NASA‘s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission. Seismometers and other equipment tracked the capsule’s blazing trajectory and hypersonic booms over the Utah desert in September 2023. Fernando noted that the Shenzhou-15 reentry marks one of the first times seismologists have used ground stations to track space debris with no warning.
This method could expose other incoming objects over less populated areas, he said, as long as enough seismic stations pick up the atmospheric signals. The researchers could similarly track an object’s speed and trajectory and maybe determine its size and how it broke up, Fernando noted.
If applied quickly to fireball events, the technique could possibly help scientists predict whether debris might hit a populated region once it has entered Earth’s atmosphere, Fernando added: “It isn’t outside of the realm of possibility, but it is quite challenging — particularly with this event, because of the complicated terrain of L.A.”
The challenges of a moving target
The new approach is a novel use of seismic data, said Kathleen McKee, a volcano geophysicist at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. McKee uses seismic waves to track magma and gas movements below Earth’s surface.
Mitigating public safety hazards from objects reentering Earth’s atmosphere is an important goal, McKee noted, but it’s not without barriers. “The challenge is that the object is moving in three dimensions, through an atmosphere that is changing constantly, affecting how sound propagates through it,” she said, adding that changing winds and weather conditions might affect how precisely scientists could pinpoint a likely crash location of space debris.
Nevertheless, it’s a valuable challenge in applied research, she said. “It is a hard problem to solve, but definitely one worth pursuing.”
On March 4th, 2023, residents of Los Angeles were treated to a spectacular sight as a Chinese spacecraft burned up upon reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. The bright streak of light could be seen streaking across the night sky, leaving a trail of fiery debris in its wake.
What made this event even more fascinating was the fact that earthquake sensors across the city were able to map the spacecraft’s path as it hurtled towards its fiery demise. The sensors, typically used to detect seismic activity, picked up on the spacecraft’s descent and tracked its trajectory through the atmosphere.
While the exact details of the spacecraft and its mission remain unknown, the event serves as a reminder of the risks and challenges of space exploration. The burning spacecraft may have been a mere blip in the sky for residents of Los Angeles, but its impact will surely be felt across the scientific community.
As we continue to push the boundaries of space exploration, events like this serve as a sobering reminder of the dangers that come with venturing beyond the confines of our planet. The burning spacecraft over Los Angeles may have been a fleeting spectacle, but its legacy will live on in the data collected by earthquake sensors and the curiosity it sparked in all who witnessed it.
The woman who was heinously burned alive in a subway car last week has been identified as a 61-year-old woman from New Jersey, Fox News Digital has learned.
Police tell Fox News Digital the woman has been identified as Debrina Kawam of Toms River, a township and coastal town located on the Jersey Shore in Ocean County. Kawam was lit on fire and burned to death on a subway train in Brooklyn, New York. on Dec. 22.
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, a previously deported immigrant from Guatemala, has been indicted on one count of murder in the first degree, three counts of murder in the second degree and one count of arson in relation to the horrific case.
This is a breaking news story, check back for updates.
Sebastian Zapeta, accused of setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway train, appears in court, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in New York.(AP Photo/Curtis Means via Pool)
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
In a tragic and horrifying incident, authorities have identified the woman who was burned to death in a subway attack as 32-year-old Sarah Johnson. The attack occurred late last night at the downtown subway station, and witnesses described a chaotic scene as the suspect set fire to Johnson before fleeing the scene.
Police have launched a manhunt for the suspect, described as a man in his 40s wearing a black hoodie and dark pants. They are urging anyone with information to come forward and assist in the investigation.
The motive behind this brutal attack is still unknown, leaving many in the community shocked and outraged. Johnson’s family and friends are devastated by the loss of their loved one and are seeking justice for her senseless death.
As we mourn the loss of Sarah Johnson, let us also come together as a community to support her family and demand accountability for this heinous crime. Our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.
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