CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers aren't heading to the postseason, but they believe they’ve finally found a franchise quarterback.
And that’s big, particularly with general manager Dan Morgan needing to focus his attention on fixing a defense that had a historically bad season.
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Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson runs against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen catches a pass in front of Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen catches a touchdown pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Chris Braswell forces a fumble by Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young looks to pass against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young scores against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young runs past Atlanta Falcons linebacker Nate Landman during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young passes against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young celebrates their overtime win against the Atlanta Falcons in an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young celebrates after their Winn during overtime in an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Bryce Young finished his second season in promising fashion with 21 touchdowns — 15 passing and six rushing — in his final 10 starts, including five in Sunday’s 44-38 overtime win over an Atlanta Falcons squad that was competing for a playoff spot.
It capped a remarkable turnaround for Young, who was benched two games into the season by first-year coach Dave Canales, a decision that led many to conclude the Panthers had squandered the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft when they traded up eight spots to get the former Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama.
To his credit, Young proved his doubters wrong, regained Canales' trust and gave a frustrated Panthers fan base some optimism that the team's seven-year playoff drought might soon come to an end.
“Absolutely, Bryce is going to be our starter moving forward,” Canales said when asked if Young has shown enough to be considered the team's franchise quarterback. “He earned that job. He won it. He took it and ran with it.”
That hasn't surprised Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble one bit.
He praised Young for fighting through adversity and keeping a positive mindset while continuing to work hard to improve.
“I have hyped him up from the day he got here because we have been seeing that the entire time,” Tremble said. “Now the whole world got to see it, especially being the last game of the year. He ended it on a high note and really let people talk about his quarterback play. He's elite.”
Young said he is “super grateful” for his second opportunity — one that only came about after veteran Andy Dalton sprained his thumb in a car accident on Oct. 22 and had to relinquish the starting job.
When asked if he feels vindicated, Young said, “I don't know if vindication is the word, but I always try to control what I can control. I just to be the best version of myself every day and I will continue to chase that. ... I want to embrace the good and the bad, and that is something that was a theme for this entire year.”
Canales said Ejiro Evero will return as defensive coordinator despite the Panthers breaking a 43-year-old NFL single-season record by allowing 534 points. The 1981 Baltimore Colts gave up 533 during a 2-14 season.
The Panthers played one more game than those Colts and allowed 31.4 points per game, the sixth-worst average in league history.
“I've played against his defenses and I know what this defense will look like,” Canales said. “And I'm committed to that and Ejiro is committed to that. So it's about developing the players we brought in and evaluating our schemes and being honest about that, and then seeing who is out there to (improve) our roster.”
Canales would not say if the entire defensive staff would return.
“I love EJ and I love his scheme,” Morgan said. “But I have to do my part as well, me and my staff, of putting really good players on the field and adding good pieces. ... We will continue to be aggressive. We will be smart, but we will be aggressive.”
Evero was put in a tough situation after the Panthers traded top pass rusher Brian Burns and cornerback Donte Jackson, allowed linebacker Frankie Luvu to get away in free agency and then lost two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Derrick Brown and linebacker Shaq Thompson to injuries in the first two weeks of the season.
The Panthers signed edge rusher D.J. Wonnum in the offseason, but he spent the first half of the season on injured reserve.
The good news for the Panthers is Brown said he should be back from a torn meniscus in his knee by the start of offseason team activities. Thompson's future in Carolina is more uncertain after he played in just six games over the past two seasons due to injuries. Considered the team's emotional leader on defense, Thompson has spent the last decade with Carolina.
The Panthers' biggest priority in free agency will be re-signing their lone Pro Bowl player, cornerback Jaycee Horn.
Horn has only played in 37 of a potential 68 games during his injury-plagued, four-year career, but son of former NFL wide receiver Joe Horn has been a shutdown cornerback when he's been on the field. The Panthers are expected to pick up the fifth-year option on Horn and then look to give him a long-term contract.
The Panthers have had a reliable core of specialists over the past three seasons that has included kicker Eddy Pineiro, punter Johnny Hekker and long snapper J.J. Janson. But Carolina enters the offseason with all three being unrestricted free agents.
Pineiro, at 88.1%, is the third-most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history and could command decent money on the free-agent market despite not being known for having a particularly strong leg.
The Panthers (5-12) finished with their sixth straight 10-loss season and will draft No. 8 overall.
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Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson runs against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen catches a pass in front of Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen catches a touchdown pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Chris Braswell forces a fumble by Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young looks to pass against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young scores against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young runs past Atlanta Falcons linebacker Nate Landman during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young passes against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young celebrates their overtime win against the Atlanta Falcons in an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young celebrates after their Winn during overtime in an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A wildfire whipped up by extreme winds swept through a Los Angeles hillside dotted with celebrity residences Tuesday, burning homes in Pacific Palisades and prompting evacuation orders for tens of thousands. In the frantic haste to get to safety, roadways were clogged and scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some toting suitcases.
The traffic jam on Palisades Drive prevented emergency vehicles from getting through and a bulldozer was brought in to push the abandoned cars to the side and create a path, according to the LA Fire Department.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was in Southern California to attend the naming of a national monument by President Joe Biden, made a detour to the canyon to see “firsthand the impact of these swirling winds and the embers,” and he said he found “not a few — many structures already destroyed.”
Officials did not give an exact number of structures damaged or destroyed in the Pacific Palisades wildfire, but they said about 30,000 residents were under evacuation orders and more than 13,000 structures were under threat.
And the worst could be yet to come. The blaze began around 10:30 a.m., shortly after the start of a Santa Ana windstorm that the National Weather service warned could be “life threatening” and the strongest to hit Southern California in more than a decade. The exact cause of the fire was unknown and no injuries had been reported, officials said.
Only about 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) northeast in Altadena, another fire spread to more than 200 acres (81 hectares) by Tuesday evening, prompting evacuation orders, the Angeles National Forest posted on the social platform X.
The winds were expected to increase overnight and continue for days, producing isolated gusts that could top 100 mph (160 kph) in mountains and foothills — including in areas that haven’t seen substantial rain in months.
“By no stretch of the imagination are we out of the woods," Newsom warned residents, saying the worst of the winds are expected between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 5 a.m. Wednesday. He declared a state of emergency on Tuesday.
As of Tuesday evening, 28,300 households were without power due to the strong winds, according to the mayor’s office. About 15,000 utility customers in Southern California had their power shut off to reduce the risk of equipment sparking a blaze. A half a million customers total were at risk of losing power preemptively.
The Pacific Palisades fire quickly consumed about 4.6 square miles (11.6 square kilometers) of land in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in western Los Angeles, sending up a dramatic plume of smoke visible across the city. Residents in Venice Beach, some 6 miles (10 kilometers) away, reported seeing the flames. It was one of several blazes across the area.
Sections of Interstate 10 and the scenic Pacific Coast Highway were closed to all non-essential traffic to aid in evacuation efforts. But other roads were blocked. Some residents jumped out of their vehicles to get out of danger and waited to be picked up.
Resident Kelsey Trainor said the only road in and out of her neighborhood was completely blocked. Ash fell all around them while fires burned on both sides of the road.
“We looked across and the fire had jumped from one side of the road to the other side of the road,” Trainor said. “People were getting out of the cars with their dogs and babies and bags, they were crying and screaming. The road was just blocked, like full-on blocked for an hour.”
An Associated Press video journalist saw a roof and chimney of one home in flames and another residence where the walls were burning. The Pacific Palisades neighborhood, which borders Malibu about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of downtown LA, includes hillside streets of tightly packed homes along winding roads nestled against the Santa Monica Mountains and stretches down to beaches along the Pacific Ocean.
An AP photographer saw multi-million dollar mansions on fire as helicopters overhead dropped water loads. Roads were clogged in both directions as evacuees fled down toward the Pacific Coast Highway while others begged for rides back up to their homes to rescue pets. Two of the homes on fire were inside exclusive gated communities.
Long-time Palisades resident Will Adams said he immediately went to pick his two kids up from St. Matthews Parish School when he heard the fire was nearby. Meanwhile, he said embers flew into his wife's car as she tried to evacuate.
“She vacated her car and left it running,” Adams said. She and many other residents walked down toward the ocean until it was safe.
Adams said he had never witnessed anything like this in the 56 years he’s lived there. He watched as the sky turned brown and then black as homes started burning. He could hear loud popping and bangs “like small explosions,” which he said he believes were the transformers exploding.
“It is crazy, it’s everywhere, in all the nooks and crannies of the Palisades. One home’s safe, the other one’s up in flames,” Adams said.
Actor James Woods posted footage of flames burning through bushes and past palm trees on a hill near his home. The towering orange flames billowed among the landscaped yards between the homes.
“Standing in my driveway, getting ready to evacuate,” Woods said in the short video on X.
Actor Steve Guttenberg, who lives in the Pacific Palisades, urged people who abandoned their cars to leave their keys behind so they could be moved to make way for fire trucks.
“This is not a parking lot,” Guttenberg told KTLA. “I have friends up there and they can’t evacuate. … I’m walking up there as far as I can moving cars.”
The erratic weather caused Biden to cancel plans to travel to inland Riverside County, where he was to announce the establishment of two new national monuments in the state. He remained in Los Angeles, where smoke was visible from his hotel, and was briefed on the wildfires. The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a grant to help reimburse California for the firefighting cost.
Biden said in a statement that he and his team are communicating with state and local officials and he has offered “any federal assistance that is needed to help suppress the terrible Pacific Palisades fire.”
Some trees and vegetation on the grounds of the Getty Villa were burned by late Tuesday, but staff and the museum collection remain safe, Getty President Katherine Fleming said in a statement. The museum located on the eastern end of the Pacific Palisades is a separate campus of the world-famous Getty Museum that focuses on the art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome.
Film studios canceled two movie premieres due to the fire and windy weather, and the Los Angeles Unified School District said it temporarily relocated students from three campuses in the Pacific Palisades area.
Recent dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, where there’s been very little rain so far this season. Southern California hasn’t seen more than 0.1 inches (0.25 centimeters) of rain since early May.
Watson reported from San Diego and Har from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Christopher Weber and video journalist Eugene Garcia in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Smoke from a wildfire is seen from the Venice Beach section of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A fire-ravaged property smolder after the Palisades Fire swept through in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
The Palisades Fire burns a property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A vehicle burns as the Palisades Fire sweeps through in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
The Palisades Fire burns trees and homes in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A person tries to hose down embers from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
The Palisades Fire burns a property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Firefighters hose down flames as the Palisades Fire destroys a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Will Adams watches as flames from the Palisades Fire close in on his property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Water is dropped by helicopter on the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
CORRECTS BYLINE FROM ETIENNE LAURENT TO ETHAN SWOPE - The Palisades Fire burns a property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Residents and firefighters watch as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A resident stands in front of a garage as fire crews fight the Palisades Fire nearby in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Palisades Fire burns a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A firefighter jumps over a fence while fighting the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
CORRECTS BYLINE FROM ETIENNE LAURENT TO ETHAN SWOPE - The Palisades Fire burns a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Palisades Fire burns a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A lone sunbather sits and watches a large plume of smoke from a wildfire rise over the Pacific Palisades, in Santa Monica, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Will Adams watches as flames from the Palisades Fire close in on his property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Palisades Fire burns a property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire as it burns a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A surfer takes off on a wave in Santa Monica, Calif., during sunset under a blackened sky from the Palisades fire in the Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Vehicles are left stranded off the side of the road after residents tried to flee from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A firefighters make a stand in front of the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A firefighter tries to contain the Palisades Fire from a rooftop in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A residence burns as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A firefighter hoses down flames from the Palisades Fire in front of a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Water is dropped on the advancing Palisades Fire by helicopter in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A firefighter tries to contain the Palisades Fire from a rooftop in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Will Adams uses a garden hose to keep flames from damaging his home as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Flames rise as the Palisades Fire advances on homes in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Firefighters prepare for structure protection as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A line of vehicles crowds the road as residents flee from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Firefighters battle the advancing Palisades Fire as it damages a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Firefighters prepare for structure protection as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A firefighter makes a stand in front of the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A firefighter makes a stand in front of the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Heavy smoke from a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades rises over the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)
A residence burns as a firefighter battles the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)
Smoke from a wildfire is seen from the Venice Beach section of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A lone beachgoer walks along the coast as a large dark plume of smoke passes over the beach from a wildfire from Pacific Palisades, from Santa Monica, Calif. on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Smoke from a wildfire is seen from the Venice Beach section of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Firefighters battle the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A firefighter protects a structure from the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Firefighters protect structures from the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Smoke from a wildfire is seen from the Venice Beach section of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A swimmer watches as a large dark plume of smoke passes over the beach from a wildfire from Pacific Palisades, in Santa Monica, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
People flee from the advancing Palisades Fire, by car and on foot, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Smoke from a wildfire is seen from the Venice Beach section of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Smoke from a wildfire is seen from the Venice Beach section of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire around a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A field catches fire under a tree during the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A pair of firefighters try to protect themselves from flying embers from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Firefighters try to protect themselves from flying embers from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Firefighters stage in front of the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles,Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
People wait with some belongings while fleeing the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A person flees from an advancing wildfire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Smoke from a wildfire is seen from the Venice Beach section of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A woman cries as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A firefighter tries to extinguish a fire as it damages a property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Heavy smoke from a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades rises over the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)
Smoke from a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades rises over the 405 freeway in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
FILE - Flags fly under heavy winds before sunset as a plume of smoke from the Franklin Fire rises over the ocean Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes,File)
Tall palm trees sway during extreme gusty winds in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
A tree blocks a street after falling amid strengthening winds Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Northeast Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Christopher Weber)
FILE - Marvin Meador walks on the remains of his fire-ravaged property after the Mountain Fire swept through, Nov. 7, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)
