MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Some 1.8 million mostly barefoot Catholic worshippers marched Thursday in an annual procession in the Philippines that venerates a centuries-old black statue of Jesus. Some said they prayed for good health for their families, an end to tensions in the South China Sea, and for incoming U.S. President Donald Trump to be kinder to Filipino immigrants.
The procession marks the feast of Jesus Nazareno and is a major annual Catholic event in Asia. The image was previously called the Black Nazarene, but church officials appealed for a change, saying the former name was not founded in history and evoked a racial slur.
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Devotees try to climb on a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees try to climb on a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees try to touch the image of Jesus Nazareno inside a glass-covered carriage during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees pull a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees grab the rope as they pull a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees grab the rope as they pull a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees grab the rope as they pull a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees climb on a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees raise their hands as they join the annual procession of Jesus Nazareno in Manila, Philippines, Thursday. Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees raise their hands as they join the annual procession of Jesus Nazareno in Manila, Philippines, Thursday. Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees pull a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines, Thursday. Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees pull a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines, Thursday. Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees pull a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines, Thursday. Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees pull a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines, Thursday. Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
The procession in Manila began before dawn, with organizers estimating the early crowd at around 250,000. Their number swelled later in the day as devotees made their way to the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno, also known as Quiapo Church.
Police said the crowd reached 1.8 million in the afternoon and the number was still expected to increase. Last year, at least 2 million devotees joined the 15-hour procession, with some estimates of the crowd as high as over 6 million.
Reverend Father Robert Arellano, a spokesperson of Quiapo Church, said this year’s procession is slower compared to last year because of an increase in the number of participants and some jostling devotees climbing the glass-covered carriage housing the image.
Shouts of “Viva, viva,” rang out as the image passes by, with devotees clutching at ropes pulling the carriage and raising white towels in jubilation. The procession typically draws massive numbers of largely poor Catholics who pray for the sick and a better life.
Gaspar Espinocilla, a 56-year-old Manila city employee and a devotee of Jesus Nazareno for the last 20 years, said he is praying for his family, including his sister who has ovarian cancer. He is also praying for an end to tensions in the West Philippines Sea, a part of the South China Sea claimed by the Philippines, where China has been harassing Filipino fishermen and coast guard vessels.
“I hope China will ease up on us, they cannot seize everything as theirs,” said Gaspar, who was wearing a maroon T-shirt printed with face of Jesus Nazareno. “It is ours, not theirs.”
Renato Reyes, a garbage scavenger who has been a Jesus Nazareno devotee for more than three decades, said he prays for a better life for his family, for the Philippines to be free from calamities, as well as for wars overseas to end. He also said he will include in his prayers Filipinos who may be affected by Trump’s planned mass deportation of illegal immigrants.
“I hope they will not implement that because our countrymen are there just to earn a living for their families,” he added.
Officials said some 14,000 police and plainclothes officers were deployed, along with soldiers, fire fighters, prison staff and volunteers. Many nearby roads were closed and cell phone signals were blocked.
More than a dozen devotees were seen being carried away on stretchers. The Philippine Red Cross said that 467 people were given first aid or other medical assistance for mostly minor complaints like dizziness, difficulty breathing and nausea. At least 15 patients had to be brought to hospital.
The statue of Jesus carrying the cross was brought to the Philippines from Mexico on a galleon in 1606 by Spanish missionaries. The ship that carried it caught fire, but the charred statue survived, according to some accounts. Church historians, however, said the statue’s color owes to the fact that it was carved out of mesquite wood, which darkens as it ages.
Many devotees believe the statue’s endurance, from fires and earthquakes through the centuries and intense bombings during World War II, is a testament to its miraculous power
Devotees try to climb on a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees try to climb on a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees try to touch the image of Jesus Nazareno inside a glass-covered carriage during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees pull a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees grab the rope as they pull a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees grab the rope as they pull a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees grab the rope as they pull a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees climb on a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees raise their hands as they join the annual procession of Jesus Nazareno in Manila, Philippines, Thursday. Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees raise their hands as they join the annual procession of Jesus Nazareno in Manila, Philippines, Thursday. Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees pull a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines, Thursday. Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees pull a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines, Thursday. Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees pull a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines, Thursday. Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Devotees pull a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines, Thursday. Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Firefighters battled to control a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area early Thursday that have killed five people, ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and sent thousands of people frantically fleeing their homes.
Ferocious winds that drove the flames and led to chaotic evacuations have calmed somewhat and were not expected to be as powerful during the day. That could provide an opportunity for firefighters to make progress reining in blazes that have hopscotched across the sprawling region, including massive ones in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
The latest flames broke out Wednesday evening in the Hollywood Hills, striking closer to the heart of the city and the roots of its entertainment industry and putting densely populated neighborhoods on edge during exceptionally windy and dry conditions.
Within a few hours, firefighters had made major progress on the Sunset Fire. Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said they were able to keep the fire in check because “we hit it hard and fast and mother nature was a little nicer to us today than she was yesterday.”
A day earlier, hurricane-force winds blew embers through the air, igniting block after block in the coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades as well as in Altadena, a community near Pasadena that is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east. Aircraft had to be grounded for a time because of the winds, hampering firefighting efforts.
Nearly 2,000 homes, businesses and other structures have been destroyed in those blazes — called the Palisades and Eaton fires — and the number is expected to increase. The five deaths recorded so far were from the Eaton Fire.
Some 130,000 people have been put under evacuation orders, as fires have consumed a total of about 42 square miles (108 square kilometers) — nearly the size of the entire city of San Francisco. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles history.
More than half a dozen schools in the area were either damaged or destroyed, including Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in many Hollywood productions, including the 1976 horror movie “Carrie” and the TV series “Teen Wolf,” officials said. UCLA has canceled classes for the week.
In Pasadena, Fire Chief Chad Augustin said the city's water system was stretched and was further hampered by power outages, but even without those issues, firefighters would not have been able to stop the fire due to the intense winds fanning the flames.
“Those erratic wind gusts were throwing embers for multiple miles ahead of the fire,” he said.
As flames moved through his neighborhood, Jose Velasquez sprayed down his family’s Altadena home with water as embers rained down on the roof. He managed to save their home, which also houses their family business selling churros, a Mexican pastry. Others weren’t so lucky. Many of his neighbors were at work when they lost their homes.
“So we had to call a few people and then we had people messaging, asking if their house was still standing,” he said. “We had to tell them that it’s not.”
In Pacific Palisades, a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity homes, the scope of the destruction was just becoming clear.
Block after block of California Mission Style homes and bungalows were reduced to charred remains. Ornate iron railing wrapped around the smoldering frame of one house Swimming pools were blackened with soot, and sports cars slumped on melted tires.
As the Sunset Fire erupted on Wednesday evening, the Hollywood Walk of Fame was bustling and the streets around the TCL Chinese Theatre and Madame Tussauds were packed with stop-and-go traffic as sirens blared and low-flying helicopters flew overhead to dump water on the flames, which were only about a mile away.
Another fire has hit Sylmar, a middle and working-class area on the northern edge of the San Fernando Valley that has been the site of many devastating blazes.
The main fires grew rapidly in distinctly different areas that had two things in common: densely packed streets of homes in places that are choked with vegetation and primed to burn in dry conditions.
Flames moved so quickly that many barely had time to escape. Police sought shelter inside their patrol cars, and residents at a senior living center were pushed in wheelchairs and hospital beds down a street to safety.
In the race to get away in Pacific Palisades, roadways became impassable when scores of people abandoned their vehicles and set out on foot.
The flames marched toward highly populated and affluent neighborhoods, including Calabasas and Santa Monica, home to California’s rich and famous.
Mandy Moore, Cary Elwes and Paris Hilton were among the stars who lost homes. Billy Crystal and his wife Janice lost their home of 45 years in the Palisades Fire.
“We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can’t be taken away," the Crystals wrote in the statement.
In Palisades Village, the public library, two major grocery stores, a pair of banks and several boutiques were destroyed.
“It’s just really weird coming back to somewhere that doesn’t really exist anymore,” said Dylan Vincent, who returned to the neighborhood to retrieve some items and saw that his elementary school had burned down and that whole blocks had been flattened.
California’s wildfire season is beginning earlier and ending later due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall tied to climate change, according to recent data. Rains that usually end fire season are often delayed, meaning fires can burn through the winter months, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association.
Dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, which has not seen more than 0.1 inches (2.5 millimeters) of rain since early May.
The winds increased to 80 mph (129 kph) Wednesday, according to reports received by the National Weather Service. Fire conditions could last through Friday — but wind speeds were expected to be lower on Thursday.
President Joe Biden signed a federal emergency declaration after arriving at a Santa Monica fire station for a briefing with Gov. Gavin Newsom, who dispatched National Guard troops to help.
Several Hollywood studios suspended production, and Universal Studios closed its theme park between Pasadena and Pacific Palisades.
As of Wednesday evening, more than 330,000 people were without power in southern California, according to the tracking website PowerOutage.us.
Several Southern California landmarks were heavily damaged, including the Reel Inn in Malibu, a seafood restaurant. Owner Teddy Leonard and her husband hope to rebuild.
“When you look at the grand scheme of things, as long as your family is well and everyone’s alive, you’re still winning, right?” she said.
Golden reported from Seattle and Watson from San Diego. Associated Press journalists Christopher Weber and Eugene Garcia in Los Angeles; Ethan Swope in Pasadena, California; John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas; Jeff Martin in Atlanta; Janie Har in San Francisco; Brian Melley in London; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland; and Tammy Webber in Detroit contributed to this report.
Fallon Prockiw-Kline, center, gets emotional in front of her home which was damaged by the Palisades Fire, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Charred Buddha statues stand amidst other sculptures at burned out shop in Malibu, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Smoke from the Palisades Fire is seen during a commercial flight to Los Angeles, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Firefighters battle the Eaton Fire as it engulfs structures Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
Firefighters team up to battle the Eaton Fire Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Palisades Fire burns a beach front property Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Visitors to the Santa Monica pier look out at smoke from a wildfire in the Pacific Palisades blows over the beach in Santa Monica, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Beach front homes are destroyed by the Palisades Fire Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Thick heavy smoke from wildfires shrouds downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire around a burned structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
The Palisades Fire burns homes on a hilltop in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Residents embrace in front of burning structures as the Eaton Fire advances Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
Pedestrians help a firefighter stretch a hose as an apartment building burns, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in the Altadena section of Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
A statue and other structures are burned as the Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Firefighters aim a hose at the entrance to a Bank of America engulfed in flames on Lake Avenue, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in the Altadena section of Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Firefighters hose down a burning structure on Lake Avenue, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in the downtown Altadena section of Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
A resident of a senior center is evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Fire explodes out of a window of the Altadena Community Church, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in the downtown Altadena section of Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Homes damaged by the Palisades Fire are seen along the beach, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
The Palisades Fire burns a Christmas tree inside a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Fallon Prockiw-Kline, center, gets emotional in front of her home which was damaged by the Palisades Fire, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A wildfire-ravaged property is shown after the Palisades Fire swept through in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Thick heavy smoke from wildfires passes over the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
A firefighter battles the Eaton Fire, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Lisa Diaz hugs a neighbor outside of their homes as the Eaton Fire sweeps through the area Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
A man walks his bike among the ruins left behind by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A resident is evacuated from a senior living facility as the Eaton Fire approaches Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A firefighter battles the Eaton Fire Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Kelly Kline looks out at his home damaged by the Palisades Fire, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A burned-out car sits among rubble in the downtown Altadena section of Pasadena, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Fire crews battle the Eaton Fire next to a fully engulfed residence, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
A man walks past a fire-ravaged business after the Eaton Fire swept through Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Eaton Fire burns a vehicle Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Megan Mantia, left, and her boyfriend Thomas, only first game given, return to Mantia's fire-damaged home after the Eaton Fire swept through the area, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Beach front homes are destroyed by the Palisades Fire Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Beach front homes are destroyed by the Palisades Fire Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Water is dropped by helicopter on the burning Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A firefighter works from a deck as the Palisades Fire burns a beachfront property Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Firefighters work from a deck as the Palisades Fire burns a beach front property Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
