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Thursday, January 9: Intense wildfires continue to rage on Thursday. Five fatalities have been reported, and the tally of destroyed structures is now estimated to exceed 2,000. More than 100,000 residents of LA have been instructed to evacuate their residences, and the city is grappling with smoke-laden air. The catastrophe is “virtually certain to rank as one of the most expensive natural disasters in US history,” as reported by the LA Times.
Game developers in Los Angeles are responding to the multiple severe wildfires that overwhelmed firefighters in LA County on Tuesday and spread over thousands of acres in the most populous county in the United States, including the Pacific Palisades area near Santa Monica, home to offices of Activision Blizzard, Riot Games, and other studios.
“The safety and well-being of our employees is our highest priority,” an Activision spokesperson stated to PC Gamer on Wednesday morning. “We are closely monitoring the situation as it evolves rapidly. We have been in contact with the employees nearest to the affected areas to ensure their safety and provide support.”
“Nothing can truly express the grief and suffering that we are witnessing in the communities many of us call home,” Riot Games CEO Dylan Jadeja remarked in a post on LinkedIn on Thursday.
“It is premature for anyone to determine exactly what will be required or what actions can be taken in the aftermath of this,” Jadeja elaborated later in the post. “The truth is… we are still in the midst of it. However, when the moment is appropriate, Riot will be prepared to support Los Angeles and contribute in every possible way to all of these communities that are so significant to our identity.”
Alongside the 17,000+ acre Palisades Fire, the Hurst Fire in the San Fernando Valley has expanded over more than 600 acres, and the Eaton Fire covers another 10,000+ acres to the east of Burbank, where Insomniac Games is located. On Wednesday evening, a new brush fire emerged in the Hollywood Hills, termed the Sunset Fire, necessitating additional evacuations.
“While seated at my desk in Burbank, adjacent to a balcony, the wind outside resembles the ocean sounds with waves crashing against the shore,” commented Insomniac Games senior writer Nick Folkman in a Bluesky post on Tuesday.
The LA Times reports that at least five individuals have lost their lives and over 2,000 structures have been devastated by the fires, which have expanded rapidly and erratically due to wind gusts of up to 100 mph.
“We are doing everything within our power,” LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told the publication on Wednesday morning. “Unfortunately, we do not have a sufficient number of fire personnel in LA County across all departments to manage this.” Firefighting assistance from outside the region has been requested.
A map detailing the fires and evacuation directives can be accessed via the Cal Fire website and Watch Duty.
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