Australian media has been following the LA wildfires with rolling coverage of the devastation that has so far killed five people, injured many more, destroyed untold homes and displaced thousands of people.
Coverage of the fires began on Thursday 9 January, and channels Nine, Ten, Seven, and Sky News have been providing their audiences with continuous updates across their platforms.
Here’s a breakdown of the coverage and how to watch.
Nine
TV
Nine has reporters Jonathan Kearsley and Lauren Tomasi on the ground in LA, covering the wildfires with camera operators Rich Moran and Jimmy Philips.
The team has been providing live coverage to the Today show, morning news, afternoon news and 6pm bulletins nationally, as well as comprehensive packages and multiple explainers/backgrounders of the fires and the LA geography.
Nine Radio has also been using reports from Kearsley and Tomasi. They are supported by the foreign desk and a team of producers and reporters back in Australia. 9News also has the ability to tap into its resources of US affiliate CNN.
9news.com.au has been running live coverage on its homepages across the country.
Alex Cullen, Jayne Azzopardi with Jonathan Kearsley and Lauren Tomasi
Kearsley and Tomasi
Publishing
Nine’s metro mastheads also have a live national blog running which is being staffed around the clock from newsroom journalists. They also have interactive and visual stories running and video content from 9News.
Lauren Tomasi with an LA resident
Georgie Gardener
Ten
Martin White, Network 10’s VP Broadcast News, told Mediaweek: “In response to the unfolding crisis, 10 News First is harnessing our established partnership with CBS News, whose journalists are already deeply embedded on the ground and positioned at the epicentre of this emergency.
“We’ve dispatched our US Correspondent Katherine Firkin to provide additional coverage from LA, while our team here in Australia is reaching out to Aussies impacted by this unfolding situation.
“Our weather team is conducting a comprehensive breakdown of how these conditions developed and the potentially severe implications if California’s wildfire season begins to overlap with our bushfire season.
“This situation demands a coordinated, international response in both our coverage and understanding of these intensifying climate events,” White added.
Katherine Firkin
10 News First is also providing coverage to audiences on its 5pm bulletin on 10 and 10 Play, as well as continuous updates on its social media channels Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X and YouTube.
Yesterday, newsreader Narelda Jacobs and meteorologist Josh Holt provided audiences with the latest update and reports from local authorities and Australians living in Los Angeles.
Narelda Jacobs and Josh Holt
Seven
7NEWS has brought Australians the latest breaking news from the California fire catastrophe with an extended edition of Sunrise on Thursday, followed by live coverage across the day, supported by local reporters and partners at CNN and NBC.
The network has continued its extensive live coverage in its 6pm local bulletins with U.S correspondent Isabelle Mullen on the ground in Los Angeles providing updates to 7NEWS and Sunrise.
Seven is also keeping its audiences informed with updates and breaking news on 7NEWS.com.au.
Monique Wright and Michael Usher with Isabelle Mullen
Sky News
Sky News has been covering the LA fires extensively using rolling coverage and crosses to our affiliates including taking news conferences live on both Sky News and Sky News Weather.
Sky News Washington Correspondent Annelise Nielsen will be on the ground in LA to provide live crosses. Sky News Weather Meteorologists are monitoring the conditions closely and providing ongoing analysis.
Alison Osborne