Hello everybody, I'm John Fawcett with this Great America Show Midday Update for Sunday, January 12th.

It's sad to say, folks, with these California wildfires are showing no signs of relenting.

California is now using nearly a thousand inmates incarcerated folks to battle the Los Angeles fire.

The practice of using inmates for dangerous jobs and very little pay has long

been an extremely controversial issue. Using inmates to battle fires has been banned in Colorado,

Vermont, Nebraska, Utah, Alabama, Oregon, and Tennessee still used by the state of California.

Here's what we know currently about the wildfires that are still burning and

ones that are maybe expected to come. The Santa Ana winds are expected to strengthen today after a

brief reprieve yesterday with gust of 30 to 50 miles an hour in coastal areas and up to 70 miles an

hour in the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Folks, the wind is a massive factor of what

is driving these wildfires

as an ember can blow from point A to point B and start a whole new wildfire. So the wind is a thing

to keep the eyes on. These wind-fed wildfires have killed at least 16 people so far and

swept through 40,000 acres in the greater Los Angeles area, destroying entire communities

and more than 12,000 structures, folks.

Evacuation orders for the largest blaze, that's the Palisades Fire, have expanded as

it sweeps east and threatens Brentwood, Encino, and Westwood.

Folks, it's only 11% contained.

At least 153,000 LA.A. residents were under evacuation

orders last night. Los Angeles County declared a public health emergency warning that smoke

in particular matter could pose immediate and long-term threats. Folks, we were praying

for these people in California, and as I say, been saying the last few days

...