California fires: Crews improve containment on Palisades, Eaton fire as winds ease

Los Angeles County public works officials said Thursday that crews are working to assess watershed areas in and around the fires, preparing for mudslides and debris flows that are likely to occur if and when it’s raining.

But they also noted that some of those risks have already begun in dry areas scarred by the Palisades fire.

The area suffers from “dry ravel”, a type of erosion that causes dry soil and debris to move downward, a problem particularly when the vegetation cover – and its hold – has been destroyed in a fire, a said Mark Pestrella, director of Los Angeles. County Department of Public Works.

“The slopes that are too steep have been really dried out and you will see this crumbling of the slopes and what looks like a landslide – and it is a landslide,” Pestrella said at a news conference Thursday morning.

This sent “debris into streets and properties.”

Photos showed a home on Castellammare Drive that survived the fire but collapsed amid such a slide, according to a KTLA report.

Pestrella said the situation has been exacerbated in some areas by increased water from firefighting efforts and destroyed water pipes. He indicated that the department’s teams are particularly aware of the problem in the lower Topanga area.

“We’re working with Caltrans to maintain the slopes so we can continue to have access to them,” Pestrella said of the Topanga area.

City and county officials are also working to address areas of concern to assess the geology, soil and water conditions in and around the burn scars.

“No matter where you live in Los Angeles County, if you have slopes behind your house or if you’re located on top of a slope, those slopes have become fragile,” Pestrella said. “The ground that supports your home has become fragile and damaged due to the events we have experienced, including the wind. … There are risks of mud and debris flows even when it’s not raining, so we want people to be very careful.”

He urged residents who might notice this dry movement or ground movement – ​​inside or outside the fire scars – to call 211, so that geology, soil and fire control engineers can floods can assess the property and make safety recommendations.