More than three weeks after devastating fires of the Eaton and the palisades broke out in southern California, state officials said on Friday evening that the firefighters had fully contained the two fires, which means that fire perimeters were completely under control.
Evacuation orders had already been lifted and for more than a week, fires have not been a major threat. But their complete confinement closed one chapter in two fires that raged for days, killed at least 29 people, moved thousands of residents and ravaged many districts.
Cal Fire, the state fire fighting agency updated data from the two fires on Friday evening to display 100% confinement.
The palisades fire destroyed more than 6,800 structures, mainly in the Pacific Palisades district of Los Angeles and Malibu, and burned 23,448 acres, according to the agency. Eaton’s fire destroyed more than 9,400 structures, mainly in the community of Altadena in the County of Los Angeles, and burned 14,021 acres.
Although the threat of these fires is over, their impact will last for months and years. In the short term, at least 14 people are still missing because of the fires – two of the palisades fire and 12 of the Eaton fire.
Beyond that, a long road in front of reconstruction, at a cost that could be in the hundreds of billions. The concerns persist concerning the potential effects of long -term health from dangerous air quality days, and the psyche of an entire region is damaged.
The firefighters began to gain ground on fires after several episodes of Santa Ana winds threatened to search the flames and burn houses. Light rains arrived last weekend, causing minor mud flows but helping to calm the fires.
The evacuation orders raised, many residents of the Altadena region and the palisades returned to see the damage for themselves and seek all the personal effects that could have survived. Last week, it was the first time that most residents of Pacific Palisades could see what was left of their homes.
Reconstruction could take years. The first step towards recovery began for many people this week while the teams of the environmental protection agency began to treat the dangerous debris of the areas affected by fires.
Kathryn Barger, president of the Comté de Los Angeles supervisors, congratulated firefighters and other emergency staff for their work. She called to focus on reconstruction and recovery, as well as the preparation of future disasters.
Eaton’s fire, she said in a statement, “we taught everyone that we must remain vigilant and prepare for the unimaginable.”
