Containment of the Palisades and Eaton fires, which kept thousands of Los Angeles County residents out of their homes, some for more than a week, intensified overnight after winds that hit the region have started to ease.
The Eaton Fire, which has burned just over 14,100 acres in Pasadena and Altadena, grew to 55% as of Thursday morning, up from 45% a day earlier. In the Palisades Fire, which burned 23,700 acres, containment was at 27% Thursday night, up from 17% a day earlier, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
But officials stressed there is still much work to be done in the fire zones before residents can return. More than 150,000 Angelenos remain under evacuation orders and warnings.
It will be at least another week before some people can begin returning to their homes in evacuated fire zones, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a news conference Thursday.
“When I say one more week, that doesn’t include the entire evacuation zone,” Marrone said. “We are doing our best because we know this is a challenge for our residents. »
Utilities are working to restore power and water, and authorities are clearing debris from burned areas. There are also still searches and recoveries of human remains.
The number of confirmed deaths in the fires climbed to at least 27 after authorities said Wednesday they found remains in the Palisades and Eaton fire zones. Authorities say that number could continue to rise in the coming days as they continue to search destroyed properties. There are 31 missing person reports for the two fires, officials said.
After allowing some people to bypass the barricades with a police escort last week, residents were turned away at several checkpoints on Sunset and San Vicente boulevards leading to the Palisades this week. Officials say allowing people into burned areas — even for a few minutes — has exceeded their resources.
“It’s understandable: There’s always a fire, they’re always putting out the hot spots,” said Noah Martin, 30, who lived in a house on Northfield Street that burned down. The property belonged to Martin’s parents, who live nearby on Temecula Street in a house still standing.
On Sunday, Martin and his roommates sneaked into the neighborhood by walking four miles from Santa Monica through a canyon.
“We’re not really convinced that even if they say the fire is out, they’ll let us back in, and that’s certainly frustrating,” said Martin, a software engineer. “We want to get there to start cleaning it up.” I have the impression that the longer they make us wait, the more serious the damage will be. »
Joe Iacopino, an attorney and longtime Palisades resident, and his wife fled the fire with nothing but the clothes they wore last week. They saw photos showing their home – and its contents – unscathed by the fire. But he is still unable to return home to buy basic necessities.
“I don’t know how long it will take me to get back, should I stay in accommodation for an extra day or two?” Or a week or three weeks? Three months? he said. “We can’t come up with a plan.”
Thursday afternoon, sheriff’s officials announced that some areas within the Palisades and Eaton evacuation zone would be reopened to residents.
In the Palisades fire zone, officials have reopened areas north of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and south of Mulholland Drive; north of Old Topanga Canyon Road and south of Summit to Summit Highway; north of Mulholland Highway and south of Stokes Canyon Road and north of Red Rock Road and south of Calabasas Peak Motorway.
In the Eaton fire zone, residents who live along Canyon Crest Road to the community of Meadows, east of El Prieto Road, were allowed to return as of 3 p.m.
“A soft closure means the area is closed to the general public,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. “It is still open to disaster teams, public safety personnel and residents upon presentation of identification only. Only residents with valid proof of residency – driver’s license, registration, utility bills, etc. – are allowed to enter and exit the soft closing area.
Authorities estimate the fires destroyed more than 12,000 structures, including many homes, making them two of the most destructive — and deadliest — wildfires in California history.
A home that survived the Palisades Fire was destroyed this week when the hillside behind the home gave way, apparently splitting the property on Castellammare Drive in two, photographs from the scene show.
It’s unclear what exactly caused the landslide, but officials say it was likely the result of a significant amount of water in the area from firefighting efforts or broken water pipes .
“There was, to some extent, a flooding of water into the system. You can imagine the amount of water that was used to fight the fire,” said Mark Pestrella, Los Angeles County Public Works Director. “Gas and water lines were also destroyed in the system.”
Pestrella said the area suffers from “dry ravel,” a type of erosion that causes dry soil and debris to move downward, particularly a problem after a fire after vegetation cover is destroyed.
He warned residents whose homes are located on slopes in the fire zone that risks of debris flows could occur even before significant rain. Residents who may notice this ground movement – inside or outside the fire scars – should call 211, so that geological, soil and flood control engineers can assess the property and make recommendations. safety recommendations, Pestrella said.
More than 8,600 firefighters are working on the fires, focusing over the coming days on building containment lines and extinguishing hot spots to prevent the fires from spreading. During the Eaton Fire, crews applied a retardant around the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and cleared brush in high-risk areas of La Cañada, according to Cal Fire.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials arrested 47 people in the fire areas, Sheriff Robert Luna said Thursday. Around 14 people were arrested on suspicion of burglary and another 17 on suspicion of curfew violations. Other arrests were made for alleged drug possession, firearm possession and identity theft, authorities said.
Winds are expected to continue to dissipate this week, but this is shaping up to be a short respite for the region. There is a growing risk that significant fires will return to Los Angeles and Ventura counties starting early next week. The region also faces ongoing danger from extreme drought conditions and lack of rain.
Southern California is experiencing one of its driest starts to winter on record. Much of the region received only 5% or less of its average precipitation for this time of the water year, which began Oct. 1, said Alex Tardy, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in San Diego. , which also publishes forecasts for Orange County and the Inland Empire.
Downtown Los Angeles has received just 0.16 inches of rain since Oct. 1, which is 3 percent of the average at this point in the season, which is 5.56 inches. For many other parts of Southern California, “this is the driest start to the water year,” Tardy said, “and you can see extreme fire behavior with ignitions.”
In the days ahead, Monday and Tuesday will be of greatest concern, with a 70% chance of red flag warnings for Los Angeles and Ventura counties, indicating a high likelihood of critical fire behavior in the event of a fire, according to the National Weather Service.
Relative humidity could fall below 10% next week, meaning vegetation will be particularly dry and vulnerable. Regarding the wind, there is increasing confidence in the moderate development of Santa Anas.
“We still have a large amount of dry, unburned fuel with low humidity,” said Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley. “There are more extreme winds on the horizon…next week and our community needs to stay prepared.”
Officials confirmed that 3,328 structures were destroyed in the Palisades fire. Another 591 were damaged, according to Cal Fire. As authorities continue to assess the damage, these numbers will likely increase. Officials estimated that 5,300 structures burned in that fire.
Damage assessments confirmed that 6,782 structures were destroyed and 773 damaged in the Eaton Fire, although inspection teams only completed assessments for 60% of structures within the Eaton’s footprint. the fire, according to Cal Fire. Authorities estimate that 7,000 structures were damaged or destroyed; structures can include homes, businesses, smaller outbuildings, sheds and even vehicles.
The causes of the two large fires are currently under investigation.
Investigators investigating the Eaton Fire are focusing on an area around a Southern California Edison electric transmission tower in Eaton Canyon.
The head of Southern California Edison said Wednesday that the winds blowing through Eaton Canyon on Jan. 7 were not strong enough to reach the threshold the company used to de-energize the powerful electric transmission line.
As for the Palisades fire, sources familiar with the investigation told the Times that the fire, which broke out in the Skull Rock neighborhood north of Sunset Boulevard, appears to have human origins. Authorities are investigating whether a small fire possibly sparked by New Year’s Eve fireworks could have reignited on January 7.
Jose Medina, acting special agent in charge of the Los Angeles Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives field division, said investigators were combing through video from state-owned cameras that were in place in the area , those of residents and publications on social networks.
Investigators have already reviewed frame by frame between 50 and 60 hours of video related to the Palisades fire, an agency spokesperson told the Times.
Medina urged people who were in the area that day, even those who think they don’t have much information, to contact the agency.
“We talk to individuals not only about what they saw, but also what they smelled and heard,” Medina said. “Even if you were in the area and didn’t see or smell anything, that could also be valuable information.”
Times writers Kevin Baxter, Noah Goldberg, Matt Hamilton, Salvador Hernandez and Jenny Jarvie contributed to this report.
