Home » Firefighters boost containment of Palisades and Eaton fires amid break from destructive winds – Jobsmaa.com

Firefighters boost containment of Palisades and Eaton fires amid break from destructive winds – Jobsmaa.com

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Containment of the Palisades and Eaton fires, which kept thousands of Los Angeles County residents out of their homes for some more than a week, grew overnight after the winds that plagued the region began to die.

The Eaton Fire, which has burned more than 14,100 acres in Pasadena and Altadena, climbed to 55% containment Thursday morning, up from 45% a day earlier. The Palisades Fire, which has burned 23,700 acres, was 27% contained Thursday night, down from 17% a day earlier. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

But officials stressed there is still a lot of work to be done in fire zones before residents can return. More than 150,000 Angelenos are under evacuation orders and warnings.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marone said during a press conference Thursday that it will be at least another week before some people in evacuated fire zones can return to their homes.

“When I say one more week, that doesn't include the whole evacuation order part,” Marrone said. “We know this is a challenge for our residents and we're doing the best we can.”

Utilities are working to restore power and water, and officials are clearing debris from burned areas. The search for human remains is still on.

The death toll from the fire rose to at least 27 after officials said remains were in the Palisades and Eaton fire zones on Wednesday. Officials say the number could rise further in the coming days as the search for destroyed property continues. Officials said 31 people were missing in the two fires.

Residents were turned away this week at several checkpoints along Sunset and San Vicente boulevards leading to the Palisades, after allowing some to pass the barricades with a police escort last week. Officials say allowing people into burning areas — even for just a few minutes — overwhelmed their resources.

Noah Martin, 30, who lived in a burned-out house on Northfield Street, said: “It's understandable – there's still fire, they're still putting out hot spots.” The property was owned by Martin's parents, who lived in a house still standing on Temecula Street.

On Sunday, Martin and his roommates hiked four miles through a canyon from Santa Monica to sneak into the neighborhood.

“Even though they say the fire is out, we don't have much faith that they're going to let us back in, and that's definitely frustrating,” said Martin, a software engineer. “We want to get in there to clean it up. I feel like the longer they make us wait, the worse the damage will be.

Joe Iacobino, an attorney and longtime Palisades resident, and his wife fled the fire last week with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They've seen photos showing their home — and the contents inside — unscathed by the fire. But he is still unable to return home to get basic needs.

“I don't know[ing] Do I need to make accommodations for two more days? Or one week or three weeks? Three months?” He said. “We can't make a plan.”

By Thursday afternoon, sheriff's officials announced that portions of the Palisades and Eaton evacuees would be reopened to residents.

In the Palisades fire area, officials reopened areas north of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and south of Mulholland Drive; Motorway north of Old Topanga Canyon Road and south of Summit; 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 area, residents living on Canyon Crest Road within the Meadows community east of El Prieto Road were allowed to return at 3 p.m.

“A soft closure means the area is closed to the general public,” the LA County Sheriff's Department said in a statement. “It is still open to emergency crews, public safety personnel and residents with identification only. Only residents with valid proof of residency — driver's license, registration, utility bills, etc. — are allowed to enter and exit the soft closure area.

Officials estimate the fire has destroyed more than 12,000 structures, including many homes, making it two of the most destructive and deadliest wildfires in California history.

A house that survived a fire in Palisades was destroyed this week, with the hillside behind the house giving way, the view appears to split the property in half on Castellammare Drive.

It's not clear what caused the landslide, but officials say it may have been the result of significant water in the area due to firefighting efforts or broken water mains.

“To some extent, the system was flooded. You can imagine how much water was put into the firefighting effort,” said Mark Bestrella, director of public works for Los Angeles County. “There were also destroyed gas lines and water lines in the system.”

Pestrella said the area is suffering “Dry ravel,” a type of erosion that causes the downward movement of dry soil and debris, particularly a post-fire problem after vegetation has died.

For residents whose homes are on slopes in the fire area, debris flows could pose risks before significant rains, he warned. Residents who notice this ground movement — inside or outside the fire's burn scars — should call 211 so geologic, soil and flood control engineers can assess the property and make safety recommendations, Bestrella said.

More than 8,600 firefighters are battling the blaze, which will focus on establishing containment lines and extinguishing hot spots to prevent the fire from spreading over the next few days. In the Eaton fire, crews applied retardant around the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and cleared brush in high-risk areas in La Canada, Cal Fire said.

LA County Sheriff's officials have made 47 arrests in the fire zones, Sheriff Robert Luna said Thursday. Around 14 people have been arrested in connection with the thefts and another 17 on charges of curfew violation. Others were arrested for drug possession, gun possession and ID theft, officials said.

Winds are expected to continue to dissipate this week, but this is shaping up to be a brief reprieve for the region. Significant fire weather is expected to return to Los Angeles and Ventura counties early next week. The region is constantly at risk of severe drought and lack of rain.

Southern California has its driest winter on record. Most of the region received 5% or less of average precipitation during the water year that began Oct. 1, said Alex Tardy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in San Diego. Orange County and the Inland Empire.

Downtown LA has received 0.16 of an inch of rain since Oct. 1 — 3% of the season's average of 5.56 inches. For many parts of Southern California, “it's a dry start to any water year, and you can see extreme fire behavior with ignitions,” Tardi said.

In the coming days, Monday and Tuesday are the most worrisome, with a 70% chance Red flag warnings For Los Angeles and Ventura counties, one indicates a high chance of hazardous fire behavior, according to the National Weather Service.

Humidity could drop below 10% next week, meaning plants will be particularly bone dry and vulnerable. As for the wind, there is growing hope that moderate Santa Anas will develop.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Christine Crowley said: “We have dry fuel with less moisture burning. “More wind is on the horizon…our community needs to be prepared for next week.”

Officials have confirmed that 3,328 structures were destroyed in the Palisades fire. Another 591 were damaged, Cal Fire said. That number is likely to rise as officials continue to assess damage. Officials estimate that 5,300 buildings were destroyed in the fire.

Damage assessments confirmed that 6,782 structures were destroyed and 773 damaged in the Eaton fire, although crews have completed assessments for only 60% of the structures along the fire's path, according to Cal Fire. Officials estimate 7,000 structures were damaged or destroyed; Structures can include homes, businesses, small buildings, sheds, and even vehicles.

The causes of the two major fires are under investigation.

Investigators looking into the Eaton fire are focusing on the area around Edison, Southern California Power transmission tower in Eaton Canyon.

Southern California President Edison said Wednesday that the wind is picking up Blows at Eaton Canyon on Jan. 7 A powerful transmission line is not strong enough to meet the threshold used by the company to de-energize.

As for Palisades FireThe fire, which started in the Skull Rock area north of Sunset Boulevard, appears to be human-caused, sources familiar with the investigation told The Times. Officials are investigating whether the small fire, caused by fireworks on New Year's Eve, somehow reignited on January 7.

Jose Medina, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Los Angeles field division, said investigators are looking for video from state-owned cameras in the area, residents and social media posts.

Investigators have already reviewed 50 to 60 hours of video related to the Palisades fire, frame by frame, an agency spokeswoman told The Times.

Medina urged people who were in the area that day — even those who don't think they have much information — to contact the agency.

“We're talking to individuals about not just what they saw, but what they smelled and what they heard,” Medina said. “If you're in the area and see or smell anything, that can be valuable information, too.”

Times staff writers Kevin Baxter, Noah Goldberg, Matt Hamilton, Salvador Hernandez and Jenny Jarvey contributed to this report.

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