LA wildfires now 100 percent contained after burning for 3 weeks
A basketball is stuck in the net outside of a residence destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
LOS ANGELES – The two wildfires that ravaged Pacific Palisades and the Altadena-Pasadena areas were fully contained Saturday after killing 29 people, destroying more than 16,000 structures and burning more than 37,000 acres.
All evacuation orders have been lifted, but only residents and approved contractors were being permitted back into the former evacuation zones.
County public health officials are distributing personal protective equipment to residents returning to their homes in the various burn areas.
Authorities urged residents to wear masks, gloves and other protective equipment if they are digging through rubble, noting the toxic nature of wildfire ash and other debris.
Nightly curfew orders remain in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the burn areas in an effort to restrict unnecessary access and prevent looting.
The Eaton Fire in the Altadena and Pasadena areas caused at least 17 deaths, destroying 9,418 structures and damaging 1,073 more while burning 14,021 acres.
Repopulation efforts have been completed.
At least 12 people were killed in the Palisades Fire, which burned 23,448 acres, destroyed 6,837 structures and damaged 1,017 others.
Returning Palisades residents must obtain an access pass by checking in with law enforcement at the Lot 3 Beach Access, 1150 Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica. Private contractors hired by residents are also being permitted into the burn area.
The causes of the Eaton and Palisades fires remain under investigation. Both erupted on Jan. 7 as the area was under a red flag warning for critical fire danger due to a historic wind event that saw gusts of 80 to 100 mph.
The Los Angeles County Office of Medical Examiner has positively identified 18 of the 29 people confirmed dead in the two wildfires.
Pacific Coast Highway will re-open in the Palisades area at 8 a.m. Sunday, with speed reduced to 25 mph and one lane closed in each direction between Temescal Canyon Road and Carbon Beach Terrace in Malibu.
US Environmental Protection Agency crews continue working to identify and remove hazardous waste from properties scorched by the fires.
Questions continued to linger about exactly how long it would take for residents to begin the rebuilding process, but county and federal officials said Wednesday the process was being expedited as much as possible.
The first phase of the cleanup effort — the removal of hazardous materials from properties in the burn area — was underway, with the EPA tasked with completing the work within 30 days.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath has submitted a motion for Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting calling on the county Department of Public Works and Beaches and Harbors to immediately provide recommendations to urgently clean the toxic debris that stretches across miles of coastline after the recent Palisades Fire.
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“Our beaches are a beloved community asset that require our urgent attention and protection,” Horvath said.
“I will not accept that water quality advisories and ash covered beaches are the new normal. This is why I am calling on our county departments to swiftly address fire debris polluting our beaches. Immediate and lasting measures are required to safeguard marine life and protect our coast as a vital resource for all Angelenos.”
The motion directs Public Works to seek the support of state and federal agencies to scale cleanup efforts.
It also requests the departments to identify the resources needed to expand water and fire debris testing along beaches, as well as recommendations on best practices employed in similar natural disasters. (CNS)
