Los Angeles firefighters battle two massive blazes as the National Weather Service pushed back its dire warning of critical fire weather, which came as a much-needed reprieve. Forecasters stated that although the winds were below danger levels, they were still predicted to increase with gusts that could start a fire, thus the threat has not decreased. Officials noted that a rise in winds meant that danger was still present, and red flag warnings were still in place from Central California to the Mexican border.
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles said in a post on social media, “Key message: We are not out of the woods yet. The winds underperformed today, but one more enhancement could happen tonight-tomorrow.” Santa Ana winds may carry fire-sparking embers for miles and stoke new outbreaks, officials warned.
Christian Litz, the chief of the CalFire Operations Section, reported that although there were no active flames, the Palisades fire, the biggest fire, was still far from being extinguished.
In an effort to keep their lines from starting fresh fires, companies turned off power to around 90,000 homes. About 50 people were arrested by police for curfew violations, drone flying in fire zones, and looting.
The weather agency said that winds, combined with severely dry conditions, have created a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” which means that any new fire could explode in size.
As she compared the aftermath of wildfires to a “dry hurricane,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass voiced confidence that the region is prepared to handle the new danger.
Although winds were not predicted to reach the same high levels as they did last week, they might still ground firefighting aircraft, according to LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.
Over 63 square miles (163 square kilometers) had been burned by the four biggest fires. The greatest fire in the Pacific Palisades was much less contained than the Eaton Fire near Pasadena, which was about one-third contained.
Death toll is likely to rise, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna and nearly 30 people are still missing. Just under 90,000 people in the county remained under evacuation orders.
Developments:
President Joe Biden has decided the federal government will pick up the entire cost of emergency work California will require over six months because of the fires instead of only 75%, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.
The Sheriff’s office lifted evacuation orders for some communities in Altadena, hit hard by the Eaton Fire, starting at 3 p.m. PT Tuesday.
The Palisades Fire, which reduced the Pacific Palisades neighborhood to rubble, has consumed 23,713 acres and is 18% contained, according to Cal Fire. The agency said the Eaton Fire, located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, has burned 14,117 acres and is 35% contained.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said 11 new fires broke out overnight, including the Auto Fire in Ventura County, but were quickly extinguished. By Tuesday night, the Auto Fire burned 61 acres, 47% of which were contained. The county’s fire department said the blaze’s forward progress was stopped.
The set of remains tied to the Eaton Fire was determined to be not human
In an update Tuesday night, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office said a set of remains the office was investigating in connection to the Eaton Fire was determined to be non-human. The remains were discovered in Altadena.
At least 25 people have died as a result of the Palisades Fire, according to the medical examiner’s office, which also confirmed another fatality. It is estimated that 16 persons perished in the Eaton Fire and 9 perished in the Palisades Fire.
The medical examiner’s office has confirmed that 21 of the 25 cases’ remains are human. The processing of the final four instances is still ongoing.
Water supply issues are attributed to the public utility in a lawsuit.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is being sued by over a dozen victims of the Pacific Palisades wildfire for allegedly contributing to the destruction of the fire by failing water supplies.
Residents and a pizzeria owner filed the case, accusing the company of causing fire hydrants to dry up just hours after the fire started. The claimants claimed that the fire destroyed all of their houses or places of business.
According to the complaint, the biggest municipal utility in the United States, LADWP, ought to have kept water in a neighboring reservoir that was dry when the fire started. The complaint claims that the Santa Ynez Reservoir, which has a capacity of 117 million gallons, has been depleted since February 2024.
The lawsuit comes after previous court cases related to the wildfires in California. Southern California Edison was recently sued by a group of locals and business owners over the Eaton Fire.
