LA wildfires near full containment as rain moves out of region

Wet weather and diminished winds aided efforts over the weekend to contain the three active wildfires in the Los Angeles region.

As of Tuesday morning, the Eaton Fire in Altadena and Pasadena was 99% contained after scorching 14,021 acres, with repopulation efforts completed, Cal Fire reported.

The 23,448-acre Palisades Fire was 95% contained and evacuation orders have been lifted in most areas. Some neighborhoods within LA city limits were still under evacuation orders, but those were expected to soon be lifted.

The Hughes Fire has scorched 10,425 acres since breaking out Wednesday, but firefighters achieved 98% containment of the blaze near Castaic Lake on Tuesday.

With the rain leaving the LA area, the National Weather Service either canceled or allowed the expiration of flood warnings that had been in place, although a flood watch remained in effect for the Hughes Fire zone until 10 a.m. Monday.

County Public Works Department crews were continuing to remove fire debris with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which is coordinating the phase-one removal of hazardous wastes, and the Army Corps of Engineers, which will supervise the removal of physical debris from the fire zones.

The wildfires have claimed 29 lives, 17 as a result of the Eaton Fire and 12 in the Palisades Fire.

The LA County Medical Examiner Department has identified 18 of the confirmed fatalities in the two fires. A list of the victims is available on the department’s website.

A curfew remains in effect every night from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in areas still under evacuation orders. Firefighters, law enforcement and utility workers are the only people allowed in those areas.

The sheriff’s department and other law enforcement agencies have reported dozens of arrests for alleged looting, burglaries and curfew violations since the fires started Jan. 7 in Altadena and Pacific Palisades.

Updated information on evacuation orders and other information about the fires is available via fire.ca.gov/Incidents.

To assist homeowners aid applications, Disaster Recovery Centers with one-stop access to federal, state and local government agencies are open at UCLA Research Park West, 10850 W. Pico Blvd., Pasadena City College Community Education Center, 3035 E. Foothill Blvd., and in Altadena at 540 W. Woodbury Road. The recovery centers are open daily 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Pasadena location is scheduled to close Saturday, with all services shifting to the Altadena location.

The causes of the Eaton, Palisades and Hughes fires were under investigation.

The Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon fires erupted Jan. 7 as the region was under a red flag warning for critical fire danger because of a historic wind event brought hurricane-force gusts.

Over 16,000 structures were destroyed and more than 2,000 were damaged in the two fires, according to Cal Fire.

When all damage costs are totaled, the wildfires are expected to be the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history.

Updated Jan. 28, 2025, 10:21 a.m.

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