The death toll from the Eaton Fire in the Altadena and Pasadena areas has grown to 11 after the discovery of three additional bodies in the rubble, as firefighters braced for more gusty Santa Ana winds expected this week.
At a briefing Sunday morning, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said three additional victims were found Saturday.
“Yesterday we started a search and rescue operation out in the Eaton area, where in the first day of this operation, grid searching, we searched approximately 364 properties in the Altadena area, and unfortunately during that search we did locate three deceased,” Luna said. “As these searches continue, I unfortunately anticipate that those numbers will increase. We will start a similar operation in the northern side of the county here very soon.”
One of the victims was identified as 66-year-old Victor Shaw of Altadena, who died in his residence after suffering from smoke inhalation and thermal injuries, according to the Los Angeles County Office of Medical Examiner.
Luna said the sheriff’s department has received 16 missing persons reports, 12 in the Eaton Fire area and four in the Palisades Fire area. The sheriff’s department announced that family assistance centers were available for people looking for missing loved ones.
Containment of the Eaton Fire, which has burned 14,117 acres, was at 27%. More than 7,000 structures have been destroyed or damaged, many of them homes and nearly 40,000 structures were said to be threatened. Those numbers were expected to rise after further evaluation.
An army of firefighters worked overnight clearing more lines of vegetation around the fire while cutting down falling trees that were making it dangerous for firefighters and the public to get around.
High wind warnings were in place until 2 p.m. Sunday for the San Gabriel Mountains and western Santa Monica Mountains, with gusts of 60 mph or more. Winds were expected to weaken into Sunday afternoon, but a stronger offshore wind event will likely develop between Monday night and Wednesday, with gusts up to 60 mph.
“It goes without saying that these winds combined with the very low humidities and tinder dry fuels will lead to Red Flag Fire conditions,” according to the National Weather Service.
SoCalGas officials said the utility had temporarily shut off natural gas service to 16,700 customers Saturday in the Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre communities. SoCalGas was working with contractors and mutual aid from San Diego Gas and Electric, Northwest Natural, and Pacific Gas and Electric to restore service, the company stated, adding it could take days or even weeks to restore service due to the large number of impacted customers.
Evacuation orders remained in place for the affected areas due to continued fire activity, numerous downed trees, downed power lines, gas leaks and power outages.
An evacuation center was set up at the Pasadena Convention Center at 300 E. Green St. The Humane Society is on-site to accept small pets for boarding.
Small animals were also being accepted at Baldwin Park Animal Care Center at 4275 Elton St., while large animals were accepted at Industry Hills Expo Center at 16200 Temple in the city of Industry.
On Sunday, an evacuation order was downgraded to an evacuation warning for the area south of New York Drive and east of North Hill Avenue to Altadena Drive in Altadena, with residents permitted to return to their homes.
On Saturday, evacuation orders were lifted for the following areas:
— The city of Bradbury, and Bradbury estates.
— The city of Duarte.
— In La Canada Flintridge, from Angeles Crest Highway east to Oakwood Avenue, north of Angeles Crest Highway at the curve West to Haskell Street, north of Foothill Boulevard to Knight way and the intersection of Gould Canyon Trail at Crown Avenue, east to Varo Road.
Evacuation orders were changed to evacuation warnings for the following areas:
— In La Canada Flintridge, north of Knight way/Gould Canyon Trail and east of Oakwood Avenue/Angeles Crest Highway at the curve, to Gould Mesa Road and Starlight Crest Drive.
— NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
A curfew was in effect nightly from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the mandatory evacuation areas, with only firefighters, law enforcement and utility workers allowed in those zones. Luna said Sunday that 29 people have been arrested so far, 25 in the Eaton Fire area and four in the Palisades Fire area.
Officials continued to warn people of highly unhealthy air quality in the region, and said drinking water in evacuation zones is not safe to drink.
Some 3,155 personnel were assigned to the firefighting effort, with the U.S. Forest Service, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Pasadena Fire Department, Arcadia Fire Department, Sierra Madre Fire Department, Pasadena Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department working under a unified command.
As a result of the fire, the Pasadena Unified School District, which includes Altadena, closed its campuses until Jan. 17. The Glendale Unified School District said its schools would re-open Monday with the exception of Rosemont Middle School, where a tree fell on campus.
All schools in the La Canada Unified School District were closed until Tuesday.
Pasadena City College was set to re-open on Monday.
The entire Angeles National Forest has been closed for public safety and the protection of natural resources through at least Wednesday.
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens was closed at least through Tuesday.
A few miles to the east, Santa Anita Park in Arcadia canceled racing this weekend due to the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles County. Morning training continued as scheduled both days and Santa Anita remained open for simulcast wagering.
Track property was being used to support several relief efforts, including the large charity drop-off that was set up at the Rose Bowl and relocated to Santa Anita Park’s south parking lot Friday afternoon. Thousands of people flooded the parking lot Saturday and Sunday bringing supplies, and officials said they no longer needed clothing or shoes.
Southern California Edison was also using the entire north parking lot as its base camp to restore power to those in the affected areas and Santa Anita Park is working with additional response organizations requesting space.
The Eaton Fire was reported at about 6:20 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive in the hills above Altadena amid hurricane-force Santa Ana winds, according to Cal Fire. The cause of the fire has not been determined.
Among the structures destroyed in the fire was the Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center. The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation reported that the Eaton Canyon Nature Center, Farnsworth Park’s Davies Community Center, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Altadena Golf Course Club House and adjacent buildings were destroyed.
Also destroyed in the blaze was The Bunny Museum in Altadena.