Firefighters working to contain a pair of massive L.A. County wildfires were breathing sighs of relief Thursday as red flag warnings of critical fire danger expired in much of the region, with no additional Santa Ana winds anticipated until early next week.
The break in the winds is expected to be a major boon for the firefighting effort, which was hampered over the last three days due to escalating winds, even though the Santa Anas never reached the previously anticipated strength.
A red flag warning will remain in effect until 3 p.m. Thursday in the western San Gabriel Mountains and the Golden State (5) and Antelope Valley (14) freeway corridors, with winds of 15 to 25 mph anticipated, along with gusts of up 40 mph.
According to the National Weather Service, the region will see a “significant cooling trend through the weekend.” And more importantly for firefighters, humidity levels will rise, alleviating the dry conditions that helped fuel the spread of wildfires over the past week.
“By Thursday afternoon a solid onshore flow will be arriving along the coast and working its way inland through the rest of the day, finally bringing this long offshore stretch to an end,” according to the NWS. “For Friday and the weekend, much cooler temperatures are expected as the cool onshore flow off the ocean will prevail.”
Forecasters warned, however, that Santa Ana winds are likely to return early next week, “especially later Monday into Tuesday,” but it was too early to judge how strong that event might be.
As of Wednesday, the nearly 24,000-acre Palisades Fire was 21% contained, and containment of the 14,117-acre Eaton Fire was at 45%.
Both blazes were experiencing only sparse active fire activity, with crews focused on dousing hot spots, jumping on spot fires and extending the containment lines.
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley noted Wednesday morning that despite the lack of visible flames, “there are still numerous hotspots burning within the fire footprint.”
As of Wednesday, 25 deaths have been reported in the two fires — nine in the Palisades Fire and 16 in the Eaton Fire, according to the county Medical Examiner’s Office. A death that was previously tied to the Eaton Fire was removed from the total late Tuesday night, when investigators determine the remains being examined were not human.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said his deputies were still conducting a grid search of the Eaton Fire burn area, a process he said was nearly 80% completed as of Wednesday morning.
The sheriff’s department has 26 active missing-person cases relating to the fires, Luna said, with 20 in the Eaton Fire area and six in the Malibu area.
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said Wednesday the department has eight active missing-person reports in the Palisades Fire area.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said residents can visit recovery.lacounty.gov for damage information on individual properties in the burn areas. The website has maps of the fire areas, with icons placed on properties that have been inspected. It is updated in real time as more properties are surveyed.
Roughly 5,000 structures are believed to have been destroyed or damaged in the Palisades Fire, and at least 7,000 in the Eaton Fire. Those numbers could also rise as more inspections are completed.
Authorities were warning residents near the fire areas that air quality continues to be highly unhealthy. People were urged to suspend the use of leaf blowers, to stay inside with doors and windows closed as much as possible, and to wear masks if they do go outside.
Red Flag parking restrictions went into effect in the city of L.A. beginning at 8 a.m. Monday due to the ongoing wind conditions, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The restrictions will be tightly enforced to ensure faster response times to fast-moving brush fires, and to help keep streets clear for people forced to evacuate their homes. Vehicles illegally parked in areas within the “Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones” will be towed.
Drivers were reminded to look for “Red Flag Days” no parking signs to ensure compliance. The restriction was expected to remain in place until at least 8 a.m. Thursday.
With high winds and power lines presenting a potential further fire danger, power was shut off for thousands of customers as a precaution. Southern California Edison reported Wednesday night that 15,295 of its customers in Los Angeles County were without power.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power announced Monday that it had restored power to all its customers who lost electricity during last week’s windstorm, with the exception of 17,600 customers in Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Sylmar and Encino, where lines remained deactivated as a public safety measure.
The county has implemented a curfew that continues to be in effect nightly from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the mandatory evacuation areas in the Eaton and Palisades fire zones. Only firefighters, utility workers and law enforcement personnel are allowed in those areas.
Luna reported 44 arrests so far, 36 in the Eaton Fire area and eight in the Palisades Fire area. Those arrests include two men for impersonating a firefighter in an effort to burglarize homes.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell reported 14 arrests as of Tuesday morning, including curfew violations, impersonating a police officer, impersonating a firefighter, DUI, vandalism, ammunition possession, burglary and other offenses.
The Santa Monica Police Department has announced about 40 arrests of people in evacuation zones in the northern reaches of that city.
Starting Tuesday, FEMA services and assistance were made available at a pair of Disaster Assistance Centers located at UCLA Research Park — formerly the Westside Pavilion in West Los Angeles at 10850 W. Pico Blvd. — and at Pasadena City College Community Education Center, 3035 E. Foothill Blvd.
Those centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
The deadly wildfires have destroyed at least 35 historic places, according to the latest count by the Los Angeles Conservancy.
By the time all the damage in assessed, the fires are expected to constitute one of the costliest disasters in U.S. history. Newsom told NBC News on Sunday that he believes the fires will be the worst natural disaster in the history of the country “in terms of just the costs associated with it, in terms of the scale and scope.”
On Monday, AccuWeather experts increased their estimate of total damage and economic loss from the fires to between $250 billion and $275 billion. That’s up from its estimate last week of $135 billion to $150 billion.
“Multimillion-dollar homes with priceless contents have already been lost in one of the world’s most expensive neighborhoods have contributed to this increase as well as the high costs to mitigate smoke damage and water damage due to fire suppression efforts,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said in a statement. “There will also certainly be a decrease in real estate values in some of the affected areas as a result of the fires. And perhaps even migration changes as large numbers of people leave California rather than choose to rebuild.”
Emergencies have been declared in the county and the state, and President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for the state. Both Newsom and County Supervisor Kathryn Barger have invited President-elect Donald Trump to visit the area and assess the damage.