Aided by cooler temperatures and calm winds, firefighters extended containment of the deadly Palisades Fire to 31% Friday, as some residents were being permitted to return to their homes in select neighborhoods.
As of Thursday morning, the fire that erupted Jan. 7 had scorched 23,713 acres, according to Cal Fire. It was 21% contained Wednesday evening and 18% contained Tuesday evening, but crews were able to take advantage of favorable weather conditions to build containment in recent days, reaching 27% Thursday night and up to 31% Friday morning.
In addition to extending containment lines, crews spent much of Thursday searching for and knocking down smoldering hot spots within the burn area. Efforts were also under way to remove toxic substances and other hazardous materials to prepare burn areas for eventual repopulation.
Winds are expected to remain calm through the weekend, but another Santa Ana wind event is in the forecast for early next week.
At least 10 people have died in fire, although authorities said they anticipate the number of fatalities to continue rising as crews begin sifting through the ash and rubble.
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said Thursday the department is investigating five missing-person reports in the Palisades Fire area. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had seven active cases in areas near the Palisades Fire as of Thursday night.
At least 5,000 structures are believed to have been destroyed or damaged in the blaze that has been burning since Jan. 7. As of Friday morning, a total of 3,501 structures had been confirmed destroyed, and 603 damaged.
That number is also expected to rise as more assessments are done in the burn area.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Authorities warned 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.
Southern California Gas Co. officials had shut off service to about 13,600 customers in the Palisades Fire area for safety reasons, but the utility reported Friday that it has restored service for 2,959 of those customers.
The Gas Co. has established an information booth for residents that will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Pavilions store at 29211 Heathercliff Road in Malibu to provide information for customers.
According to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, about 14,450 customers in Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Bel-Air and Encino were still without power for safety reasons as of Friday morning. Power was restored to about 4,400 customers in Brentwood, Bel-Air and Encino after fire officials authorized the utility to switch those circuits back on.
DWP officials said if customers see that their neighbors have power, but they do not, they should try to resent the circuit breaker. If there’s still no power, they can call DWP at 800-342-5397.
The massive mandatory evacuation zone from fire stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the west, the San Diego (405) Freeway to the east, San Vicente Boulevard to the south and the Encino Reservoir to the north.
Most evacuation orders are expected to remain in place for at least another week, authorities said Thursday morning. At midday Friday, however, evacuation orders were eased or lifted in more than three dozen zones on the outskirts of the burn area. Residents in about a dozen neighborhood zones were cleared to return to their homes on Thursday.
Residents returning to the areas will be required to show identification. Some of the homes in the areas being repopulated may not have power, as the Department of Water and Power is awaiting approval from fire authorities before re-energizing lines in the fire zone.
All affected residents were urged to confirm their evacuation status by visiting protect.genasys.com/search and typing in their address.
All other evacuation orders remained in effect. Evacuation centers have been set up at the following locations:
— Westwood Recreation Center, 1350 S. Sepulveda Blvd.;
— Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Recreation Center, 14201 Huston St., Sherman Oaks;
— Lanark Recreation Center, 21816 Lanark St., Canoga Park;
— Calvary Community Church, 5495 Via Rocas, Westlake Village;
— Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd.;
— Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green St.;
— Stoner Recreation Center, 1835 Stoner Ave.;
— Pan Pacific Recreation Center, 7600 Beverly Blvd.
Small animals were being taken at the following locations:
— El Camino High School, 5440 Valley Circle Blvd, Woodland Hills;
— Agoura Animal Care Center, 29525 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills;
— Baldwin Park Animal Care Center, 4275 Elton St., Baldwin Park;
— Carson Animal Care Center, 216 W. Victoria St., Gardena;
— Castaic Animal Care Center, 31044 Charlie Canyon Road;
— Downey Animal Care Center, 11258 Garfield Ave.;
— Lancaster Animal Care Center, 5210 W. Avenue I;
— Palmdale Animal Care Center, 38550 Sierra Highway, Palmdale.
Large animals were being taken at the following locations:
— Pomona Fairplex, 101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona;
— Industry Hills Expo, 16200 Temple Ave., Industry;
— Los Angeles Equestrian Center, 480 Riverside Drive, Burbank;
— Castaic Animal Care Center, 31044 Charlie Canyon Road;
— Pico Rivera Sports Arena, 11003 Sports Arena Drive.
The American Red Cross Sheltering Site was also assisting with a mobile animal shelter for small animals only.
A curfew continues to be in effect nightly from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the mandatory evacuation areas in the Palisades and Eaton fire zones. Only firefighters, utility workers and law enforcement personnel are allowed in those areas.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna reported Thursday that 47 people had been arrested in fire areas patrolled by the sheriff’s department — 36 in Eaton Fire area, and 11 in the Palisades Fire area.
McDonnell said Tuesday the LAPD had made 14 arrests in areas it patrols.
The arrests by both agencies included a variety of offenses, including curfew violations, burglary, drug and weapon possession, DUI, vandalism and ammunition possession. McDonnell said one person was arrested for suspicion of impersonating a police officer, and another for suspicion of impersonating a firefighter.
Luna said another person was arrested Tuesday night near the Palisades fire for impersonating a firefighter.
Luna told KNX News Friday morning that California Highway Patrol officers arrested two people who were using fake media credentials to try to access the burn area.
Two men in black jumpsuits were previously arrested outside Vice President Kamala Harris’ Brentwood home. Two more arrests involved suspected drone-fliers above the Eaton Fire.
The Santa Monica Police Department, which implemented mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders in the northern part of the city, announced that it has made roughly 40 arrests.
Most Los Angeles Unified School District campuses reopened Monday, following several days of closures last week due to the fires. Masks were being provided to students and employees, and all open schools will be limited from conducting outdoor and athletics activities.
Students at nine LAUSD campuses that were closed due to the fire have resumed classes at alternate locations.
All Malibu campuses in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will remain closed through the end of the week, with plans to reopen them on Tuesday, following Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
According to Cal Fire, detailed damage inspection maps for properties within the Palisades Fire footprint showing damaged or destroyed homes — as well as homes that are not damaged or destroyed — can be found at www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2025/1/7/palisades-fire.
Los Angeles County officials said its damage assessments can be viewed at www.recovery.lacounty.gov/palisades-fire. They will be updated daily in real time.
The Palisades Fire erupted around 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7 in the area of Piedra Morada and Monte Hermoso drives as the area was under a red flag warning for critical fire danger due to a historic wind event that saw gusts of 80 mph. It continued to grow exponentially Tuesday and Wednesday driven by heavy fuel loads and powerful Santa Ana winds.
Copyright 2025, City News Service, Inc. CNS-01-17-2025 00:09