The deadly Palisades Fire was 81% contained Saturday with a chance of rain expected through Monday and a flash flood watch warning expected from 4 p.m. Sunday through 4 p.m. Monday.
A red flag warning of critical fire danger that had been in effect for much of Los Angeles County since Monday was allowed to expire at 10 a.m. Friday as a cooler weather pattern moved in.
The Palisades Fire has scorched 23,448 acres and killed at least 11 people since erupting Jan. 7. As of Friday, 6,822 structures had been destroyed by the blaze, and another 1,005 damaged. One firefighter was injured, along with three civilians, according to fire officials.
Residents were allowed to return to homes Friday in an area that included 1190 N. Piedra Morada Drive, north of Will Rogers State Park and River Canyon Park, touching Mandeville Canyon Park on the east.
More evacuation orders were lifted Thursday, in and around the Tuna Canyon area. On Wednesday, evacuations were lifted on the western end of the fire area. Only residents were being admitted to the previously evacuated areas. Residents being allowed back to their homes were asked to check in at a staging area at the Malibu Pier to receive instructions from fire personnel.
County public health officials are distributing personal protective equipment to residents returning to their homes.
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.
The sheriff’s department and other law enforcement agencies have reported dozens of arrests for alleged looting, burglaries and curfew violations since the fires in Palisades and Altadena started on Jan. 7.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported that as of Thursday morning, there were about 8,410 customers remaining without power in the Pacific Palisades area, mainly in areas where workers cannot safely access homes or in areas where it is unsafe to re-energize power lines. Customers with questions about the status of their service can call 800-342-5397.
Southern California Gas Co. had shut off service to about 13,600 customers in the Palisades Fire area for safety reasons, but the utility reported Thursday that it has restored service for 4,925 of those customers.
The utility announced Friday restoration efforts will continue in the northwest areas of Malibu beyond Pepperdine University and some small neighborhoods west of Chautauqua Boulevard in Pacific Palisades.
The Gas Co. has representatives available from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at UCLA Research Park West, 10850 Pico Blvd., to provide information for customers.
Los Angeles County officials said its damage assessments can be viewed at recocery.lacounty.gov/palisades-fire. They will be updated daily in real time.
President Donald Trump, who spoke about the Los Angeles fires during his inaugural address Monday, visited Pacific Palisades Friday afternoon, touring a neighborhood with representatives of the Los Angeles Fire Department and three area residents and vowed to “open the coffers” of the federal government and waive federal permits to expedite the rebuilding process.
“I don’t think you can realize how rough it is, how devastating it is until you see it,” Trump said of the fire damage. “I didn’t realize. I saw a lot of bad things on television, but the extent of it, the size of it. We flew over it … it is devastation. It’s incredible, it’s really an incineration. Even some of the chimneys came down. When you have chimneys come down you know that’s pretty hot stuff and a lot of them were down.
In a meeting with local, state and congressional leaders following the tour, Trump assured them “the federal government is standing behind you 100%.” He noted that the fires are “already the most expensive natural disaster, they say, in American history. That’s pretty amazing.”
Trump vowed to “essentially waive all federal permits,” noting that the permitting process can often hold up projects for 10 years, and he asked local authorities for assurances that local permitting also be expedited or waived — something Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass assured Trump was already being done.
The number of personnel committed to the firefighting effort was at 2,149 as of Friday evening, according to Cal Fire.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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 Jan. 7 and Jan. 8, driven by heavy fuel loads and powerful Santa Ana winds.