Santa Ana winds returned to buffet Southern California, raising wildfire danger as crews continued their efforts Wednesday to fully contain a pair of massive blazes that erupted amid erratic winds earlier this month, killing more than two dozen people and destroying more than 15,000 structures.
Forecasters took the rare step of issuing a “particularly dangerous situation warning” for a large portion of Los Angeles and Ventura counties Sunday afternoon due to damaging Santa Ana winds and very low humidity.
That warning expired at 10 a.m. Tuesday, but a standard red flag warning of critical fire danger will remain in place across a large swath of Los Angeles County until 8 p.m. Thursday, according to National Weather Service forecasters.
The affected area includes the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, the San Gabriel Mountains, the 5 and 14 Freeway corridors, the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys, the Malibu Coast, Calabasas and Agoura Hills.
“Northeast winds will weaken and shrink in coverage (Tuesday night) into Wednesday, but will remain locally gusty in the favored hills and mountains,” according to the NWS. “Winds will strengthen and expand once again Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning, then lower and shrink in coverage again Thursday night into Friday. Meanwhile, extremely low humidities will persist with minimums under 10 percent over much of the area and poor overnight recoveries. While many areas will see a lull in the winds tonight into Wednesday, the extremely dry conditions will persist and winds will increase again later Wednesday.”
Forecasters said the red flag warning might be extended into Friday for some of the region’s most wind-prone areas.
Officials urged residents to review their evacuation plans and make sure emergency kits are stocked with needed items should they have to evacuate.
Red-flag parking restrictions went into effect at 8 a.m. Monday in the city of Los Angeles and will remain in effect until further notice, aimed at keeping streets clear in high fire danger areas to accommodate people trying to evacuate and fire crews trying to respond to blazes.
Containment of the 14,021-acre Eaton Fire grew to 89% Wednesday, aided by water-dropping helicopters, continued extinguishing hot spots in steep, inaccessible canyons near Winters Creek, Mt. Lowe and Mt. Wilson before a new wind event moves into the region.
The 23,448-acre Palisades Fire was 65% contained.
Evacuation orders were lifted for dozens of areas in both fires this weekend, though some homes were still without electricity and/or gas service due to safety shutoffs.
A curfew remains 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.
FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers were open at UCLA Research Park West, 10850 W. Pico Blvd., and Pasadena City College Community Education Center, 3035 E. Foothill Blvd., to assist homeowners with applying for aid.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order Tuesday to expedite fire debris removal and install reinforcement barriers and sandbags with rain in the forecast for burn areas as early as this weekend.
President Donald Trump said Saturday he will “probably” travel to California this week to view the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County.
Trump referenced the fires during his inauguration speech on Monday.
“From weeks ago, without even a token of defense, they’re raging through the houses and communities, even affecting some of the wealthiest and most powerful individuals in our country, some of whom are sitting here right now. They don’t have a home any longer. That’s interesting.
“We can’t let this happen. Everyone is unable to do anything about it. That’s going to change,” he said, without elaborating.
The causes of the Eaton and Palisades fires remain under investigation. They erupted on Jan. 7 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.
Together, the fires have killed at least 28 people and destroyed at least 14,362 structures. As of Sunday, more than 8,300 firefighting personnel were engaged in the efforts to fight the blazes.
Emergencies have been declared in the county and the state, and then-President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for the state. By the time all the damage is assessed, the fires are expected to constitute the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
Due to red flag warnings in place, several public places were closed until Tuesday, including Griffith Park, the Los Angeles Zoo and the Autry Museum of the American West, inside the Park.