Eaton Fire Containment Grows; Nearly 7,100 Structures Destroyed

Updated, 7:30 a.m. Saturday

LOS ANGELES, CA — Firefighters have gained more containment over the Eaton Fire, which has now claimed nearly 7,100 structures and is burning at more than 14,100 acres as of Saturday morning.

As of 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Cal Fire officials said the blaze was burning in an area with steep, complex terrain and was being fueled by critically dry conditions. Despite the difficulties, officials said minimal fire growth was recorded overnight.

While the wind cooperated with firefighting efforts late Friday night, north-to-northeast winds are expected to gradually increase Saturday, peaking in strength Saturday evening. Gusts could reach 25 mph through Sunday, according to the latest forecasts.

Officials on Friday shifted focus to recovery efforts for residents impacted by the devastating that has ravaged Altadena and Pasadena since Tuesday.

In an extraordinary announcement, authorities warned everyone to stay away from the community of Altadena on Friday night.

"No one is allowed into Altadena at this time," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Capt. Jabari Williams said at an afternoon press conference.

Officials earlier on Friday had told residents that they would be allowed in to survey the damage to their homes and collect any belongings they may have left behind, provided they had proper identification. But they clarified Friday afternoon that is not the case and that information was given in error.

"I promise you, we are going to make it a priority for the residents to be able to get back and do an assessment in terms of their property," county Supervisor Kathryn Barger said at a Friday afternoon press conference.

Williams said that residents will be turned away even if they provide ID because the area is still not safe due to debris in the road, active fires and wires down throughout streets.

Earlier Friday, Barger described the scene on the ground.

"It looks like a war zone. I've never seen anything like it," County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said at a Friday afternoon press conference. "You can go blocks where there's no homes, and then you go a block where you'll see a little bit of smoldering on a tree, but none of the homes
been impacted."

Officials are optimistic as firefighting efforts continue and winds begin to die down. Meteorologist James White said most of the fire area should be sheltered from the wind over the weekend.

"We expect to gain significant containment in this area this afternoon and this evening, after we feel a little bit more comfortable and the Red Flag Warning expires," said Don Fregulia, an operations section chief for the California Department of Forestry.

Barger described the firefighting effort as "whack-a-mole" with crews rushing to quell unpredictable flames while winds spread embers for miles. Flames made a run towards historic Mount Wilson Thursday, but crews were able to protect the Observatory building and the telescope remains undamaged LA County Fire Department Fire Chieft Anthony Marrone said.

No other buildings and infrastructure have been damaged or destroyed at Mount Wilson.

Some 1,603 personnel were assigned to the firefighting effort, with Friday's priority structure protection and fire line construction to increase containment on the east, north and west flanks.

At a Friday press conference, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said 10 people are known to have been killed in the fires and he expects the death toll to rise as more searches of the scorched area take place.

"At one point, we'll be able to do a more thorough search of these impacted areas — some of them look like a bomb was dropped in them — where we will be able to bring in canines and other things to help us, hopefully not discover too many fatalities," Luna said. "That's our
prayer. But this is a crisis, and we don't know what to expect, but we're ready for everything."

Several reptiles die after Eaton Canyon Nature Center burns down

On Friday, the community was grappling with yet another devastating loss. The Fire tore through the Eaton Canyon Nature Center.

“The nature center is gone ... the wildflowers, the shrubs are gone,” said Richard Smart, Superintendent of the Eaton Canyon Natural Area in Pasadena, in an interview on Thursday.

He said that only a few exterior walls of the Eaton Canyon Nature Center were left standing after wildfires tore through the area. The nature center burned down before, in 1993, and did not reopen until 1997.

“The park is such a touchstone for people in the community, and so tolose that is just — devastating is not even the right word. It feels indescribable,” he said.

Staffers were unable to reach the center in time to evacuate the animals. Around 15 reptiles died.

Two desert tortoises survived because they were hibernating for the winter at a volunteer’s home.

The park has over 150 volunteers, many of whom have lost their homes.

Firefighter recovering from serious fall

According to Marrone, a firefighter suffered a significant injury in a fall Thursday and was hospitalized. The firefighter is expected to makea full recovery in an area hospital in stable condition, Marrone confirmed.

The total death toll for the fires in Los Angeles County is hard to confirm at this time, Luna said at a Thursday afternoon press conference. The confirmed number of lives claimed by the fires was at
least 10 as of Friday, Luna said.

"When people are asking us for numbers of fatalities, we want to give them to you, but we have to wait until it's safe for our personnel to be able to go in there and do this right," Luna said. "Because to some people, the death toll may just be a number. To us, on our side of the fence, each one of those numbers is a family member."

Relatives identified four people Thursday who died in the Eaton Fire. The victims include Rodney
Nickerson, 82, Victor Shaw, 66, and Anthony Mitchell, 67, and his son Justin, who was in his 20s.

Curfew in place

Officials have also implemented a curfew for the burn areas, including near Eaton from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

"I do want to stress that the majority of the people they are having to rescue out of homes and vehicles are individuals that chose not to evacuate. Not only putting themselves in danger, but putting the first responders in more significant danger," Luna said.

“You cannot be in these affected areas. If you are, you are subject to arrest,” he said.

Evacuation orders and warnings

Roughly 100,000 people in the area are under mandatory evacuation orders and another 100,000 people are under evacuation warning, according to Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo. More than 39,000 structures are at risk for areas under evacuation orders or warnings.

According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department over 7,000 buildings have been destroyed and thousands of people remain under evacuation. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

Additional evacuation orders were mandated Thursday as the flames climbed atop Mount Wilson, threatening a prominent communications hub for local law enforcement as well as many broadcast T.V. and F.M. radio stations. Authorities called for the immediate evacuation of Mount
Wilson and the Observatory due to the fire.

Despite drastic conditions persisting, some evacuation notices have been lifted. Glendale city officials lifted evacuation orders for the Glen Oaks and Chevy Chase canyons on Thursday.

Additional evacuation orders were lifted Thursday afternoon in the city of Arcadia for homes south of Elkins Avenue in Zones 2, 3 and 4. Residents north or Elkins Avenue reamain under evacuation order.

Click here to see evacuation order updates.

Evacuation Shelters

Pasadena city officials said the evacuation shelter at the Pasadena Convention Center is fully occupied. People seeking shelter were advised to confirm availability in other county evacuation shelters.

• El Camino Real Charter High School 5440 Valley Circle Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
• Ritchie Valens Recreation Center at 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd
• Pan Pacific Recreational Center at 7600 Beverly Blvd.

• Westwood Recreation Center 1350 S Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
• Pomona Fairplex 1101 W McKinley Ave, Pomona

Several closures in place

The entire of the Angeles National Forest is temporarily closed for public safety through Jan. 15. During the closure it is prohibited to go into Angeles National Forest and be on any National Forest System roads or trails.

The Pasadena Courthouse has closed due to its proximity to the Eaton fire, according to court officials. Scheduled matters on the calendar with be postponed and rescheduled for a later date.

Urgent criminal matters will be heard at the downtown Criminal Courts Building and temporary restraining orders can be obtained at the Alhambra Courthouse.

Classesat Pasadena City College were canceled until Monday. The college is providing free meals to students, staff and faculty affected by the fires between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the Piazza in the Campus Center.

"When the days are long and hard, our community reminds us that we are not alone. When we
are in need, our community provides care and comfort," Pasadena City College President José Gómez said "And when our spirits are weak, devastated by all we have experienced and witnessed, our community offers us strength."

As a result of the fire, classes were also canceled for schools in the Pasadena, Glendale, Alhambra, South Pasadena, San Marino, La Cañada,Burbank, Arcadia and Monrovia unified school districts.

Animal rescue efforts

Pasadena's Humane Society has taken in more than 300 pets and is looking for foster volunteers to help lessen the shelter burden. Contactthem here.

"We are seeing many wild animals come to us in need of help. Many of these animals are orphaned or suffering from smoke inhalatio," the humane society said Thursday night.

Animal Evacuation Shelters

• Los Angeles Equestrian Center 480 W Riverside Dr, Burbank, CA 91506

• Agoura Animal Care Center 29525 Agoura Rd, Agoura Hills, CA 91301
• Industry Hills Expo 16200 Temple Ave
• Castaic Animal Care Center 31044 Charlie Canyon
• Downey Animal Care Center 11258 Garfield Ave, Downey
• El Camino High School 5440 Valley Circle Blvd, Woodland Hills
• Lancaster Animal Care Center 5210 W Ave I, Lancaster
• Palmdale Animal Care Center 38550 Sierra Hwy, Palmdale
• Pasadena Humane Society 361 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena

Law enforcement efforts and crime

Luna gave a staunch warning to those entering evacuation zones or neighborhoods that have been severely burned. National Guard personnel will be in and around the fire area handling patrol efforts to deter people from looting or tampering with homes.

The fast-moving brush fire broke out in the Eaton Canyon area Tuesday and quickly exploded to 3,000 acres amid powerful Santa Ana winds. The blaze, dubbed the Eaton Fire, spread so rapidly that staff at a senior care center had to push dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital
bedsdown the street to a parking lot where they waited in their bed clothes for ambulances and other vehicles to take them to safety.

It forced evacuation orders for the hills above Altadena, Pasadena, Sierra Madre and Arcadia Tuesday and evacuations expanded to La Cañada Flintridge and Monrovia Wednesday. It quickly destroyed homes Tuesday night.

As of Friday morning, all of La Cañada Flintridge was under evacuation orders along with parts of Altadena, Sierra Madre and Pasadena and Monrovia. Authorities urged residents to heed evacuation orders because residents and first responders are getting trapped by the fast-moving fire, sometimes having to shelter in place in their vehicles as the inferno rages nearby.

Pasadena directed all residents not to drink the tap water due to the Eaton Fire. They should not even boil the water, just drink bottled water only. In the Palisades water zone, the boil water order applies just to the 90272 zip code and the adjacent community north of San Vicente.

Much of the community is engulfed in a cloud of black smokes. People affected by smoke from the Eaton Fire were advised Thursday by the Pasadena Public Health Department to remain indoors and avoid outside activities to prevent smoke and ash inhalation.

"High winds are driving rapid fire growth, posing a significant threat to nearby communities and making containment efforts challenging," CalFire reported. "Firefighters are working aggressively to slow the spread and protect critical infrastructure under extreme conditions. The combination of low humidity, dry fuels, and shifting winds has heightened the potential for spot fires and rapid expansion. Residents are urged to remain alert and follow instructions from local authorities as the situation evolves."

Heavy wind gusts are sending flames up and down residential streets, with gusts carrying embers as far as a mile away. Homes, cars, trees and telephone poles were burning in every direction Wednesday morning.

Altadena resident Carl Jones is one person who did not evacuate because he wanted to try to save his home, but he lost it anyway.

"I tried to do what I could. I tried to stay and save it, but I couldn't," he told KTLA as tears trailed down the ash on his cheeks. "But my mom wanted her dad's picture off the wall, and I got it."

SEE ALSO: CA Fire Photos: Thousands Flee Homes As Deadly Fires Rage

The fire was reported at about 6:20 p.m. near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive in the Altadena foothills, according to Cal Fire.

Patch Staffer Paige Austin, City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.