LA Fires: 24 Dead, 62 Miles Burned, Major Threat Looms

UPDATE AT 7 A.M.: Two dozen people have now perished in the Palisades and Eaton Fires, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner announced Sunday night.

The grim total includes 16 lives lost to the Eaton Fire and eight killed in the Palisdaes Fire. Authorities warned residents to expect the death toll to climb as searchers comb through the rubble and residents begin returning to heir neighborhoods.

As of Monday morning, the Palisades Fire was at 14 percent containment and had reached 23,707 acres and the Eaton Fire was at 33 percent containment and had reached 14,117, according to Cal Fire.

ORIGINAL POST:

LOS ANGELES, CA — Angelenos awoke to another surreal, smoke-filled morning Sunday.

Firefighters are waging epic battles to halt the Eaton and Palisades fires, knowing another powerful Santa Ana windstorm will threaten their progress Sunday night through Wednesday.

Officers and deputies are searching through 62 square miles of rubble, grid by grid, announcing the deaths of 24 people with several more reported missing Sunday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced an executive order to fast-track rebuilding, an order that will likely cover homes yet to burn in the Eaton and Palisades fires, the most destructive urban firestorms in modern U.S. history.

Thousands of residents returned home Sunday, searching for pets, neighbors and hope in entire communities lost to the flames.

The largest county in the United States is trying to move forward even as the flames still menace.

"We're focused on two things, containing the fires and saving lives and protecting property. With the impending winds, we've got to pay really, really close attention to this," Los Angeles Fire Department Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said Sunday afternoon. "This wind event is approaching us, and it's approaching us very, very quickly. I want to reassure you that your LAFD, all of our regional partners, every single agency that has come from up and down the state and outside of the state, we are ready. "

Forecasters again warned of dangerous weather with the return of strong winds this week. The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for severe fire conditions through Wednesday, with sustained winds of 50 mph and gusts in the mountains reaching 70 mph. The most dangerous day will be Tuesday, said weather service meteorologist Rich Thompson.

“You’re going to have really strong gusty Santa Ana winds, a very dry atmosphere and still very dry brush, so we still have some very critical fire weather conditions out there,” Thompson said at a community meeting Saturday night.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said 70 additional water trucks arrived to help crews fend off flames spread by renewed gusts. “We are prepared for the upcoming wind event,” he said.

Fierce Santa Anas have been largely blamed for turning the wildfires sparked last week into infernos that leveled entire neighborhoods around the city where there has been no significant rainfall in more than eight months.

Twelve people were missing within the Eaton Fire zone and four were missing from the Palisades Fire, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Sunday. Luna added that “dozens” more reports might have come in Sunday morning and investigators were reconciling whether some of the missing might be among the dead. There are no children among those reported missing, he said.

Eight of the deaths were attributed to the Palisades Fire and 16 resulted from the Eaton Fire, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said in a statement Saturday evening.

The previous number of confirmed fatalities before Saturday was 11, but officials said they expected that figure to increase as teams with cadaver dogs conduct systematic grid searches in leveled neighborhoods. Authorities have established a center where people can report the missing.

As of Monday morning, the Palisades Fire was at 14 percent containment and had reached 23,707 acres and the Eaton Fire was at 33 percent containment and had reached 14,117, according to Cal Fire.

Newsom announced Sunday that he had signed an executive order to suspend permitting and review requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Coastal Act to allow fire victims to restore their homes and businesses faster.

Among other things, the order directs state agencies to identify additional permitting requirements, including provisions of the Building Code, that can safely be suspended or streamlined to accelerate rebuilding and make it more affordable. It also extends protections against price gouging on building materials, storage services, construction and other essential goods and services to Jan. 7, 2026, in Los Angeles County.

Officials were building an online database to allow evacuated residents to see if their homes were damaged or destroyed. In the meantime, Crowley, LA's Fire Chief, urged people to stay away from scorched neighborhoods.

“There are still active fires that are burning within the Palisades area, making it extremely, extremely dangerous for the public," Crowley said at a Sunday briefing. "There’s no power, there’s no water, there’s broken gas lines, and we have unstable structures. The first responders are working as quickly as possible to ensure that it is safe for you to return into your communities.”

Officials warned the ash can contain lead, arsenic, asbestos and other harmful materials.

About 150,000 people in Los Angeles County remained under evacuation orders, with more than 700 residents taking refuge in nine shelters, Luna said.

By Sunday morning, Cal Fire reported the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth and Hurst fires had consumed more than 62 square miles, an area larger than San Francisco. The Palisades Fire was 11% contained and containment on the Eaton Fire reached 27%. Those two blazes accounted for 59 square miles.

The fires have burned more than 12,000 structures, a term that includes homes, businesses and vehicles.

Since the fires broke out on Tuesday, some 13 million people across the Los Angeles region have anxiously awaited the fate of their communities.

The disaster took homes from everyone — from waiters to movie stars. The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage, but private firms have estimated it will climb into the tens of billions. The Walt Disney Co. announced Friday it will donate $15 million to respond to the fires and help rebuild.

The flames hit schools, churches, a synagogue, libraries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks and local landmarks like the Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House and a Queen Anne-style mansion in Altadena that dated back to 1887 and was commissioned for wealthy mapmaker Andrew McNally.

Neighbors wandered around ruins Friday as they described now-vanished bedrooms, recently remodeled kitchens and outdoor living spaces. Some talked about the gorgeous views that drew them to their properties, their words contrasting sharply with the scene of soot and ash.

In the coastal community of Pacific Palisades, Greg Benton surveyed where he lived for 31 years, hoping to find his great-grandmother’s wedding ring in the wreckage.

“We just had just had Christmas morning right over here, right in front of that chimney. And this is what’s left,” he said, pointing to the blackened rubble that was once his living room. “It’s those small family heirlooms that are the ones that really hurt the most.”

As the Palisades fire closed in on the 405 freeway on Saturday morning, residents were on edge waiting to see if the fire would reach Encino or Brentwood or jump the freeway into Bel Air. Evacuations in parts of Brentwood, Tarzana and Encino have been issued

The Getty Center and the West LA VA Medical Center have evacuated their facilities and, students at UCLA were warned to be ready to evacuate should the Palisades Fire jump the San Diego (405) Freeway.

County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the LA area "had another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak, and even more Angelenos evacuated due to the northeast expansion of the Palisades Fire."

Meanwhile, the entirety of Altadena remains closed off to the public amid dangerous conditions. And a strictly enforced curfew from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. was being enforced in all mandatory evacuation zones.

While the winds were calm enough for firefighters to gain some ground late Friday and Saturday, north-to-northeast winds are expected to gradually increase.

What to know as of Sunday.:

• As of Sunday morning, the Palisades Fire had burned 23,707 acres and was still just 11% contained, with 4,720 firefighting personnel assigned.
• The Eaton Fire was 27% contained at 14,117 acres.
• The news was better for the Hurst Fire in Sylmar, which was 89% contained at 799 acres, with 300 firefighters assigned.
• The Palisades Fire has reached Mandeville Canyon, home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities not far from the Pacific coast.

• New shelters have opened in Van Nuys and Canoga Park for those displaced. (See list of shelters below).
• Parts of Encino, Tarzana and Brentwood have been evacuated as Palisades Fire marches toward those communities.
• Two people were arrested Sunday for flying drones in areas affected by the Eaton Fire, LA Sheriff's Department Captain Jabari Williams said.
• UCLA Housing sent an email urging students to stay vigilant and ready to evacuate due to the nearby Palisades fire.
• Ocean waters from Surfrider Beach to Dockweiler State Beach should be avoided due to contamination caused by the fires, authorities said Saturday morning.
• Water is being drawn from the Encino Reservoir to stop the Palisades blaze from spreading.
• A local health emergency has been declared in LA amid traveling ash, smoke and soot which has hampered air quality.
• Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a warning to business owners and landlords against price gouging on Saturday morning. "It is illegal. You cannot do it," he said, warning that perpetrators would be arrested, prosecuted, spend up to a year in jail and/or pay a $10,000 fine. Those who witness or experience price gouging — from gas stations to rental units — should report it here.
• An insurance workshop will be held at 10 a.m. on Jan. 25 and 26 at Pasadena City College. Schedule an appointment by calling 1-800-927-4357.
• Here's where evacuees can pick up their mail, as reported by NBC4.

As of 1 p.m. Sunday, here's the latest on fires burning:

• Palisades: 23,707 acres burned, 11% containment, 4,720 firefighting personnel assigned.Evacuations in place. READ THE LATEST.
• Eaton: 14,117 acres burned, 27% containment. Evacuations in place. READ THE LATEST.
• Kenneth: 1,052 acres burned, 80% containment.
• Hurst: 799 acres burned, 89% containment.

Officials Face Critical Questions As Fires Level Whole Neighborhoods

Authorities and political figures, particularly LA Mayor Karen Bass, are increasingly being questioned and receiving criticism for the general response to the multiple fires that decimated swaths of the county.

At a news conference on Saturday morning, Sheriff Robert Luna acknowledged and welcomed tough questions from reporters but defended first responders. He characterized the crisis as an anomaly.

"We weren't dealing with two fires. We were dealing with multiple incidents all around our county. And I gotta tell you, from a first responder perspective, we're still answering 911 calls. We are still responding to people who are asking for help throughout the entire county of Los Angeles," he said.

LAFD Fire Chief Anthony Marrone echoed that sentiment at the same meeting.

"It wasn't for a lack of preparation and decision-making that resulted in this catastrophe, it was a natural disaster," Marrone said.

Allegations of leadership failures and political blame have begun and so have investigations. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered state officials to determine why a 117 million-gallon reservoir was out of service and some hydrants had run dry. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said city leadership failed her department by not providing enough money for firefighting. She also criticized the lack of water.

“When a firefighter comes up to a hydrant, we expect there’s going to be water,” she said.

Here is a list of evacuation centers for those displaced in the LA fires:

• Calvary Community Church, 5495 Via Rocas, Westlake Village, CA 91362
• Ritchie Valens Recreation Center – 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Pacoima, CA 91331
• Pan Pacific Recreational Center – 7600 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036
• Westwood Recreation Center – 1350 Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025
• Pasadena Civic Auditorium – 300 East Green Street, Pasadena, CA 91101
• Pomona Fairplex (Gate 3) – 1101 W McKinley Ave, Pomona, CA 91768
• Stoner Recreation Center – 1835 Stoner Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90025
• Lanark Recreation Center – 21816 Lanark Street, Canoga Park, CA 91304
• Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks Rec Center – 14201 Houston St, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

The Associated Press, City News Service and Patch Staffer Kat Schuster contributed to this report.