LA Fires: 41 Missing As Residents Return To 'Damage Beyond Belief'

LOS ANGELES, CA — Many evacuees of fire-scarred Los Angeles have finally been given a timeline of when they can return home as this week's threat of dangerous windstorms passed.

Residents are bracing for the vast scale of the rebuilding effort ahead. The area scorched by the major fires is equal to three times the size of Manhattan.

At least 41 people remain missing from the burn areas of the Eaton and Palisades fires, where crews were able to gain more containment overnight. At least 27 have been confirmed dead, but officials urge that these numbers are still unofficial as crews work to recover remains and locate missing people.

However, authorities are warning returnees to be prepared for the toxicity of the devastation as the ashes of burned structures could be contaminated with hazardous materials, broken infrastructure, sediment, debris and silt. It will be at least a week before evacuees can expect to return home, officials said Thursday.

"The properties have been damaged beyond belief," Mark Pestrella, director of LA County Public Works said at a Thursday morning news conference.

Evacuation orders were lifted in several areas impacted by the Palisades Fire on Thursday. Read more about that here.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that state property tax deadlines would be extended until April 2026 as homeowners return to assess the damage inflicted on their homes.

"California is here for the survivors who have been impacted by the fire. Whether streamlining housing or helping to relieve a financial or administrative hardship, we are doing all we can to ensure these communities get the help they need," he said.

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Although the winds died down, LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley urged Angelenos to be aware of spot fires and remaining fire danger.

"The winds aren’t necessarily here in the city but we still have a large amount of unburned, dry fuel and low humidity," Crowley said, adding that people should be in a "prepare and prevent mindset."

Thursday morning's meeting was confirmed to be the last daily public news update.

Authorities are also warning that Santa Ana winds could return early next week.

"Good news: We are expecting a much-needed break from the fire weather concerns to close this week," the weather service posted on social media Wednesday afternoon. "Bad News: Next week is a concern. While confident that we will NOT see a repeat of last week, dangerous fire weather conditions are expected."

What's more, a parched landscape freshly marred with burn scars could spell more danger and hazardous conditions if rain arrives as it's forecasted near the end of the month. READ LATEST.

As of 3 p.m., here's the latest:

• Palisades Fire holds at 23,713 acres, 27% containment.
• Eaton Fire holds at 14,117 acres, 55% containment.
• Evacuation orders were lifted in four evacuation zones in the mountainous Topanga and Calabasas Peak areas at noon on Thursday. READ LATEST.
• Gov. Gavin Newsom extends property tax deadline to April 2026 for those in wildfire-impacted areas. All associated costs or interest will be suspended until April 10, 2026.
• 27 dead and 41 missing in Eaton and Palisades fire areas.
• Residents noticing slope instability or other hazards around their properties should contact 211 to have a team of experts assess the situation.
• When returning to burned areas, residents are urged to wear N95 masks and sturdy shoes.
• Wildfire victims have until March 10 to apply for FEMA and 18 months to complete the paperwork.
• The Disaster Recovery Center at UCLA Research Park West continues to be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
• Pasadena Unified School District announces a phased reopening plan over the next two weeks to ensure campuses and safe and ready to receive students. The school is working with more than 1,000 contractors to clear debris, conduct extensive sanitation efforts and meet safety benchmarks.
• School-age students in Pacific Palisades have temporarily been relocated.

Rebuilding Communities Leveled By Fires

Reeling from one of the most devastating natural disasters in Southern California's history, thousands of grieving families, displaced business owners, and overwhelmed leaders in Los Angeles County are now facing the daunting challenge of rebuilding and planning a way forward.

In Altadena, which remains mostly closed amid a dangerous and toxic fire aftermath, authorities are facing mounting questions about when residents and business owners will be able to rebuild.

"The rebuilding process will be streamlined," Pestrella said Thursday. "The board of supervisors has directed me to prepare the Altadena area as if it is a master plan community in which we are redeveloping the entire area. This master planning is already beginning."

Pestrella clarified that he was not only talking about rebuilding homes but all utilities, the water system, the sewer system and the road system.

Before that can begin, all debris must be removed from rebuilding sites, a community-wide project that is already underway, Pestrella said.

Los Angeles authorities promised to do everything they could to help people recover and rebuild. But Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged there is no way to replace much of what has been lost.

“You’ve lost memories, family. All of the experiences that took place there are gone, and gone unexpectedly, gone rapidly,” Bass said.

This week the mayor issued an executive order to eliminate red tape and allow people to live in tiny homes and trailers while they rebuild.

A Grim Search For Human Remains Continues

While the death toll between the two massive fires that are still smoldering in Los Angeles has hovered around 25 for the past several days, it could be a few days more before the true total is reported.

Crews are still combing through the burn sites along the Palisades and Malibu coast and inland Altadena areas to search for missing people. When asked to provide specifics on search results, LA Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters on Thursday that teams were still mining through unimaginable destruction.

"You've got to understand. If you haven't been out there, it literally looks like a bomb dropped," he said. "There are areas right now that we have to hold people away from so our people can do their job appropriately."

Luna said that it could be a week at minimum before residents can return to some areas.

"I'm very empathetic to anyone who wants to get back to their property, but I'm also very empathetic to people who have missing people and they're waiting to find out if they're deceased," Luna said. "Those are the kinds of tragedies or the significance of what we're dealing with."

Multiple Arson Suspects Arrested Amid Wildfire Chaos

Since the sparking of the fires last week, authorities have arrested about half a dozen people accused of setting new, small fires that were quickly knocked down.

One suspect admitted starting a fire in a tree “because he liked the smell of burning leaves,” Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said. Another said “she enjoyed causing chaos and destruction,” the chief said Wednesday.

In many of the incidents, it was bystanders who stopped and detained the alleged arsonists.

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman has vowed to seek the maximum penalty for would-be arsonists during the ongoing crisis.

Authorities have not determined the cause of the Eaton or Palisades fires, which are estimated to be the costliest fire disaster in the nation's history.

READ MORE: Arson Suspects Admit To Liking The Smell, Chaos And Destruction: LAPD