Palisades Fire: 8 Dead, 23,700 Acres Burn; Looter Disguised As Fireman

UPDATED AT 7:30 A.M.: Firefighters were able to hold the Palisades Fire containment overnight to 14 percent at 23,713 acres.

However, the winds picked up overnight, and crews worked frantically to stompout hot spots.

"Santa Ana winds gusting to around 40MPH were observed overnight and this morning with continued low humidity," CalFire noted.

All Los Angeles Unified School District schools outside the evacuation zones have reopened, and students were expected to return to class Monday morning.

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

ORIGINAL POST

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA — Firefighters held their ground against the Palisades Fire overnight, keeping the blaze from spreading and holding it to 23,707 acres and 13 percent containment.

The fierce firefight continued Sunday because another Santa Ana windstorm threatens to test that containment line, and if it doesn't hold, the blaze could devastate Brentwood and portions of the San Fernando Valley next. The blaze tore through Mandeville Canyon Saturday, destroying at least one home.

However, there were signs of major progress Sunday night. As the sun went down, Mandeville Canyon was pitch black. A day earlier, it looked akin to an active volcano with flames shooting into the sky.

The Los Angeles Police Department, which had been escorting residents to check on their homes in the evacuation areas that burned last week, suspended the escorts Sunday afternoon to make officers available for new evacuations that may become necessary if the winds fan hots spots into new fires.

Officers were also busy patroling for potential looters. Amomg the suspected burglars arrested on Sunday was a man disguised as a firefighter, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.

"When I was out there in the Malibu area, I saw a gentleman who looked like a firefighter, and I asked him if he was ok because he was sitting down," LA County Sheriff Robert Luna told NBC Los Angeles. "I didn't realize we had him in handcuffs. We were turning him over the LAPD because he was dressed like a fireman and he was not. He just got caught burglarizing a home."

On Monday, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman will announce charges against a group of people suspected of looting in the Pacific Palisades evacuation zones.

As of early Sunday morning, at least 5,316 structures had been destroyed, a number that includes automobiles, and at least 426 homes have been destroyed. Authorities said approximately 105,000 people are currently evacuated.

At least eight people have been killed in the Palisades Fire, and four more remain missing, The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office said Sunday.

Gov. Gavin 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.

Before that, however, firefighters have another fierce battle ahead of them.

"Sunday through Wednesday, widespread critical fire weather conditions are expected with strong Santa Ana winds," Cal Fire warned. "The strongest winds are likely on Tuesday with the Red Flag Warning expected to extend till 6 p.m. Wednesday evening."

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.

Northern winds gusting up to 50 mph were expected Sunday, with a red flag warning in effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday, accompanied by strong Santa Ana winds, Cal Fire said in a Sunday morning update on the fire.

In addition to the flames and winds, officials are fighting a torrent of misinformation surrounding this wildfire that leveled celebrity enclaves. In some cases, the misinformation has threatened efforts to keep people safe.

"Please be advised: An inaccurate social media post is currently circulating on Facebook," CalFire wrote in a Sunday fire update. "The post claims that individuals can come to California to join a clean-up crew in areas affected by recent LA wildfires. This information is false, and we would like to clarify that there is no such opportunity available."

Officials were building an online database to allow evacuated residents to see if their homes were damaged or destroyed. In the meantime, LA city Fire Chief Kristin Crowley 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.

New evacuations were underway over the weekend after the fire made a dramatic shift overnight, moving northeast to threaten the Brentwood area and the western San Fernando Valley.

The massive mandatory evacuation zone was stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the west, the San Diego (405) Freeway to the east, San Vicente Boulevard to the south and the Encino Reservoir to the north.

Evacuation warnings were issued for the following two areas: Sunset Boulevard to the south, Mullholland Drive to the north, Bellagio Road/Roscomare Road to the east and the 405 Freeway to the west; and Mulholland/Sepulveda Boulevard to the south, the 405 Freeway to the east, Ventura Boulevard to the north and Louise Avenue to the west.

Officials downgraded evacuation orders to warnings Sunday afternoon in the following areas:

• North of W Sunset Blvd up to and including Mount Saint Mary's University.
• From North Bundy Drive to the San Diego Fwy.
• Northern boundary is the Encino Reservoir.
• From Vanalden Ave East to Strawberry Field Park.

Video from Saturday showed firefighters battling steep terrain in an attempt to protect homes from encroaching flames in Mandeville Canyon northwest of the Getty Center and west of the 405 Freeway and in Brentwood, with some homes overcome by fire.

Authorities closed several off-ramps to the 405 Freeway to limit traffic in the West Los Angeles area Saturday morning, including Getty Center Drive, Skirball Center Drive, Sunset, Wilshire, Santa Monica and Olympic boulevards. Other road closures were in effect in the Palisades and Malibu areas, including a stretch of Sunset Boulevard, Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

SEE ALSO: LA Braces For More Winds As More Forced To Flee Overnight Flare-Ups

A fierce battle against the flames was underway in Mandeville Canyon, home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities not far from the Pacific coast, where swooping helicopters dumped water as the blaze charged downhill.

Firefighters on the ground used hoses in an attempt to beat back leaping flames as thick smoke blanketed the chaparral-covered hillside.

At a briefing, CalFire Operations Chief Christian Litz said a main focus Saturday would be the Palisades Fire burning in the canyon area, not far from the UCLA campus.

“We need to be aggressive out there,” Litz said.

Water is being drawn from the Encino Reservoir to stop the Palisades blaze from spreading into the San Fernando Valley.

The blaze shifted northeast Friday night, menacing Bel Air and the densely populated San Fernando Valley. The Los Angeles Fire Department extended mandatory evacuation orders to include the Getty Center, parts of Encino and Mandeville Canyon Friday night. Evacuation warnings were extended to Bel Air and in the direction of the Tarzana-Woodland Hills area.

The shift prompted ULCA to advise students to be ready for possible evacuations.

As the fire raced toward the Encino area Friday night, residents filed out of the evacuation zone, having seen over the past few days just how deadly this blaze is.

Authorities issued several community notices Saturday morning:

• Ocean waters from Surfrider Beach to Dockweiler State Beach should be avoided due to contamination caused by the fires, authorities said Saturday morning.
• A local health emergency has been declared in LA amid traveling ash, smoke and soot which has hampered air quality.
• At 6:30 p.m. Saturday, a community meeting will be held at Cavalry Community Church at 5495 Via Rocas in Westlake Village regarding the Palisades Fire.

With the expansion of the fire evacuation zones, new evacuation centers have been set up at Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Recreation Center at 14201 Huston St. in Sherman Oaks and Lanark Recreation Center at 21816 Lanark St. in Canoga Park.

SEE ALSO: Palisades Fire Map: See Fire Perimeter, Evacuation Areas Updated

SEE ALSO: 10 Dead, 10K Structures, 35K+ Acres: The Wildfires Burning SoCal

UCLA officials announced that they will conduct remote instruction for undergraduate and graduate courses through Friday due to the Palisades Fire. Campus operations will continue to be modified during this time. Those who work in the UCLA Health clinical areas will receive further communications from UCLA Health.

Although the campus is not currently under an evacuation order, an evacuation warning has been issued to a zone adjacent to UCLA, and officials were asking those on campus to remain vigilant and "be ready to evacuate, should the alert be extended to our campus."

The cause of the fire was unknown. At a briefing Saturday morning, Luna said authorities have not determined whether any of the fires ravaging the county were intentionally set, but LASD detectives were working with the LA county and city fire departments, the Los Angeles Police Department, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to determine their cause.

"We don't want any gaps in information any and every clue is important," Luna said. "If anybody out there has any information on anything suspicious, maybe there's a conversation, maybe there's a social media post, something that you think just doesn't sound right, get it to us."

On Thursday, representatives of the Los Angeles County Office of Medical Examiner removed remains from the ruins of a home in the vicinity of Duke's restaurant in Malibu. Officials from the sheriff's department told reporters at the scene that deputies received a missing person report, prompting them to conduct a welfare check at the burned- out home, where the remains were discovered.

Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart issued a statement saying the "tragic news weighs heavily on our hearts."

"This is a painful reminder of the profound impact this fire is having on our community," Stewart said. "Malibu is more than a city -- we are neighbors, friends, and family. Even when we don't know someone's name, their loss is felt by all of us. In times like this, we must come together, support one another, and show the resilience that defines our community."

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said another death occurred at a home in the 15300 block of Friends Street in Pacific Palisades. He said police and the medical examiner responded to the scene, and determined the death was "fire- related." No other details were released.

"It is safe to say the Palisades Fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles," LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley said Thursday morning.

Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said there were a "high number of significant injuries to residents who did not evacuate, in addition to first responders who were on the fire lines."

Those looking for someone impacted by any of the fires in Los Angeles County were asked to contact the Red Cross at 800-675-5799.

Law-And-Order Crackdown

A curfew has been implemented in the Palisades and Eaton fire mandatory evacuation areas. It's in effect between 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily, LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

The curfew order means that no one, aside from first responders, is allowed in the affected areas.

"This curfew will be strictly enforced and is being taken to enhance public safety, protect property and prevent any burglaries," Luna said. "I've given direction that if somebody's caught doing this, they're not going to get cited and released — they're going to get booked."

Violators will be punished with a $1,000 fine or jail time, he said.

Some 210 LAPD officers have been deployed to the Palisades Fire area, LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi said.

Two men were cited for curfew violation near the Brentwood home of Vice President Kamala Harris, which lies within a Palisades Fire evacuation zone, authorities said Sunday.

Officers were dispatched at about 4:40 a.m. Saturday to the 400 block of Kenter Avenue regarding a possible burglary, said Officer Norma Eisenman of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Division.

Officers determined that no other crime had been committed and the two men were cited for a curfew violation, Eisenman said.

She did not confirm media reports that the two men were dressed in black jumpsuits. Secret Service agents were investigating along with the LAPD.

Missing Persons Assistance

Officials established a Family Assistance Center at the Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, 2551 Motor Ave.

The center will be open for those who need to report a missing person connected to the Palisades Fire, Choi said.

It will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Meantime, a man remains missing after last being seen in a mountainous area of Malibu on Tuesday, the day the fire broke out.

Dry Hydrants Under Investigation

Following concerns that firefighters lacked resources and dealt with low water pressure to combat the devastating Palisades Fire in the initial stages of the crisis, Gov. Gavin Newsom Friday ordered an independent investigation into the matter.

Newsom ordered officials to prepare a comprehensive review examining their preparation and response procedures to ensure available water supply for emergencies, and demanded documents detailing any causes of the loss of water pressure and unavailability of water supplies.

Another False Evacuation Alert

An erroneous 4 a.m. evacuation alert followed another that was sent Friday, spurring panic for a county already on edge. Officials say the mistakes were not human-made — "as these alerts are being issued, they are not being activated or initiated by a person," Kevin McGowan, LA County's emergency management director said.

Insurance Protections

The state insurance commissioner says he has taken several actions to protect victims of the Eaton and Palisades fires, including prohibiting insurers from canceling or declining to renew policies held by people within the fire zones for a year.

"My top priority is to protect all affected people during this crisis and assist in their insurance recovery," Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said at a Friday morning news conference. "My primary concern at this very moment is to ensure that wildfire survivors receive the insurance benefits to which they are entitled as soon as possible."

Evacuation Centers

• Evacuation centers were set up at the following locations:
• Westwood Recreation Center, 1350 S. Sepulveda Blvd.;
• Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Recreation Center, 14201 Huston St., Sherman Oaks;
• Lanark Recreation Center, 21816 Lanark St., Canoga Park;
• Calvary Community Church, 5495 Via Rocas, Westlake Village;
• Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd.;
• Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green St.;
• Stoner Recreation Center, 1835 Stoner Ave.;
• Pan Pacific Recreation Center, 7600 Beverly Blvd.

Small animals were being taken at the following locations:

• El Camino High School, 5440 Valley Circle Blvd, Woodland Hills;
• Agoura Animal Care Center, 29525 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills;
• Baldwin Park Animal Care Center, 4275 Elton St., Baldwin Park;
• Carson Animal Care Center, 216 W. Victoria St., Gardena;
• Castaic Animal Care Center, 31044 Charlie Canyon;
• Downey Animal Care Center, 11258 Garfield Ave.;
• Lancaster Animal Care Center, 5210 W Ave I;
• Palmdale Animal Care Center, 38550 Sierra Hwy, Palmdale.

Large animals were being taken at the following locations:

• Pomona Fairplex, 101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona;
• Industry Hills Expo, 16200 Temple Ave., City of Industry;
• LA Equestrian, 480 Riverside Drive Burbank;
• Castaic Animal Care Center, 31044 Charlie Canyon;
• Pico Rivera Sports Arena, 11003 Sports Arena Drive.

City News Service, the Associated Press and Patch Staffer Anna Schier contributed to this report. This is a developing story, check back for updates.