Palisades Fire: Despite Wind, Officials Optimistic About Boosting Containment

6:30 a.m. UPDATE: Despite high winds, firefighters gained slightly more containment on the Palisades Fire overnight. The fire is holding at 17% containment with 23,713 acres burned.

ORIGINAL STORY:

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA — Despite them bracing for the return of Santa Ana winds, fire officials are optimistic about their ability to slowly but surely continue to get the Palisades Fire under control, they said, as crews managed to increase containment of the nearly 24,000-acre blaze to 14% Monday.

"The National Weather Service is predicting close-to hurricane-force winds, so we're making urgent preparations," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said at a Monday news conference.

Wind gusts of between 30 and 70 mph are expected through Tuesday afternoon in western Los Angeles County and will be particularly strong in the Santa Monica Mountains, where the Palisades Fire had burned 23,713 acres as of Monday afternoon.

"Over the last 36 hours we have seen very little fire growth," Cal Fire's Jim Hudson, the unified incident commander of the Palisades Fire, said at a Monday afternoon news conference.

Despite the wind, Hudson said "we do anticipate an increase in containment."

Sen. Adam Schiff said that's a major positive development.

"That is some very good news that we have all been desperate to hear," he said at the conference. "If we can say the same about the next 36 hours we will be indeed fortunate and maybe begin to move into a different phase of this."

However, officials said residents should remain vigilant.

"Do not let your guard down. The winds are here," Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said. "That's what we need the community to pay attention to specifically."

The NWS issued a Red Flag warning that's in effect for much of the region until Wednesday evening. But the areas immediately west and north of the Palisades Fire are also subject to a more severe "particularly dangerous situation" warning — "this was the prediction the National Weather Service had going into last week's event," county Supervisor Lindsay Horvath said.

"We strongly encourage caution and vigilance," she added.

Crowley on Monday morning praised firefighters' "excellent, excellent work overnight." She said their primary focus was on the Mandeville Canyon area toward Brentwood.

The fire burned to the north and east over the weekend, threatening to march into the Encino area and toward the 405 Freeway. New evacuations were ordered Saturday after the fire made a dramatic shift. The massive mandatory evacuation zone was stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the west, the 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; along with separate zone that included Mulholland/Sepulveda Boulevard to the south, the 405 to the east, Ventura Boulevard to the north and Louise Avenue to the west.

As conditions changed Monday, some mandatory evacuation areas — including those in the San Vicente Boulevard area in Santa Monica — were reduced to evacuation warnings.

"We could absolutely see some of those areas increase to mandatory evacuations again" as winds pick up beginning Monday, Los Angeles Police Department Assistant Chief Dominic Choi said.

At least eight people have died in the week-old Palisades Fire, although authorities said they anticipate the number of fatalities to continue rising as crews begin sifting through the ash and rubble.

Over the weekend, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's office identified one of the victims as 84-year-old Charles Mortimer, who died at a hospital of acute myocardial infarction and effects of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries.

At least 5,000 structures have been destroyed in the blaze that has been burning since last Tuesday. That number is also expected to rise as more assessments are done in the burn area.

Hudson said firefighters' priority is extinguishing flareups around structures, extinguishing hotspots and building containment lines.

"We're actively building contingency line to the north, south, east and west, around this fire," he said.

The slow growth in containment — from 13% Sunday night to 14% Monday morning — is a reflection of the confidence firefighters have in what they're reporting.

"When we call something contained ... we want to have complete confidence that this fire I'll not cross that line," he said. "We anticipate through Wednesday night this fire is going to be heavily wind-tested. We do anticipate an increase in containment."

Officials said drinking water in evacuation zones is not safe to drink and warned residents of highly unhealthy air quality in the region.

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power officials reminded customers returning to their homes in Pacific Palisades ZIP code 90272 and adjacent communities north of San Vicente Boulevard that a "Do Not Drink" notice is in effect for tap water until further notice due to the potential of fire-related contaminants that may have entered the water system.

DWP is distributing bottled water to affected customers from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Westwood Recreation Center at 1350 S. Sepulveda Blvd., and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. adjacent to the Brentwood Country Club at 741 S. Gretna Green Way.

With air quality suffering due to the region's wildfires, the city of Los Angeles announced that N95 masks are now available at all city public libraries, recreation centers and senior centers.

City News Service contributed to this report.