Palisades Fire Reaches Brentwood + More Bodies Found+ Winds To Pick Up

UPDATE AS OF 8 A.M.:

As of Sunday morning, the Palisades Fire remained at 11 percent containment and had reached 23,707 acres, according to Cal Fire. As of Saturday evening, the combined death toll for the Palisades and Eaton fires was 16, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

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.

"Please be advised: An inaccurate social media post is currently circulating on Facebook," the update said. "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."

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA —Although firefighters gained more containment over the Palisades Fire Saturday, the blaze reached Brentwood, closed in the on the 405 Freeway, and sent people fleeing their homes in Brentwood, Encino and Tarzana.

The blaze tore through Mandeville Canyon, destroying at least one home and reaching 23,654 acres. At 11 percent containment, the fire has destroyed more than 5,000 structures. The death toll from both the Palisades and Eaton fires has reached 16, authorities announced Saturday. At least five died in the Palisades Fire. Authorities continue to search for missing people in the fires.

Crews waged a fierce battle to keep the fire from spreading into the San Fernando Valley or jumping the San Diego (405) Freeway. They had to take advantage of favorable wind conditions because it won't last. A wind advisory is in place through Sunday afternoon, and another strong Santa Ana windstorm is expected to return Monday.

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.

Additionally, officials offered clarity on the toll of death and destruction caused by the fire:

• At least 5,316 structures have been destroyed, including automobiles;
• At least 426 homes have been destroyed
• Approximately 105,000 people are currently evacuated
• Eleven people have been confirmed dead in the Palisades and Eaton fires combined;
• The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has received 13 missing persons reports related to the fires, though some of those might overlap with the fatalities.

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 into the overnight hours.

A fire weather watch will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday and will remain in effect through 6 p.m. Sunday night. Moderate to strong Santa Ana winds are likely to return Tuesday and Wednesday, officials said, creating critical fire weather conditions.

At about 7 p.m. Friday, a new mandatory evacuation order was issued from Sunset Boulevard North to the Encino Reservoir, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. This extends from the 405 Freeway West to Mandeville Canyon.

Two evacuation warnings were also added. The first is from Sunset Boulevard to Bellagio Road to Roscomare Road to Mulholland Drive to the 405 Freeway.

The second is from Mulholland Drive / Sepulveda Boulevard to the 405 Freeway to Ventura Boulevard to Louise Ave. These two areas abut the existing mandatory evacuation zones. While no action is required immediately of residents, it is imperative you are prepared to evacuate, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The fire caused Caltrans Friday night to close the Sunset Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard and Olympic Boulevard/Pico Boulevard off-ramps from the southbound San Diego (405) Freeway as well as the Getty Center Drive and Skirball Center Drive off-ramps from the northbound and southbound San Diego Freeway.

With the expansion, 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, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna says 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."

The five deaths from the Palisades Fire were in addition to six confirmed deaths in the Eaton Fire in Altadena. 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.

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 and the Associated Press contributed to this report. This is a developing story, check back for updates.