25 people dead in Palisades and Eaton fires as Los Angeles braces for more high winds, red flag weather

Wildfires have killed at least 25 people and left behind widespread destruction in Los Angeles County as the region is expected to face more strong winds and challenging weather conditions Wednesday.

Several blazes sparked across different parts of the broader Los Angeles area last week but the two largest, most devastating wildfires are the Eaton Fire in a northeast area of the county near Pasadena and the Palisades Fire in the coastal community of Pacific Palisades. 

On Tuesday, Jan.  14, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed 25 deaths connected to the two fires, including 16 lives lost in the Eaton Fire and another nine in the Palisades Fire.

Mandatory evacuations for more than 100,000 people remain in place for the wildfires, which started Jan. 7 amid a powerful windstorm that forecasters warned would be the worst the region has seen in more than a decade.

The damage

Both are now among the five most destructive fires the state of California has seen since record-keeping started in 1932, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Los Angeles County has provided preliminary maps showing damage assessments for both the Eaton and Palisades fires. Officials said the maps are updated daily. The color-coded maps show structures that are destroyed, structures with major to minor damage, those affected and those with no damage. Visit recovery.lacounty.gov to view the maps. 

Houses, schools, churches, grocery stores, restaurants and beloved landmarks have been completely destroyed. Several people have been injured in the two fires which have burned more than 37,800 acres — or nearly 60 square miles — in about a week.

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The sheriff's department has received 23 missing persons reports: 17 in the area of the Eaton Fire and six in the Palisades Fire. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said last week the death toll may rise as deputies were still searching through the wreckage with K-9 units. At the time, he said they would "hopefully not discover too many fatalities." 

"That's our prayer. But this is a crisis, and we don't know what to expect," Luna said.

"So be patient with us when you ask us about death toll numbers," he told reporters. "Right now, frankly, we don't know yet."    

Luna said 39 people have been arrested on suspicion of looting and other crimes in the wildfire zones. On Monday, District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced charges facing some of those who have been arrested.

Luna has requested additional assistance from National Guard members to provide security in the affected areas. On Sunday afternoon, Gov. Gavin Newsom's office confirmed another 1,000 service members would be deployed to the Los Angeles area. 

Local fire authorities have said more than 10,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed between the two blazes, a number which includes entire buildings and homes as well as garages, sheds and even automobile vehicles.  

Some progress has been made by firefighters following the widespread destruction. On Tuesday, about a week after both major fires started, the 14,117-acre Eaton Fire reached 35% containment and the 23,713-acre Palisades Fire reached 18% containment, according to figures from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection as of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Meanwhile, evacuation orders and warnings remain in place for both, except for a single community in Altadena where residents were able to return to their homes. 

Evacuations and road closures

Here is an updated map of the evacuation zones. The latest information from Cal Fire on evacuations and resources for those affected can be found here.  

The fires have caused road closures across LA County.

Weather 

Forecasters have warned of weather conditions that are expected to complicate firefighting efforts in the coming days, including strong winds and red flag warnings that will remain in place throughout the beginning of the week. The strongest wind gusts were expected on Tuesday. Forecasters said the gusts are not expected to be quite as powerful as those seen last week, when they reached up to 100 mph in some parts of the region.

Still, the National Weather Service has warned of "elevated to critical fire weather risk" in the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Firefighters have been called in from outside the region, traveling in from Northern California, states such as Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and even outside the country from Canada and Mexico. The National Guard has been deployed to the wildfire zones while President Joe Biden announced a major disaster declaration for Los Angeles.

Quickly moving flames led to a rapidly developing situation this week when the blazes first broke out. More than two dozen cars were left abandoned on Sunset Boulevard near the Pacific Coast Highway within hours of the Palisades Fire starting. Some said firefighters told them to get out of their cars and escape the area on foot.

Some living in the Palisades said smoke and flames appeared suddenly over the community of homes along the LA coastline.

"This happened just spur of the moment," Krishan Chaudry, who lives in Pacific Palisades, said the morning the wildfire sparked. "We were just looking at the smoke, and then all of a sudden, we saw fire everywhere."

In Altadena, the Eaton Fire left many without homes as they faced a scene of devastation where schools, stores and other buildings once stood. "Everything — my kids' school, our community, our neighbors' houses. Everything is just burned down," an Altadena woman who lost her home said through tears. "Everything is gone."

"I'm trying to figure out how to tell my 3-year-old we don't have a home," she said.  

The entire town of Altadena was evacuated for days, the town council said in a statement issued Saturday.

"The Altadena Town Council is deeply saddened and heartbroken by the catastrophic damage caused by the Eaton Fire," the statement issued Saturday reads. "Our town has been forever changed by the destruction... We grieve alongside each and every one of you who has been affected by this disaster. Our schools, churches, restaurants, parks, water reservoirs, and many cherished historic buildings have been lost, some of which can never be replaced."

With reports of some fire hydrants running dry in Pacific Palisades when the fire started, and evacuation orders unfolding quickly this week, some local leaders have faced criticism. On Friday, LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley and Mayor Karen Bass refuted rumors that the chief had resigned or been fired by the mayor after it was revealed Crowley had recently warned that budget cuts were affecting emergency response efforts. She delivered the message in a memo to the fire commission board in early December.

The two officials put on a united front during a Saturday morning news conference, with Bass telling reporters that "any differences that we might have will be worked out in private."

While defending his agency's response, LA County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said he made preparations before the fires broke out, taking action after forecasters warned of a "life-threatening and destructive" windstorm for the coming week.

"I did everything in my power to make sure we had enough personnel and resources before the first fire started," Marrone said. "I was the one who made the call to the state Office of Emergency Services."

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

On Sunday, Bass said she has invited President-elect Donald Trump to visit affected fire areas. When asked about communication between Los Angeles leaders and the incoming presidential administration she said she has actively been speaking with high-ranking members of Trump's team.

A day before the wildfires started, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state would be sending down firefighters, engines, helicopters and other resources to Southern California as the region faced dire weather conditions including hurricane-force winds.