What happened on Thursday, Jan. 16 as crews improved containment on Palisades, Eaton fires

UCLA, located just outside Palisades fire evacuation and warning zones, will resume in-person classes Tuesday amid improving weather forecasts and fire containment, university officials announced Thursday.

“Yesterday evening, the red flag warning that was in effect for our area was lifted, which means the current weather conditions have shifted in our favor,” UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk said in an online announcement. “We are optimistic about how things are trending: emergency responders are making progress in combating the fires, wind speed is diminishing and projections show continued safer air quality on campus.”

WASHINGTON —  While firefighters continue to battle the Los Angeles County fires, California’s Sen. Alex Padilla is introducing a package of bills to increase their pay and create housing for those affected by disasters — which could later add to the state’s affordable housing supply.

“Just like the firefighters on the lines right now, putting out the fires, we have to work together in our response and our recovery,” Padilla said in an interview with The Times in his U.S. Senate office.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department sent an urgent message out to patrol cars Wednesday afternoon, warning deputies in Altadena that, after days of nearby wildfires, the air is so toxic they should wear masks and decontaminate their uniforms before stepping foot in their homes.

Sent at 4:35 p.m., the message began “**Attn all personnel**” and said that the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s hazmat team reported the air in Altadena is “‘hazardous, containing lead, asbestos and other harmful particulates.”

The Pasadena Unified School District will reopen campuses in phases over a two-week stretch with the goal of returning all students to in-person learning by the end of January as it begins recovery from the Eaton fire, which destroyed several schools and forced the closure of all campuses.

District officials, speaking at a board meeting Thursday night, said that an initial group of schools would reopen Jan. 23, bringing at least 3,400 students back to classrooms. Those schools include Hamilton Elementary School, Willard Elementary School, San Rafael Elementary School, Blair Middle School, Blair High School, Rose City High School, CIS Academy, and a handful of other facilities, said Supt. Elizabeth Blanco.

The last time Kevin Devine’s mother heard from him was Jan. 7.

He was at his apartment on Boston Street in Altadena speaking on the phone with his mother, Margaret Devine, about a present he had gotten her. The next day, she could pick it up at her local market in Michigan. But as the evening went on, Margaret kept seeing updates about fires breaking out in Los Angeles and asked her son if he was safe.

A Pacific Palisades home that narrowly survived the fire that rampaged through the community was heavily damaged by a landslide this week.

Photos of the wreckage showed the single-family home split completely in half. The nearly 1,000-square-foot house was listed for rent on Zillow last year.

The California Public Utilities Commission approved Southern California Edison’s wildfire mitigation plan Thursday, rejecting calls to delay action until more is known about what ignited the devastating Eaton fire.

Investigators are now looking into whether Edison’s equipment sparked the Eaton fire, which has killed at least 17 people and destroyed thousands of homes and other structures. The company’s transmission equipment may have also sparked the smaller Hurst fire, investigators say.

More than 20 state lawmakers gathered with Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) on Thursday to telegraph their commitment to the fire-ravaged Los Angeles region and announce a sweeping legislation package to aid recovery efforts.

The Palisades and Eaton fires are “a catastrophe at an unprecedented scale in California’s history: thousands of homes and businesses gone, more than 100,000 people displaced, too many precious lives lost,” Rivas said.

Some areas evacuated because of the Palisades fire were reopened only to residents on Thursday afternoon.

Residents must bring a valid photo ID that shows their name, photo and physical address, such as a driver’s license, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.

The following zones are now open to residents only:

City of Los Angeles

• LOS-Q0765: North of Mulholland Drive and south of Adlon Road
• LOS-Q1118: North of Mulholland Drive and south of Hayvenhurst Drive
• LOS-Q0798: South of Mulholland Drive
• LOS-Q0782-B: South of Mission Dump Road
• LOS-Q0778-A: East of Canyonback Road
• LOS-Q0781-A: East of Canyonback Road near Mountaingate Drive
• LOS-Q0782-A: Area east of Mt. Saint Mary’s Fire Road
• LOS-Q0780: Area east of North Kenter Avenue

Los Angeles County

• DRY-U026-A: North of Mulholland Highway and south of Stokes Canyon Road
• RRC-U027-A: North of Red Rock Road and south of Calabasas Peak Motorway
• TOP-U002: North of Old Topanga Canyon Road and south of Summit to Summit Motorway
• TOP-U001: North of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and south of Mulholland Drive

For the Eaton fire, Altadena residents who live along Canyon Crest Road into the Meadows east of El Prieto Road can also reenter the area with identification.

The specific zones are as follows:

• ALD-MEADOWS
• ALD-MILARD B
• ALD-MILARD C

Entry and exit points will be at the intersection of Canyon Crest Road and Lincoln Avenue.

Crews have been making steady progress in their battle against the Palisades and Eaton fires — with seemingly each new day bringing a further boost in containment.

But what do those figures mean, exactly?

As wildfire tore through the canyons of Pacific Palisades, firefighters waged a desperate battle to save homes and lives.

Seventeen miles east in downtown L.A., dozens of officials huddled around computers over a long conference room table in the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s emergency operations center. Screens beamed in the system’s water pressure from remote sensors stationed across the city.

Among the many things that were burned in the Los Angeles County fires, for thousands, important documents with vital personal, medical and financial information were also destroyed.

Fire survivors go through a multitude of feelings including shock and grief while simultaneously recognizing the need to begin to mobilize toward rebuilding and restoring, said Jennifer Jorge, director of community social services for the Motion Picture and Television Fund.

The PGA Tour has decided to relocate next month’s Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades because of the wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

“The PGA TOUR’s focus continues to be on the safety and well-being of those affected by the unprecedented natural disaster in Greater Los Angeles,” the PGA Tour said Thursday in a statement. “We are grateful for the life-saving efforts of first responders and the tireless work being done to put an end to the tragic wildfires.”

FEMA knew that cancelled and expired wireless emergency alerts could “echo”, especially in areas where wireless infrastructure was unstable or interrupted, a spokesperson confirmed this week. A series of erroneous mandatory evacuation alerts went out across the Los Angeles area last week, buzzing phones and users far from any active fires.

“The issue of cancelled or expired Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) being re-broadcast by the wireless infrastructure has occurred before,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to The Times, adding that it was working with the Federal Communications Commission and wireless providers to troubleshoot the issue.

Unable to sleep around 2 a.m. last Wednesday, Sean St. John got out of bed and drove from his Pasadena home to check on his Altadena pizzeria, Pizza of Venice. He’d just been at the restaurant around 9 p.m., when the Eaton Canyon flames were visible on the mountain but still seemed a fair distance away.

“I hike these mountains a lot so I kind of know,” said St. John, a co-owner. “I said to myself, ‘You’ll probably be all right.’ ”

The explosion of smoke and ash that erupted from two wildfires was beyond belief.

In the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, as the Eaton fire engulfed homes and businesses, a thick blanket of smoke rolled over the horizon, blocking out the sun.

Gov. Gavin Newsom extended price gouging protections on rental housing Thursday, while the state’s top law enforcement official vowed to crack down on landlords who are ignoring the rules, jacking up rent in the wake of Los Angeles County’s devastating fires.

Under California law, price gouging protections kick in during a state of emergency and generally bar landlords, hotel and motels from charging more than 10% more than what they were charging or advertising before the crisis.

Los Angeles County Public Works officials said Thursday that teams were working to assess watershed areas in and around the fires, preparing for mudslides and debris flows that are likely to occur if and when rain comes.

But they also noted that some of those hazards have already begun in dry areas scarred by the Palisades fire.

The area is suffering from “dry ravel,” a type of erosion that causes downhill movement of dry soils and debris, particularly an issue when vegetation cover — and hold — has been destroyed during a fire, said Mark Pestrella, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.

“The slopes that are over-steepened have been really dried out and you will see this raveling of the slopes and what looks like a landslide — and it is a landslide,” Pestrella said at a Thursday morning news conference.

That has sent “debris into streets and into properties.”

Photos showed a home on Castellammare Drive that survived the fire, but collapsed amid such a slide, according to a report from KTLA.

Pestrella said the situation has been exacerbated in some areas by increased water from firefighting efforts and destroyed water lines. He said the department’s teams are particularly aware of the issue in the lower Topanga area.

“We’re working with Caltrans to maintain slopes so we can continue to have access,” Pestrella said of the Topanga area.

There is also an ongoing effort by city and county officials to respond to areas of concern to assess geology, soils and water conditions in and around burn scars.

“No matter where you live in L.A. County, if you have slopes behind your homes or you’re located on top of a slope, these slopes have become fragile,” Pestrella said. “The soil that is supporting your home [has] all become fragile and damaged, due to the events that we’ve had, wind included. ... There are mud and debris flow hazards that are existing even when it’s not raining, so we want people to be very careful.”

He urged residents who might notice this dry ravel or land movement — in or outside of the fires’ burn scars — to call 211, so geology, soil and flood control engineers can assess the property and make safety recommendations.

An extremely warm summer and fall. An unusually dry winter. Hillsides covered with bone-dry vegetation. And strong Santa Ana winds.

In the mix of conditions that have contributed to the most destructive fires in L.A. history, scientists say one significant ingredient is human-caused climate change.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna confirmed that the death toll in the fires has increased by two, now at 27 total, after finding new remains at both the Palisades and Eaton fires Wednesday.

Officials have confirmed 17 deaths in the Eaton fire and 10 in the Palisades fire.

However, Luna continued to warn that the grim count was likely to continue to increase.

“Searches are continuing,” Luna said Thursday morning at a press conference. “There are areas that we are holding because we believe there may be deceased victims there. We have to hold… to process the scene correctly.”

The sheriff’s department still has 31 active missing persons reports, 24 from the Eaton fire and seven in the Palisades area, and Luna said the department continues to get new reports.

Los Angeles Police Department officials said they still have eight active missing persons reports.

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On Jan. 15 roughly two dozen pizzerias descended upon La Sorted’s pizza shop in Chinatown. The new Pizza Alliance, a group of small businesses and pizzaiolos cooking together, collaborated to send hundreds of free pizzas to first responders and anyone in need.

Two California representatives in Washington are trying to combat the state’s home insurance crisis that has left many residents without coverage as wildfires tear through the Los Angeles area.

Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) reintroduced on Thursday the Wildfire Insurance Coverage Study Act, which calls for an assessment of the home insurance market in communities with high wildfire risk. The bill easily passed the House Financial Services Committee with bipartisan support last Congress, but was pulled from consideration before getting a vote by the full House.

Dozens of climate protesters with Sunrise Movement LA rallied outside Phillips 66’s Los Angeles Lubricant Terminal on Thursday morning, with 16 demonstrators storming the facility’s office building.

As Los Angeles reels from what is projected to be one of the most costly natural disasters in U.S. history, the youth climate activist group says big oil companies are culpable, by emitting greenhouse gases while internally acknowledging the practice’s link to climate change, which, in turn, has worsened wildfires in California.

Griffith Park has reopened to the public, a little over a week after the Sunset fire broke out in the area.

The 4,210-acre park and its sprawling network of hiking trails opened at 8 a.m. Thursday, with the observatory scheduled to open at noon.

Devastating, often tragic as the Los Angeles wildfires have been, rebuilding could bring nightmares all its own, including murky insurance rules, material shortages and potentially higher cost for everything from lumber to bathtubs.

In terms of economic upheaval, it could be the construction industry equivalent of what the COVID-19 pandemic did to the economy just a few years ago.

The family of an Eaton fire victim is suing Southern California Edison on claims of wrongful death, alleging that the utility company’s negligence is to blame for the devastating blaze that killed 59-year-old Evelyn McClendon.

The lawsuit alleges that Edison failed to turn off utilities despite clear warning about extremely dangerous fire conditions, leading to catastrophic consequences. The Eaton fire has killed at least 16 people and damaged or destroyed more than 7,000 structures.

In the 10 days since Los Angeles’ unprecedented firestorm began, the Eaton and Palisades fires have consumed nearly 40,000 acres of homes, businesses and landmarks in Altadena and Pacific Palisades and have killed at least two dozen people.

Both fires now rank among the 10 most destructive in California history and the most costly in U.S. history. Fire crews have yet to fully contain the blazes. As of Friday afternoon, the Eaton fire was 65% contained. The Palisades fire was 31% contained.

WASHINGTON —  As congressional leaders wrestle over whether to add conditions to federal aid in response to the Los Angeles County wildfires, a first wave of bills has been put forward by Republicans and Democrats alike in response to the devastation.

The measures come as President Biden has pledged 100% federal backing for disaster assistance for the next six months, though with President-elect Donald Trump taking office next week, the future of the funding is not completely secured.

If you were lucky enough to get through the L.A. wildfires with your home still intact, you might be facing another problem: that smell.

As anyone who ever tried concealing the clingy smell of cigarettes from their parents may remember, the acrid odor of smoke is hard to hide and harder to remove. Here are experts’ answers to all your smoke removal questions.

The 97th Oscars ceremony will proceed as planned on March 2, Academy Chief Executive Officer Bill Kramer said in a statement to Times columnist Mary McNamara.

“This year’s ceremony will include special moments acknowledging those who fought so bravely against the wildfires,” Kramer said. “We feel that we must go forward to support our film community and to use our global platform to bring attention to these critical moments in our history.”

Kramer said the academy will continue to monitor the situation closely.

“The spirit of Los Angeles and our film community has always been one of resilience, and the Oscars represent not just a celebration of film, but the industry’s strength and unity in the face of adversity,” he said.

I lost nothing. I lost everything.

I am lucky beyond all imagination. I am haunted beyond all reason.

Since the outbreak of the Palisades fire, LAPD officers accustomed to chasing 911 calls and patrolling city streets have suddenly found themselves thrust into an unfamiliar yet pivotal role: part aid worker, part night sentry, part wingman for firefighters battling one of the most devastating blazes in the region’s history.

Containment of the Eaton fire jumped to 55% on Thursday morning, up from 45% a day earlier, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The fire has burned thousands of structures in the area of Altadena and Pasadena since it began more than a week ago.

Containment of the blaze has grown significantly this week despite strong winds in the region.

Containment is a reference to how much of the fire’s edge, or perimeter, has been surrounded to the extent firefighters believe they can stop the fire from expanding.

As winds began to die down Wednesday, there was growing despair and frustration in the vast fire zones among residents who were demanding to get back into their neighborhoods.

Winds are expected to continue dissipating this week, but it’s shaping up to be a short reprieve for fire-scarred Southern California.

There’s a growing risk that significant fire weather could return in Los Angeles and Ventura counties starting early next week. But even more than winds, the region faces danger from extreme dry conditions and lack of rain.

Drone video from the Palisades fire shows the extensive damage to homes along the shoreline.

Kira Weibel was in eighth grade when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the student’s Altadena charter school, cutting off critical community connections. As the weeks and months of online learning and isolation dragged on, Weibel spiraled into a deep depression.

That changed when the school, Aveson Global Leadership Academy, reopened a year later and brought back the social interaction. But now Weibel and thousands of other students who weathered the pandemic are struggling with another historic calamity: the Eaton and Palisades fires. The ferocious flames that tore through the foothill community of Altadena and the coastal enclave of Pacific Palisades have upended their lives, with homes lost, schooling disrupted, extracurricular activities canceled and close-knit communities scattered.

In the wake of the Palisades fire, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power employees have alerted police to a pair of incidents that have raised alarm inside the utility.

Shortly after noon Wednesday, officers responded to Mulholland Drive in Beverly Crest after a person threatened a DWP employee who was working on a downed electrical pole, L.A. Police Department officials said.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass toured a Disaster Recovery Center in West Los Angeles on Wednesday, meeting with people who lost their homes to the wildfires and pledging to help expedite the rebuilding process in the months ahead.

“People are ready to get started now,” she told reporters outside the center, which is being run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and was set up in the former Westside Pavilion shopping mall. “If your property burned down and you want to rebuild it exactly as it was before, then you shouldn’t have to go through an elaborate, time-consuming permitting process.”

The Disaster Recovery Center is on the ground floor, with 60 tables fanned out in the atrium representing dozens of government agencies and nonprofits: FEMA, the L.A. Department of Water and Power, the L.A Unified School District, the Salvation Army and the Small Business Administration among them.

California

FEMA centers open amid anxiety over recovery from the Eaton, Palisades fires

Victims of the Los Angeles County firestorms looking to rebuild their lives arrived at the FEMA disaster recovery center in Pasadena.

Jan. 14, 2025

Bass arrived around 3:30 p.m. and spent half an hour walking around and talking to people who had been affected by the fires. She was accompanied by actor Sean Penn, who runs a nonprofit that helps communities recover after disasters. Penn said getting word out about available support was essential.

“I know PhDs who don’t know the first step of how to get themselves help for their losses,” he said. “We have a long recovery here.”

A second FEMA disaster recovery center is set up at the Pasadena City College Community Education Center. Both are open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“We are here to support you,” said Nilda Albizu, a Disaster Recovery Center manager. “Don’t disqualify yourself [by] believing or receiving false information in the community.”

The Los Angeles city attorney’s office is prosecuting two men for violating fire-related curfews while also asking the public for help identifying potential price gougers.

City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto is charging two men in their mid-40s with breaking the 6 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew established on Jan. 9 in the aftermath of the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires.

The head of Southern California Edison said Wednesday that winds blowing in Eaton Canyon on Jan. 7 were not strong enough to merit de-energizing a powerful electrical transmission line that is now being investigated as a possible ignition point for a fire that devastated a large swath of Altadena.

Residents who live near Eaton Canyon reported seeing flames erupt at the bottom of the tower as the fire got underway and took photos and videos of the scene. Over the weekend, investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection were at the tower and said the area was off-limits because it was part of the investigation into what sparked the Eaton fire.