At least 16 people have been killed by the rolling wildfires in and around Los Angeles and the death toll is still expected to rise, authorities said Saturday.
The Eaton Fire, which is burning near Pasadena, was responsible for 11 of the deaths, while the Palisades Fire killed five people, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
Two other major fires, the Hurst Fire and the Kenneth Fire, were largely contained by Sunday morning. The Kenneth Fire was 100% contained after burning 1,000 acres across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, while the Hurst Fire was 87% contained and had torched about 800 acres.
However, firefighters were still struggling to contain the two largest blazes, the Eaton and the Palisades. The massive Palisades Fire, which was burning northwest of downtown Los Angeles, had torched 23,000 acres and was only 11% contained Sunday morning. The Eaton Fire had burned 14,000 acres and was 27% contained.
Smoke-eaters had a chance to gain the upper hand on Sunday with a brief break in the winds but the National Weather Service warned that powerful gusts could soon return.
While the official causes of the various fires have not been established, they all sparked and spread on Jan. 7 when the powerful Santa Ana winds arrived. The National Weather Service warned that the winds could regain significant strength by Monday, with Tuesday predicted as the most dangerous day.
Throughout Southern California, about 105,000 residents are under evacuation orders. That number is down from 180,000 people a few days earlier, due largely to the partial containment of the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena.
The blazes have destroyed more than 12,000 structures, according to early estimates. Because of their location, they could cause more than $100 billion worth of damage, making them one of the costliest natural disasters in American history.
Los Angeles County leaders also warned people not to immediately return to their neighborhoods even once the fires were cleared, as the ash could contain toxic materials such as arsenic, asbestos and lead.
“If you’re kicking that stuff up, you’re breathing it in,” firefighter Chris Thomas said.
With News Wire Services
