After nearly a month, the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County have reached 100% containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The two blazes started on Jan. 7 amid a “life-threatening” Santa Ana storm that produced 100 mph gusts. The howling winds hampered firefighting efforts throughout Southern California by grounding all water and retardant-dropping aircraft until weather conditions improved. With flames raging out of control, crews had little chance of stopping embers from spreading to homes.
“The conditions, that night, were unbearable,” LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said during an interview with 60 Minutes. “It was a devil wind that came out, you know, that extreme Santa Ana wind condition.”
At its height, the fires placed an estimated 331,335 people on an evacuation advisory, with nearly 192,000 residents facing mandatory evacuation and roughly 140,000 subject to warnings. For perspective, 331,335 people can fill SoFi Stadium three times over.
The blazes burned a combined 37,469 acres and leveled entire communities in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods of LA County.
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The Eaton Fire became the second most destructive fire in California history after destroying 9,418 buildings. The Palisades Fire is the third most destructive fire in state history with 6,837 structures destroyed.
The two fires killed 29 people. Authorities discovered 17 of the dead in the Eaton Fire zone, making it the deadliest blaze in LA County history since 1933.
“I don’t think you can realize how rough it is, how devastating is until you see it,” President Trump said while visiting the Pacific Palisades last week. “I mean, I saw a lot of bad things on television, but the extent of it, the side of it, we flew over it in a helicopter. We flew to a few of the areas, and it is devastation.”
While all evacuation orders have been lifted, hazardous fire debris still contaminates the fire-ravaged communities. As of Friday, parts of Altadena and Pacific Palisades remain under “Do Not Drink” notices.
Both burn scars are in the early stages of recovery and rebuilding. The Environmental Protection Agency started its $100 million hazardous material removal operation earlier this week.
