Palisades, Eaton fires held in check; winds not as fierce as predicted

Neither the Eaton nor the Palisades fire expanded through Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 14, with firefighters catching a break thanks to the less-than-expected winds.

Meanwhile, crews inched forward on the Eaton, getting to 35% containment, up from 33% Monday, and holding the fire at 14,117 acres, the Angeles National Forest said.

The National Weather Service had warned that northern Los Angeles and eastern Ventura counties could experience high wind speeds — but that forecast was downgraded. Winds could still kick up on Wednesday, Jan. 15, though.

“We still have expectations for some moderate Santa Anas developing across the (Palisades) fire tonight and during the day tomorrow,” Rich Thompson, National Weather Service meteorologist, said.

“The red flag warning has not been an issue. We are hopeful that it will stay that way; We are confident it will stay that way again today and through tonight,” Jed Gaines of Cal Fire said of the area affected by the Eaton fire.

Previously, with strong winds anticipated for Tuesday, engines, bulldozers and hand crews were staged in communities and foothills near the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, “ready to respond if needed,” Angeles National Forest officials said.

In the San Gabriel Mountains, crews battling the Eaton fire prepared for the possibility of spot fires, downed trees and power lines as well as “intensifying fire activity in areas with unburned fuels,” officials said.

Crews also established a mobile retardant base at Mt. Wilson to support air operations, officials said.

“Firefighters will conduct tactical patrols and mop-up operations, addressing smoke and heat sources to minimize the chance of fire escaping the perimeter,” the Angeles National Forest said in a Tuesday morning update.

A CL-415 Super Scooper, damaged by a drone last week, was made available to return to the air on Tuesday.

Authorities are continuing to survey damage caused by both fires. They said 35% of damage assessments have been done for the areas affected by the Palisades fire.  And 40% of affected areas for the Eaton fire have been inspected.

Both fires broke out on Jan. 7.

The Eaton fire has damaged or destroyed an estimated 7,000 structures, officials said, while that number was more than 5,000 for the Palisades fire. On Tuesday, Jan. 14, officials came across another Eaton fire victim, in the 2100 block of Crescent Drive in Altadena. In all, 25 people have been determined to have died in the fires.

Another 24 people have been reported missing in areas patrolled by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, the majority tied to the Eaton fire, Sheriff Robert Luna said. Eleven more were reported missing to the Los Angeles Police Department; these were tied to the Palisades fire.

So far, sheriff’s deputies have made 39 arrests in the fire areas, while Los Angeles police have made another 14. They were for such crimes as looting and curfew violations. Starting on Wednesday, Jan. 15, the Los Angeles Police Department will be partnering with Team Rubicon, a private disaster response organization. Team Rubicon will be assisting with traffic control and disseminating information to the public.

Evacuation orders still affected some 88,000 residents, with evacuation warnings for another 84,800.

More than 5,000 personnel were working the Palisades fire and an additional 3,200 were battling the Eaton fire, officials said.

A red flag warning for perilous fire weather was to be in effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, for possible gusty winds and low relative humidity, according to the National Weather Service.

After Wednesday, there will be a return to “more normal” weather in the area of the Palisades fire over the weekend, which will include lower temperatures and higher humidity, before potentially more Santa Ana winds next week, Thompson, the meteorologist, said.

Because of the possible winds, more than 25,000 Los Angeles County customers were without power on Tuesday morning as part of Southern California Edison’s Public Safety Planned Shutoffs program, deployed to reduce fire threats in rural areas. Another 116,000 L.A. County customers were being considered for shutoffs.

“In preparation for the wind coming this evening, there may be power shutoffs for safety,” LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said.

Some evacuation orders for the Eaton fire have been downgraded to warnings in Altadena. The area south of Canyon Crest Road and west of Lincoln Avenue is now under evacuation warnings rather than orders. Authorities noted that it is only the west side of Lincoln Avenue that is open and advised any residents returning to the area to access it via Windsor Avenue.

While officials have not yet determined the cause of either fire, lawsuits filed Monday on behalf of more than a dozen victims of the Eaton fire blamed sparks from a Southern California Edison high-voltage power line for starting the blaze. A spokeswoman said: “The cause of the fire continues to be under investigation.”

In Pacific Palisades, officials were looking at a hiking area called Skull Rock as the potential point of origin, according to published reports. The site was the scene of another fire on New Year’s Day.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is leading the origin and cause investigation for the Palisades fire, with teams that include certified fire investigators, chemists, acceleration detection canines, electrical engineers and fire resource laboratories processing the fire scenes and processing leads that come in.

There is no timeline yet for answers on the cause, but the ATF “is determined to leverage every available resource,” Jose Medina, acting special agent in charge of the L.A. field division of the ATF, said.