Death Toll at 24 as Winds Continue to Spread CA Wildfires
Los Angeles Daily News
(TNS)
Growth of the Palisades fire was largely kept in check Sunday while crews made significant gains in containing the Eaton fire, as firefighters faced their sixth day of battling the deadly, wind-driven blazes that have raged across Los Angeles County and braced for the return of critical fire weather.
The death toll between the two major wildfires was up to 24 people by Sunday evening, the Los Angeles medical examiner announced, with 16 deaths attributed to the Eaton fire and eight attributed to the Palisades fire. In all, the death toll grew by eight from Saturday to Sunday.
So far, the medical examiner has identified two of the victims, 84-year-old Charles Mortimer, who died in the Palisades fire, and 66-year-old Victor Shaw, who died in the Eaton fire.
It will take longer to find and identify everyone killed in the fires, as conditions remain too dangerous for investigators to enter some areas. Fingerprinting and visual identification may not be possible, which would delay the process of identifying each victim, the medical examiner said.
Earlier Sunday, crews aided by aerial water drops were taking advantage of relatively lesser winds, before the return of dangerously gusty and dry weather is expected to once again increase the fire danger over the next several days.
Despite speculation online about the cause of the Eaton fire, Southern California Edison officials say they have seen no evidence their equipment sparked the blaze.
Southern California Edison officials acknowledged that fire agencies are investigating whether the power company’s equipment caused the smaller Hurst fire in Sylmar last week. A downed conductor was discovered at a tower in the area, SCE officials said, but it wasn’t clear whether that damage occurred before or after the fire ignited.
The Palisades fire — which had forced a new wave of evacuations as it lit up the ridge line in Mandeville Canyon — grew by less than 100 acres overnight into Sunday, according to Cal Fire estimates. It is currently estimated at 23,707 acres and 11% containment, the percentage of a fire’s border officials believe the flames will not jump. No cause has been announced for that fire.
The Eaton fire also remained about the same size — an estimated 14,117 acres — while the containment estimate jumped overnight from 15 to 27%.
Countywide, the number of ongoing evacuations — which on Sunday morning stood at 105,000 under mandatory evacuation and 87,000 under evacuation warnings — has dropped over the last few days.
“Which is some good news,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna noted at a Sunday morning news conference. “But it is still a fluid situation and that could change.”
In the Eaton fire alone, more than 7,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed, based on aerial photos. That number was unchanged since Friday. The Palisades fire is estimated to have destroyed more than 5,000 structures, though that figure has not been updated for several days.
As of Sunday morning, there were more than 3,150 fire personnel assigned to the Eaton fire and more than 4,700 assigned to the Palisades fire.
Frustrated residents
Luna and Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell acknowledged at the Sunday news conference that evacuated residents were angry at not being able to access homes in the burn areas to get medication or other essentials they left behind.
“A lot of our residents are trying to get back,” Luna said, “and they are frustrated.”
Officials explained that it was dangerous for residents to return to many burn areas, even as the frontlines of the blazes have moved on.
“There are still active fires that are burning, making it extremely dangerous to the public,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said. “There is no power. There is no water. There’s broken gas lines. And we have unstable structures.”
“The first responders are working as quickly as they can to make sure it is safe for you to return to your communities,” the chief added.
On Sunday morning, Fredrick Williams Marx III was on San Vicente Boulevard trying to access his father’s home in the Pacific Palisades before police told him he wasn’t allowed to go into the neighborhood.
The day the fire broke out, Marx said he hitched a ride on a scooter to make sure his father’s 88-year-old wife had made it out safely. He recalled riding past burning buildings and witnessing early attempts by firefighters to keep the flames under control.
Marx said it was the second time he’s tried to get up to the home to protect valuables, including vintage art, from any potential looters. Marx added that he has seen satellite imagery showing the home was spared from the fires.
“He told me to ‘Get up there and protect my stuff,’” Marx said of his father. “It’s horrible, and I can’t believe it.”
McDonnell said officers had been providing escorts to residents to get them to their homes, but it became “unwieldy” when too many people began showing up and they have ended that service for the time being.
“The atmosphere is continually changing and we have to adapt to the conditions that are provided to us,” McDonnell said.
At a Brentwood intersection blocked off by authorities at the edge of a mandatory evacuation zone, people hoping to see or return to their homes in Palisades were told they couldn’t be let back in due to the ongoing fire risk.
A private security guard who told National Guard and police officials he was hired to protect a home wasn’t let in.
Ana Hanlon, 57, lives in the evacuation area in Brentwood and was able to leave and return.
Related:
- CA Wildfires Fuel Debate About Private Firefighting Services
- CA's Insurance Commissioner Imposes Ban on Policy Cancellations Amid Wildfires
- Five Dead, 1,100 Structures Destroyed in CA Wildfires
- Firefighters Make Progress on Wildfire that Threatened Iconic Hollywood Hills Buildings
- Two Dead, 1K Structures Destroyed in Los Angeles County Wildfires
- Grim Task of Finding Wildfire Victims in CA Begins
- Firefighter Suffers Head Injury Battling Palisades, CA, Wildfire
- Watch Duty App Gains 600K Users in One Day for Updates on CA Wildfires
- Los Angeles Firefighters Find Failing Hydrants as Wildfires Rage
- Over 10K Evacuated, 70 MPH Winds Fan Wildfire in Pacific Palisades, CA
- Nearly 800 CA Inmates Helping to Battle Deadly Wildfires
- 'Super Scooper' Hit by Drone over Palisades Fire
- Biden Pledges Federal Aid for CA Wildfire Recovery
- Death Toll Reaches 16 in CA Wildfires
She walked over three miles on Sunday to go to Farmshop to buy some food. Driving in and out of the neighborhood was not allowed and people leaving in cars were told they couldn’t come back.
Hanlon said she understands why access is limited and she grateful for what police and fire agencies have done to protect her community.“I’m not upset about it,” Hanlon said. “I understand what needs to happen. It’s just about protecting homes that are unsecured right now.”
While it’s an inconvenience, she said, “The world isn’t going to come to an end.”
Luna and McDonnell said search and rescue teams are searching the Palisades and Eaton fire areas for bodies, with the assistance of cadaver dogs. When bodies are found, it requires them to set up a crime scene and begin recovery efforts for the remains.
Law enforcement — aided by National Guard members — have instituted 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfews in the burn areas and have kept a lookout for people trying to loot homes or businesses in those communities.
Luna said at this point there have been at least 29 arrests, including 25 at the Eaton fire area and 4 at the Palisades fire. The sheriff described at one point seeing a man dressed as a firefighter sitting down, approaching to see if the man was okay, only to realize it was someone in handcuffs, who was being arrested.
More strong winds coming
The combination of the strongest Santa Ana winds event in years — including gusts in excess of 80 mph — combined with low humidity and critically dry brush, with the region not having seen significant rain since last Spring, fueled the explosive growth of the Palisade and Eaton fires on Tuesday and early Wednesday.
By late Wednesday, the gusty winds that had prevented air crews from accessing the burn areas began to subside. Water drops helped prevent other blazes from growing out of control, and helped significantly slowing the spread of the Palisade and Eaton fires.
That didn’t prevent the Palisade fire from forcing new evacuations in Encino, Tarzana and Brentwood as the flames threatened homes in Mandeville Canyon. But by Sunday, the fires progression had slowed dramatically, which officials say had given them the ability to prepare for flareups and plan “two or three ridges away” from oncoming flames.
With more firefighters arriving from out of state — and even out of the country — officials said the additional resources are allowing them to free up firefighters to help prepare for the return of stronger winds. Those winds are currently expected to last until Wednesday.
“These winds, combined with low relative humidity and low fuel moistures, will keep the fire threat in Los Angeles County very high.” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said.
On Sunday, as they prepared for the winds to pick back up, fire crews made significant progress related to other blazes that ignited over the last week.
The Kenneth fire — which erupted in the West Hills area and charred an estimated 1,052 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties — was announced to be 100% contained on Sunday morning.
The Lidia fire — which burned just under 400 acres in Acton since Wednesday afternoon — was also 100% contained by Sunday, fire officials said.
The Hurst fire — which ignited late Tuesday night in Sylmar — was 89% contained after burning nearly 800 acres by early Sunday. More than 300 firefighters were still battling that blaze.
Officials during an Eaton fire community meeting late Sunday afternoon announced that they have begun to repopulate a portion of Altadena, specially the area South of New York, East of Hill Street and west of Altadena Drive. That area has been downgraded to an evacuation warning rather than an evacuation order. But authorities cautioned that there is still no power in portions of that area.
Faced with countless residents left displaced by the fire, city and county officials said they plan to release more information in the coming days about rebuilding plans. Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday announced that he had signed an executive order suspending environmental laws for wildfire victims looking to rebuild their homes or businesses.
“We need to cut through the red tape,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. “That has always been a problem. Now that is over.”
‘We all need the healing’
Meanwhile, community efforts to assist in the aftermath of the fires continued on Sunday.
In Pasadena, a large crowd at the corner of Lake Avenue and Villa Street on Sunday, comprised of volunteers with masks on their faces, rakes and shovels in hand. They were all ready to take part in a community clean-up, led by the Pasadena Job Center, after winds toppled trees and left trash strewn about.
Workers at the center were not only leading the clean-up but also taking in donations and distribution – of water, food, medical supplies and clothing— at the Baja Cali restaurant for the people affected by the Eaton fire. They were also organizing groups to go into Pasadena and parts of Altadena to assist with clean-up efforts.
For some, images of the sheer scope of the destruction that has spread across Southern California spurred volunteers to come out and help however they could.
“You feel that calling to do something and see what you could do, so that’s why I came today to see how I could help,” said Lilly Trejo, an Inglewood resident who was among the volunteers helping to pick up branches and trash.
“Everyone is just so willing to do what they can,” Trejo said. “Even getting to the clean-up locations, people are offering others rides. It’s that altruism on full display and people willing to do everything they can.”
Others decided to volunteer to combat the helplessness they had felt in the face of the massive fires.
Silverlake resident Liz Kim described checking mutual aid lists online to see where places need certain donations or volunteers before joining the efforts in Pasadena.
“It’s amazing to see so many people come and help,” Kim said. “I just love this city so much, it makes me want to cry. I’m overwhelmed with how amazing everyone is and wanting to help. Even people who have lost everything are showing up to help others, it’s amazing.”
The clean-up efforts aren’t likely to end anytime soon.
“It’s going to take a long time to support all the families that have been affected, and the community in general,” Jose Madera, director of the Pasadena Job Center. “It’s a beautiful thing to see a lot of people from many different areas come to help, people from West Covina, from Anaheim, and many community organizations to help with the cleanup efforts and donations.”
“It’s going to take a village to support the whole community,” he added. “These are acts of love because we all need the healing.”
©2025 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit dailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
