Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Cooler Weather Dominates as Fires Near Full Containment

CITY NEWS SERVICE

With the Los Angeles area’s major wildfires all nearing full containment Wednesday, cooler and drier weather will dominate for the next few days — with no signs of any immediate return of dangerous Santa Ana wind conditions or precipitation that could spark debris flows.

National Weather Service forecasters said Tuesday’s high temperatures will be about 3 to 6 degrees below normal, followed by “chilly” overnight temperatures into Wednesday, possibly meaning more frost or freeze warnings in some areas.

Cooler temperatures “will remain over the next several days with daytime temperatures remaining below normal for this time of year,” according to the NWS.

A warming trend is anticipated by the weekend, pushing temperatures back into the 70s for most coastal and valley areas, thanks to a “weak offshore flow” between Saturday and Monday.

Forecasters said there is a potential for some rain by the middle of next week, but it was still too early if it will actually develop and how strong the system might be.

As of Wednesday morning, the Eaton Fire in the Altadena and Pasadena areas was 99% contained after burning 14,021 acres, with repopulation efforts completed.

The fires have thus far claimed 29 lives — 12 in the Palisades Fire area and at least 17 in the Eaton Fire.

The Los Angeles County Office of Medical Examiner has positively identified 18 of the 29 people confirmed dead in the two wildfires. The list can be found by clicking here.

A curfew remains in effect nightly from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the mandatory evacuation areas, with only firefighters, law enforcement and utility workers allowed in those zones.

The sheriff’s department and other law enforcement agencies have reported dozens of arrests for alleged looting, burglaries and curfew violations since the fires ignited in Altadena and the Palisades.

The county Department of Public Works was continuing to work on fire-debris removal efforts with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — which is handling the first-phase removal of hazardous wastes — and the Army Corps of Engineers, which will oversee physical debris removal from the Palisades and Eaton burn areas.

Local FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers are open at Pasadena City College Community Education Center, 3035 E. Foothill Blvd., to assist homeowners with applying for aid. A new Disaster Recovery Center opened in Altadena Monday, with daily hours from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will be available to residents seven days a week. The new center is located at 540 W. Woodbury Road. Both the Pasadena and Altadena locations will be open through the end of January, but on Saturday, the Pasadena location will close and all services will shift to Altadena.

The causes of the Eaton and Palisades fires remain under investigation. Both erupted on Jan. 7 as the area was under a red flag warning for critical fire danger due to a historic wind event that saw gusts of 80 to 100 mph.

More than 16,000 structures were destroyed in the two fires, according to Cal Fire.

By the time all the damage is assessed, the fires are expected to constitute the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.