LOS ANGELES – On Thursday, officials in Los Angeles advised wildfire evacuees to stay away from their homes for at least another week. Emergency responders are currently working to remove hazardous waste from devastated neighborhoods and are also cutting off electricity and gas lines that present risks amid the destruction.
The threat of landslides persists in the damaged hillside areas, where the destruction of buildings has left the earth vulnerable. Water from firefighting efforts, along with broken pipes, has saturated the soil, compounding the stress for those grappling with the fallout from what is now considered Los Angeles’ worst natural disaster.
As wildfires continue for the tenth consecutive day, firefighters found some relief in managing to keep the two major blazes from expanding despite challenging conditions characterized by high desert winds and low humidity.
However, the National Weather Service cautioned that the reprieve provided by coastal breezes and cloud cover will be brief, with dangerous fire weather expected to return on Sunday.
Evacuees are understandably anxious to return and assess damage, hoping to recover personal belongings or vital medications. Officials, however, stressed that conditions remain too hazardous for both evacuees and first responders, who are still facing the immediate consequences of the fires that have claimed at least 25 lives.
You can see the emotional toll this disaster has taken on people. Many have lost their homes or are uncertain about the status of their property and missing pets. The weight of this tragedy is palpable, said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
The Palisades Fire has burned through 23,713 acres (96 sq km) on the west side of Los Angeles and is currently 22% contained. Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire has scorched 14,117 acres (57 sq km) in the eastern foothills and is 55% contained, according to Cal Fire. Combined, the two fires have devastated an area of 59 square miles (152 sq km), larger than Paris and nearly three times the size of Manhattan. Several smaller wildfires across Southern California have been largely contained.
At least 12,000 buildings—many of them homes—have either been destroyed or damaged, with 82,400 people still under mandatory evacuation orders and an additional 90,400 issued evacuation warnings.
Some residents defied evacuation orders, leading to fatalities, while others struggled to help neighbors in distress, attempting to combat the flames with buckets of water.
John Carr, who remained in his Pacific Palisades home to protect it from the encroaching fire, felt that rebuilding would be too costly. As the flames approached his backyard, he took matters into his own hands, using his hose to combat spot fires while jumping fences to reach different areas.
I was awake all night and all day. I finally got a bit of sleep after things calmed down, but I think I may have hurt a rib jumping a fence, Carr recounted. Some things in life are worth fighting for.
Los Angeles County officials indicated that some evacuees might be allowed to return home before the week is over, but for others, the wait may be longer as teams work to recover and identify charred human remains.
There are areas we need to secure because there may be deceased victims present. We have to wait for the right time and resources to process the scene appropriately, which will take some time, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
Homes that are damaged or destroyed are filled with hazardous materials that must be cleared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency before local agencies can remove debris and restore utilities.
The significant debris and toxic waste may have impaired the region’s flood control infrastructure, which needs to be addressed ahead of anticipated rains following an unusually dry nine months, according to Mark Pestrella, director of Los Angeles County Public Works.
Police have tried escorting residents for short visits to their homes, but this effort has complicated access for fire trucks and utilized too many officers’ time, noted Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell.
Beyond the immediate recovery, state and local authorities are gearing up for an extensive reconstruction effort by waiving regulations that could lead to delays.
Private forecaster AccuWeather anticipates damages and losses could exceed $250 billion, potentially making the Los Angeles wildfires the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history.
The aftermath of the fires has also complicated the city’s preparations for major sporting events, including the 2026 World Cup, the 2027 Super Bowl, and the 2028 Olympic Games, although experts believe relocating the Olympics would be improbable.
