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Eaton, Palisades fires continue; thousands remain evacuated as search and safety work continues
Summary
County and city fire chiefs and public safety officials reported on containment, damaged structures, evacuation counts and ongoing search, rescue and repopulation work for the Eaton and Palisades fires.
Los Angeles County and city officials said the Eaton and Palisades wildfires remain large but largely held within current perimeters, while work to inspect damage and allow safe return of residents continues.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Maroney said the Eaton fire was estimated at 14,117 acres and 45% contained, with “over 7,000 structures damaged or destroyed” and 3,392 firefighting personnel assigned to the incident. Maroney said about 45% of damage inspections for the Eaton fire have been completed and directed impacted residents to recovery.lacounty.gov for updated damage maps.
“Critical fire weather conditions will continue through this evening,” Maroney said, adding that the anticipated stronger winds had not materialized but the area remained at risk and that unhoused residents should avoid open cooking or warming fires near wildland brush.
Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristen Crowley said the Palisades fire covered 23,713 acres and was 19% contained with 5,104 personnel assigned. Crowley said infrared flights showed numerous hot spots inside the Palisades perimeter and that firefighters were closely addressing flare-ups to prevent spread.
Sheriff Robert Luna provided evacuation and public-safety figures for county jurisdiction. He said evacuation orders in the county stood at about 82,400 people and evacuation warnings affected about 90,400. A nighttime curfew remains in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., Luna said, and people without a lawful reason to be in evacuated areas face arrest.
“Search and rescue operations. Our search and rescue teams have completed approximately 78% of the search area in Altadena. That is an estimate of 5,516 properties,” Luna said, adding he hoped the search would be finished by the end of the day or the next day.
On fatalities and missing-person reports, Luna said the number of deaths in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s jurisdiction stood at 21 and that missing-person reports remained active at 26 (20 in the Eaton area and 6 in the Palisades area). Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell gave a separate accounting in his remarks: as of that briefing the LAPD had 38 people reported missing and said 27 had been found safe; LAPD said 11 remained unaccounted for with two likely deceased and confirmed three fire-related fatalities overall.
Officials emphasized that infrastructure hazards — downed power lines, gas leaks, hazardous materials and unsafe water — will slow repopulation. Luna and Crowley both said repopulation decisions would proceed in coordination with public-works and utility partners and be evaluated hour by hour.
The chiefs and law enforcement said resources remain staged and that unified command will continue coordinating inspections, search and rescue and perimeter security. Maroney and Crowley urged residents to follow official guidance and wait for clearance before returning.
Less critical details: Maroney said the county does not yet have a mechanism to accept donations for LA County Fire and asked the public to hold donations until an official process is announced. Crowley also described a separate, quickly contained brush fire in the Lakeview Terrace area that threatened structures but caused no structural damage after firefighters stopped forward progress in about 34 minutes.
