top of page
Search

As winds and fire risk ease in LA, displaced residents grow impatient

Writer's picture: The San Juan Daily StarThe San Juan Daily Star


Smoke lingers over burned homes in the aftermath of the Eaton fire in Pasadena, Calif., at sunrise on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (Kyle Grillot/The New York Times)
Smoke lingers over burned homes in the aftermath of the Eaton fire in Pasadena, Calif., at sunrise on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (Kyle Grillot/The New York Times)

By Claire Moses, Sharon Otterman and John Yoon


Dangerous winds subsided in the Los Angeles area Thursday, delivering a boost for firefighting efforts even as frustration grew among displaced residents desperate to return to their neighborhoods after more than a week of devastating wildfires.


Nine days after the blazes ignited, displacing tens of thousands of Southern California residents, officials said at a news conference Thursday that it will be at least a week before some evacuation orders can be lifted. Firefighters were still working to contain the biggest blazes in the region, the Palisades and Eaton fires. And even in areas that seem safe, homes and businesses need to be checked for toxic chemicals, and electricity and other public utilities have to be restored.


“Everyone wants to hear a date and we want to give a date,” Sheriff Robert Luna of Los Angeles County said. “But we need to make sure we’re doing the work appropriately.”


The expected shift in the weather Thursday should bring some much-needed relief to residents in the valleys and coastal areas, with light breezes arriving off the sea through the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. However, the air in the mountains will remain dry, meaning the risk of fire will remain high there.


Firefighters also made progress against the Eaton fire overnight, which covered more than 14,000 acres and was 55% contained as of Thursday morning. The cooler temperatures and more humid weather are expected to stretch into the weekend. But the respite in conditions is likely to be brief: Another wind event is forecast for late Monday and Tuesday, the weather service said.


Here’s what we’re covering:


— Containment updates: The Hurst fire, which burned through 800 acres in the San Fernando Valley, was 100% contained, officials from the Angeles National Forest announced Thursday morning. The Palisades fire, the largest in the area, had burned nearly 24,000 acres and was 22% contained as of Thursday morning, according to Cal Fire.


— An arrest: San Bernardino police officers investigating a brush fire that consumed 34 acres, the Little Mountain fire, said they had arrested a man on two felony charges, including reckless burning. Authorities said the fire’s progress had been stopped, and there were no reported injuries or structural damages.


— Eased fire risk: A batch of red-flag warnings, which indicate increased fire risk, have expired in Southern California. But the warnings remain in effect for the Santa Susana Mountains, the western San Gabriel Mountains and the Interstate 5 corridor, where forecasters predicted gusts of up to 40 mph into Thursday afternoon.

17 views1 comment

Recent Posts

See All

1 Comment


Sara Khan
Sara Khan
Jan 17

I was shocked to see that no one had standard practices and there was no regulation on the different websites. Airport Escorts Service Near By website had its own rules and criteria, which made it difficult to compare or evaluate the services. There was a disturbing lack of information about health and safety protocols, which is always a worry. The inconsistency was alarming and definitely steered me away from engaging with any of the options I found.

Like
bottom of page