The extreme winds behind the disastrous fires in Los Angeles are forecast to calm the rest of the week into the weekend, making it easier for firefighters to further efforts to put out the massive Palisades and Eaton fires that have been ablaze for over a week.
The National Weather Service said on Thursday that the “nine-day wind siege has finally ended” and the weekend will bring a “significant cooling trend” with higher humidity in the region. But it warned that high winds could pick up again early next week.
As of Thursday morning, the two largest fires in Los Angeles were still under 50% contained. The Palisades fire is 21% contained after burning 23,700 acres while the Eaton fire is 45% contained after burning 14,100 acres. Even after forecasts warned of a “particularly dangerous situation” wind event on Wednesday, firefighters have been able to keep the fires within their footprints over the last few days.
Both fires have proven to be deadly and destructive. Officials said at least 25 people have died from the fires, while a total of 12,000 structures have been destroyed. Estimates put the total cost of the fire’s damage at around $250bn, making it the costliest fire in US history.
More than 80,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders, with many anxious to get back to their homes. But officials said it will take time for officials to conduct inspections and remove hazardous debris from neighborhoods. As of Wednesday afternoon, inspections of both the Palisades and Eaton fires were only halfway done, with no timeline given to residents as to when they will be completed, according to the Los Angeles Times.
LA fire department captain Erik Scott said the timeline of people returning home will vary as the damages need to be mapped and recorded.
“We want people to have realistic expectations,” he told the New York Times.
The last of the evacuation orders after the Camp fire in Paradise, California, in 2018 were lifted a month after the fire started, according to the Times. Residents of Lahaina, Maui, were allowed to return to their homes two months after a fire in 2023.
The California national guard has deployed troops to guard neighborhoods that have been evacuated, preventing residents from re-entering to check on their homes.
Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, met with displaced residents on Wednesday and said at a press conference that the city will try to ensure a quick rebuilding process for those who lost homes.
“People are ready to get started now,” she said. “If your property burned down and you want to rebuild it exactly as it was before, then you shouldn’t have to go through an elaborate, time-consuming permitting process.”
