California Fires Updates: Thursday, Jan. 16

Thousands of residents across Los Angeles County face a long road to recovery after fires devastated communities in California's most populous county. Now, many families begin the long road to recovery. 

The massive and destructive Eaton and Palisades fires have yet to reach full containment as firefighters from agencies across Southern California, the nation, Canada and Mexico have been working around the clock for over a week to help battle the flames. 

After days of weather alerts issued by the National Weather Service, including red flag alerts warning of critical fire weather, Thursday brought slight relief with more favorable conditions, bringing calm winds and moisture. 

Follow along below for live updates.

Missing person cases

8:31 p.m. PT: According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, as of Jan. 16, 31 active missing person cases are under investigation.  24 cases are from the Eaton Fire and seven from the Palisades Fire. 

Get an inside look

8:00 p.m. PT: FOX 11’s Matthew Seedorff got an inside look at Cal Fire’s firefighting helicopter.  

Palisades containment increases 

6:00 p.m. PT: Crews were able to take advantage of favorable weather conditions to build containment in recent days, reaching 27% on Thursday night.

Death count rises

4:30 p.m. PT: The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office announced two more confirmed deaths in the fires, bringing the death toll to at least 27. At least 10 people have been confirmed dead in the Palisades fire, and another 17 have been killed in the Eaton Fire.

Eaton Fire repopulation

3:50 p.m. PT: The sheriff's department has announced the repopulation of more neighborhoods near the Eaton Fire burn area. The affected area is for residents along Canyon Crest Road to The Meadows east of El Prieto Road. The specific zones impacted are ALD-Meadows, ALD-Milard B and ALD-Milard C.

Some evacuations lifted 

3:15 p.m. PT: Multiple evacuation orders near the Palisades Fire have been lifted and residents are being permitted to return. 

  • LOS - Q0765: North of Standish, Mulholland Drive; south of Aldon Rd; east of Escalon Drive; west of Hayvenhurst Avenue;
  • LOS - Q1118: North of Mission Canyon Road; south of Meadow Ridge Road, Hayvenhurst Avenue; east of Calvena Drive; west of Sepulveda Boulevard, Valley Meadow Place, Royal Oak Road;
  • LOS - Q0798: North of the San Diego (405) Freeway; south of Mulholland Drive; Canyonback Road, Mulholland Drive; west of San Diego Freeway, Mulholland Drive;
  • LOS - Q0782B: North of Canyonback Road, Mission Dump Road; south of Park Lane Circle, Mulholland Drive, Sloan Drive; east of Canyonback Road; west of Sepulveda Boulevard;
  • LOS - Q0778A: North of Canyonback Road; south of Canyonback Road, Mission Dump Road; east of Canyonback Road; west of Canyonback;
  • LOS - Q0781A: North of Promontory Road, Mount Saint Marys Fire Road; south of Canyonback Road, Mission Dump Road; east of Canyonback Road; West of I-405;
  • LOS - Q0782A: North of Getty Center Drive, Mount Saint Marys Fire Road, North Bundy Drive; south of Promontory Road, Mount Saint Marys Fire Road; east of Mount Saint Marys Fire Road; west of I-405; and
  • LOS - Q0780: North of North Kenter Ave, Greenock Lane; south of North Kenter Avenue, Sky Lane, Travis Street, North Tigertail Road; east of Access Road for Power Lines; west of Greenock Lane, Travis Street.

Residents allowed home

1:45 p.m. PT: On Thursday, residents were permitted to return home to select neighborhoods in the Palisades Fire area. Those areas were:

  • north of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and south of Mulholland Drive;
  • north of Old Topanga Canyon Boulevard and south of Summit to Summit Motorway;
  • north of Mulholland Highway and south of Stokes Canyon Road; and
  • north of Red Rock Road and south of Calabasas Peak Motorway.

People will have to show proof of residency to enter the areas. Resident access will be through the intersections of Mulholland Highway/Old Topanga Canyon Road, Civic Center Way/Malibu Canyon Road, and Mulholland Drive/Topanga Canyon Road, according to the sheriff's department.

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified

1:45 p.m. PT: All Malibu campuses in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will remain closed through the end of the week, with plans to reopen them on Tuesday, following Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

UCLA classes 

1:13 p.m. PT: UCLA, which is holding classes remotely this week due to the red flag conditions and the wildfires, will resume in-person instruction on Tuesday, following the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday. According to the university, in-person work will resume this weekend for people who have been working remotely, "though we continue to ask supervisors to be flexible during this challenging period."

National Guard 

  • 1:06 p.m. PT: The LA County Sheriff's Department's Temple Station is reporting that the National Guard has been deployed in Duarte to assist the station in restricting unauthorized access to the San Gabriel Riverbed, deemed a high-risk fire area.

Tips on navigating the city's air quality

  • 11:40 a.m. PT: Experts have said the Air Quality Index has not been a proper measurement of the city's poor air quality. David H. Gonzalez, PHD, talks about the toxic fumes in the LA skies after raging wildfires erupted in LA County.

Santa Monica shifts rescue efforts

  • 11:35 a.m. PST: The City of Santa Monica announced its emergency operations center had shifted to a monitoring position.

Rescue puppies looking for new homes

  • 10:15 a.m. PST: FOX 11’s Amanda Salas takes us to MaeDay Rescue in Silver Lake where six puppies rescued from the Eaton Fire were looking for new homes.

Firefighter who lost home to flames finds hope

  • 10:15 a.m. PT: Jessica Dupnack shared the story of a firefighter who found hope in the midst of heartbreak.

SUGGESTED: LA fires: List of firefighters who have lost homes

Changes in the forecast

  • 9:46 a.m. PT: FOX 11 Meteorologist Maria Quiban said the forecast shows the return of an onshore flow and marine layer, which will greatly help firefighters battling LA’s fires.

FEMA deadline 

  • 8:51 a.m. PT: The deadline to apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is March 10.

SUGGESTED: California wildfire victims can claim a one-time $770 FEMA payment: How to apply

Continuing updates 

  • 8:39 a.m. PT: According to Luna, any additional press conferences regarding wildfire updates will be conducted on an "as needed" basis. Residents are urged to visit fire.ca.gov for the most current information.

EPA begins cleanup efforts 

  • 8:17 a.m. PT: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is assessing damaged property in the Palisades and Eaton fires and working the Public Works departments to clean up damaged and destroyed properties. The EPA is developing plans to clean up pesticides, batteries, fuel and other household hazardous waste for the areas burned in the fires.

Death toll rises 

  • 8:13 a.m. PT: LA County Sheriff Robert Luna reported two additional deaths overnight - one in the Eaton Fire and one in the Palisades Fire. Additionally, 31 active missing persons have been reported - 24 in the Eaton area and 7 in the Palisades area.

Additionally, residents in the fire evacuation zones will not be allowed to return home for "at least a week." 

"It will probably be longer than that," he added.

Favorable weather conditions

  • 8:00 a.m. PT: Authorities said there has been little to no fire growth overnight, except for the Palisades. Officials warned threats still exist and crews continue to strengthen the fire perimeter and coordinate infrastructure repairs.

Eaton Fire update

6:28 a.m. PT: The latest status of the Eaton Fire provided by Cal Fire is as follows:

  • Size: 14,117
  • Containment: 55%
  • Structures threatened: 37,000
  • Structures destroyed: 5,178
  • Structures damaged: 679
  • Firefighter injuries: 6
  • Civilian fatalities: 16

Human remains found in Eaton Fire 

  • 6:00 a.m. PT: Human remains - up to 3- were discovered in the rubble of a business in Altadena on Wednesday, FOX 11's Gigi Graciette confirms. Sources say a cadaver detection dog alerted authorities to a specific area that led them to begin the search. The medical examiner's office has confirmed 16 deaths tied to the Eaton Fire.

Palisades Fire update

5:36 a.m: In the latest update provided Thursday morning, the latest stats for the Palisades Fire are as follows:

  • Size: 23, 713 acres
  • Containment: 22%
  • Structures threatened: 12, 250
  • Structures destroyed: 2,747
  • Structures damaged: 484
  • Civilian injuries: 3
  • Civilian deaths: 8

Red Flag Warning issues in northern LA County

  • 4:49 a.m.: FOX 11 Weather Anchor Soumada Khan said a Red Flag Warning remains in place for parts of the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys through 3 p.m. Wind speeds are expected to reach between 20 and 30 mph, with gusts potentially reaching 50 mph.

Pacific Palisades home destroyed by mudslide

  • 4:07 a.m.: A Pacific Palisades home that was spared by the Palisades Fire was split in half due to a mudslide that came crashing down.

Some begin returning home

  • 4:05 a.m. PT: While some homes were spared in the raging fires, some families have returned to find their homes in poor condition, and the damage goes much deeper. Residents are asked to use extreme caution when returning home and officials said HAZMAT teams will be sent to assess damage.

Improved Weather Conditions 

  • 4 a.m. PT: FOX 11’s Soumada Khan said firefighters will face favorable conditions for the firefight. With onshore winds, there will be a slight increase of humidity, which comes as a positive update for the wind-driven fires.

The Eaton Fire

The Eaton Fire was first reported on Tuesday, Jan. 7 near Altadena and Midwick drives.

Some residents did not survive the flames and at least 7,000 structures were destroyed.

Authorities have implemented a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. for all areas that remain under mandatory evacuation orders in the Altadena area. This comes after more than 30 looting arrests were made by the LA County Sheriff's Department.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but they were fueled by extreme drought conditions, combined with the supersized Santa Ana winds that whipped flames and embers at 100 mph – much faster than usual. 

A lawsuit filed Monday claims Southern California Edison equipment sparked the Eaton Fire. 

The lawsuit alleges that Southern California Edison failed to comply with essential electrical and fire safety standards, including failing to maintain power lines and overgrown vegetation.

The Palisades Fire

The Palisades Fire broke out on the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 7 as parts of Southern California were hit by powerful Santa Ana winds – the strongest to hit the area in over a decade, officials said.  The piercing winds not only intensified the spread of the fire, it also prevented helicopters and planes from dumping water or fire retardant onto the burning scene as it was too dangerous to fly during the first day of the massive fire.

The fire extended well over 23,000 acres in seven days, destroying homes and businesses across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu. The fire also forced evacuations across parts of LA County, including Bel-Air, Brentwood and Santa Monica.

The fire also destroyed the Pacific Palisades Charter High School and other schools in the fire's path. 

What caused the Palisades Fire?

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. 

According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, a popular hiking destination, Skull Rock – an area north of Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades – is at the center of an investigation "as a possible starting point for the Palisades fire."

Meanwhile, local authorities have announced multiple rounds of arrests taking place from the Palisades Fire scenes, but none of which are explicitly related to the cause of the fire. Over the weekend, there was an announcement of a man arrested for impersonating a firefighter. The alleged "fake firefighter" was accused of trying to break into one of the evacuated homes.

Other people have also been accused of arson across Southern California.

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