Firefighters are still battling four major fires in Southern California residential areas, where stronger-than-normal Santa Ana winds and minimal humidity have spawned multiple blazes with more gusty winds on the way.
The fires, which began on Tuesday, have so far killed 11 and destroyed thousands of homes and structures throughout the Los Angeles County region.
Containment levels for the two largest fires, the Palisades and Eaton fires, remained at 15% or less by midday Saturday. Together, the two blazes had affected about 37,000 acres.
According to CalFire, northeast winds are set to return to high elevations Saturday night into Sunday, gusting up to 30 mph with relative humidity dropping below 20 percent. Another Santa Ana wind event is possible around Tuesday, the agency said.
When is a fire contained?
A Chase bank on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles County’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood burns on Jan. 8, 2025, after a wildfire broke out in on Jan. 7. The fires destroyed more than 1,000 homes, businesses and other structures. Mandatory Credit: Sandy Hooper-USA TODAY
Containment is the percentage of the fire’s total perimeter that has been surrounded by a boundary expected to stop it from spreading, according to CalFire. The boundary can be natural, such as a strip of land where vegetation has been removed or a river. Or it could be created by firefighters such as hose lines from firetrucks.
When a percentage of the perimeter is contained, the fire is still burning, and there is still potential for it to jump the boundary, CalFire said.
A fire is “controlled” when there is no more threat of it jumping a containment line.
Here’s how far each major blaze has spread and how containment efforts are going:
Palisades Fire
The Palisades Fire, which has ravaged the coastal Pacific Palisades area between Santa Monica and Malibu and prompted evacuation warnings from the Santa Monica Mountains to the west to areas along Interstate 405 to the east, had scorched over 22,600 acres by midday Saturday. The blaze was 11% contained, according to CalFire, up from 0% on Thursday.
A smoldering house is seen on Jan. 10, 2025, along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, from the Palisades Fire that started on Jan. 7.
“As efforts continue to combat the Palisades Fire and to ensure the safety of residents, additional support, including resources from out of state are helping to provide much-needed relief for our initial responders,” the agency posted on Facebook. “These reinforcements are critical to sustaining our firefighting efforts, addressing the evolving challenges posed by this fire, and allowing our local crews the opportunity to rest and recover.”
Eaton Fire
To the east, the Eaton Fire had stretched to more than 14,000 acres in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, where it scorched entire neighborhoods and killed at least five people in Altadena and Pasadena.
That blaze was 15% contained as of midday Saturday, up from 0% on Thursday morning, burning in an area with steep, inaccessible terrain and critically dry vegetation, according to CalFire.
“Evacuation orders remain in place for the affected cities due to continued fire activity, numerous downed trees, downed power lines, gas leaks and power outages,” the agency said in a status update.
Kenneth Fire
The Kenneth blaze, which ignited Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles’ northern Woodland Hills neighborhood, had been 80% contained as of Saturday afternoon after burning more than 1,000 acres in the area. Nearly 250 fire personnel remained committed to the effort, according to the Ventura County Fire Department, though all related evacuation orders had been lifted.
Burned cars, downed trees, and power lines are pictured in Pacific Palisades, California, on Jan. 10, 2025, after a deadly fire devastated the tight-knit coastal community.
Hurst Fire
The Hurst Fire ignited Tuesday night near Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles’ Sylmar neighborhood, burning 799 acres. The blaze had been 76% contained as of Saturday.
Lidia Fire
By Saturday morning, the Lidia Fire had been fully contained after burning nearly 400 acres in north Los Angeles County, according to CalFire. The blaze had started Wednesday in Acton near Antelope Valley.
Sunset Fire
The Sunset Fire sprouted in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday evening and burned approximately 43 acres before being 100% contained by Thursday afternoon.
USAT Network reporter Joan Meiners contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How contained are the LA wildfires? Progress reported Saturday.
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