At least 24 dead in Eaton and Palisades fires as firefighters face more Santa Ana winds

The death toll from the Eaton Fire in the Altadena and Pasadena areas rose to 16 Monday, as firefighters braced for more gusty Santa Ana winds expected this week. Eight people have died from the Palisades fire. 

Containment of the Eaton Fire, which has burned 14,117 acres, was at 33% as of Monday. More than 7,000 structures have been destroyed or damaged -- many of them homes -- and nearly 40,000 structures were said to be threatened. Those numbers were expected to rise after further evaluation.

Sunday morning, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said three deceased bodies were discovered in the rubble the previous day.

"Yesterday, we started a search-and-rescue operation out in the Eaton area, where in the first day of this operation, grid searching, we searched approximately 364 properties in the Altadena area, and unfortunately during that search, we did locate three deceased," Luna said. "As these searches continue, I unfortunately anticipate that those numbers will increase. We will start a similar operation in the northern side of the county here very soon."

One of the victims was identified as 66-year-old Victor Shaw of Altadena, who died in his residence after suffering from smoke inhalation and thermal injuries, according to the Los Angeles County Office of Medical Examiner.

Luna said the sheriff's department has received 16 missing persons reports, 12 in the Eaton Fire area and four in the Palisades Fire area. The sheriff's department announced that family assistance centers were available for people looking for missing loved ones.

At 3 p.m. Sunday, Capt. Jabari Williams said sheriff's deputies monitoring the area had arrested two people on suspicion of flying drones in areas affected by the Eaton Fire, and requested the public to coordinate with law enforcement officials by staying out of the evacuation zones.

Five firefighters have suffered undisclosed injuries, according to the county fire department.

An army of firefighters worked overnight clearing more lines of vegetation around the fire while cutting down falling trees that were making it dangerous for firefighters and the public to get around.

SoCalGas officials said they had temporarily shut off natural gas service to 16,700 customers Saturday in the Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre communities. The utility was working with contractors and mutual aid from San Diego Gas and Electric, Northwest Natural and Pacific Gas and Electric to restore service, noting that it could take days or even weeks to restore service due to the large number of impacted customers.

On Sunday, an evacuation order was downgraded to an evacuation warning for the area south of New York Drive and east of North Hill Avenue to Altadena Drive in Altadena, with residents permitted to return to their homes.

An evacuation center was set up at the Pasadena Convention Center at 300 E. Green St. The Humane Society is on-site to accept small pets for boarding. Small animals were also being accepted at Baldwin Park Animal Care Center at 4275 Elton St., while large animals were accepted at Industry Hills Expo Center at 16200 Temple Ave., City of Industry.

Officials continued to warn people of highly unhealthy air quality in the region and said drinking water in evacuation zones is not safe to drink. Following contamination warnings to residents, Pasadena city officials said they were testing water quality in areas impacted by the Eaton Fire on Sunday, with the test results expected Monday afternoon.

"Though the city of Pasadena maintains and operates its own water-quality testing lab, we are working closely with the State Water Resources Control Board to ensure proper adherence to all safety protocols and regulations," a city statement said. Residents were advised to continue consuming bottled water until further notice.

Pasadena City officials said most city services will reopen Monday, although the Pasadena Public Library, Pasadena Public Health, Housing Departments and some Water & Power Department offices will remain closed for safety reasons.

"We are committed to serving our residents and helping them during this challenging time," said Pasadena City Manager Miguel Márquez. "Reopening our service counters is a crucial step in ensuring that our community has access to the resources and support they need."

The Pasadena Unified School District, which includes Altadena, closed its campuses until at least Friday. The Glendale Unified School District announced its schools would reopen Monday with the exception of Rosemont Middle School, where a tree fell on campus.

While nearly all schools outside of evacuation zones in the Los Angeles Unified School District were being reopened Monday, all schools in the La Cañada Unified School District were expected to remain closed until at least Tuesday.

Pasadena City College was set to reopen on Monday.

The entire Angeles National Forest has been closed for public safety and the protection of natural resources through at least Wednesday.

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens was closed at least through Tuesday.

A few miles to the east, Santa Anita Park in Arcadia canceled racing this weekend due to the ongoing wildfires. Morning training has continued as scheduled and the track remained open for satellite wagering. Track property was being used to support several relief efforts, including a large charity drop-off that had been established at the Rose Bowl and relocated to Santa Anita Park's south parking lot Friday afternoon. Thousands of people flooded the parking lot over the weekend with supplies, prompting officials to announce they no longer needed clothing or shoes.

The city of Pasadena reports that donations should now be taken to the Santa Anita Race Track, South Side, Lot B, by Gate 3 or 8, at 285 W. Huntington Drive in Arcadia. DO NOT take donations to the Pasadena Convention Center, the Rose Bowl or the Parson Complex parking lot. Officials also say clothes and shoes are NO longer being accepted. Household supplies, bigger-size diapers and baby food are among the items needed now.

Southern California Edison was using the entire north parking lot as its base camp to restore power to those in the affected areas. Santa Anita Park was working with additional response organizations that have requested space.

Among the structures destroyed in the fire was the Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center. The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation reported that the Eaton Canyon Nature Center, Farnsworth Park's Davies Community Center -- listed on the National Register of Historic Places -- the Altadena Golf Course Club House and adjacent buildings were also destroyed. Also destroyed was The Bunny Museum in Altadena.

Palisades fire

Containment of the deadly Palisades Fire crept upward Monday as fire crews focused their efforts on protecting homes in the Mandeville Canyon area and snuffing out hot spots ahead of another round of potentially damaging Santa Ana winds.

As of Monday morning, the Palisades Fire had scorched 23,713 acres and was 14% contained, up slightly from 13% Sunday night.

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said crews made "excellent" progress Sunday night into Monday as they scrambled to extend containment and protect homes before winds pick up later Monday night through Wednesday.

She said the department has "maximized" its resources in anticipation of the winds, and she credited the fire crews that have traveled from around the country and from Mexico and Canada to help battle the area's fires.

Mexico sends 'the best of the best' firefighters to battle L.A. fires

"We are so very grateful for the firefighters and the first responders that have already arrived and continue to arrive in the Southern California region," Crowley said. "We absolutely know we cannot do this on our own."

At least eight people have died in the week-old Palisades Fire, although authorities said they anticipate the number of fatalities to continue rising as crews begin sifting through the ash and rubble.

Over the weekend, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's office identified one of the victims as 84-year-old Charles Mortimer, who died at a hospital of acute myocardial infraction and effects of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries.

At least 5,000 structures have been destroyed in the blaze that has been burning since last Tuesday. That number is also expected to rise as more assessments are done in the burn area.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

According to the National Weather Service, a "long-duration" Santa Ana wind event is set to begin in the region late Monday night and continue into Wednesday. Red flag warnings of critical fire danger will be in effect for most of the next two days, including some "particularly dangerous situation" red flag warnings denoting particularly hazardous conditions.

"Heads up! Strong, locally damaging, NE/E winds will affect West LA Co. & much of Ventura Co thru Wednesday. Critical fire weather is expected, so PLEASE have multiple ways of getting notifications in case of new fires & prepare ahead of time," the National Weather Service's Los Angeles office posted Sunday afternoon on social media.

Authorities were warning residents near the fire areas that air quality continues to be highly unhealthy. People were urged to suspend the use of leaf blowers, to stay inside with doors and windows closed as much as possible and to wear masks if they do go outside.

On Sunday, the South Coast AQMD extended a Windblown Dust Advisory until noon Tuesday due to high winds in most of L.A. and nearby counties in the South Coast Air Basin. Gusts of 30 to 70 mph are expected through Tuesday afternoon. Blowing dust may result in Air Quality Index levels that are unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse.

Compounding the wind events, humidity continues to be low, and the region is suffering from an unusually long absence of rainfall. Forecasters said the Palisades area has not experienced any significant rain since last April, and no rain is forecast for the next two weeks.

At a Sunday afternoon news conference from Malibu's Zuma Beach, officials said they were as prepared as they can be for this week's expected wind event.

Nancy Ward, director of the California Office of Emergency Services, said state officials have pre-positioned additional engines, fire crews, bulldozers and water-dropping aircraft throughout the region.

The fire burned to the north and east over the weekend, threatening to march into the Encino area and toward the San Diego (405) Freeway. New evacuations were ordered Saturday after the fire made a dramatic shift. The massive mandatory evacuation zone was stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the west, the San Diego (405) Freeway to the east, San Vicente Boulevard to the south and the Encino Reservoir to the north.

Evacuation warnings were issued for the following two areas: Sunset Boulevard to the south, Mullholland Drive to the north, Bellagio Road/Roscomare Road to the east and the 405 Freeway to the west; along with separate zone that included Mulholland/Sepulveda Boulevard to the south, the 405 to the east, Ventura Boulevard to the north and Louise Avenue to the west.

As conditions changed Monday, some mandatory evacuation areas were reduced to evacuation warnings. Evacuations were likely to continue fluctuating based on fire behavior and wind conditions.

Evacuation centers were set up at the following locations:

• Westwood Recreation Center, 1350 S. Sepulveda Blvd.;

• Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Recreation Center, 14201 Huston St., Sherman Oaks;

• Lanark Recreation Center, 21816 Lanark St., Canoga Park;

• Calvary Community Church, 5495 Via Rocas, Westlake Village;

• Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd.;

• Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green St.;

• Stoner Recreation Center, 1835 Stoner Ave.;

• Pan Pacific Recreation Center, 7600 Beverly Blvd.

Small animals were being taken at the following locations:

• El Camino High School, 5440 Valley Circle Blvd, Woodland Hills;

• Agoura Animal Care Center, 29525 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills;

• Baldwin Park Animal Care Center, 4275 Elton St., Baldwin Park;

• Carson Animal Care Center, 216 W. Victoria St., Gardena;

• Castaic Animal Care Center, 31044 Charlie Canyon Road;

• Downey Animal Care Center, 11258 Garfield Ave.;

• Lancaster Animal Care Center, 5210 W. Ave I;

• Palmdale Animal Care Center, 38550 Sierra Highway, Palmdale.

Large animals were being taken at the following locations:

• Pomona Fairplex, 101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona;

• Industry Hills Expo, 16200 Temple Ave., City of Industry;

• LA Equestrian, 480 Riverside Drive, Burbank;

• Castaic Animal Care Center, 31044 Charlie Canyon Road;

• Pico Rivera Sports Arena, 11003 Sports Arena Drive.

The American Red Cross Sheltering Site was also assisting with a mobile animal shelter for small animals only.

The Santa Monica Police Department announced that on Saturday night, they arrested three people near an evacuation zone suspected of possessing a controlled substance, drug paraphernalia, driving without a valid license, providing false identification to a peace officer and possession of burglary tools.

The department announced that as of Sunday, 39 people had been arrested in evacuation zones. That included 10 arrests for burglary, six for possessing burglary tools and others for drug possession, driving violations, warrants, and parole/probation violations. None of those arrested were from the local area.

Most Los Angeles Unified School District campuses reopened Monday, following several days of closures last week due to the fires. Masks were being provided to students and employees, and all open schools will be limited from conducting outdoor and athletics activities.

Some schools in the most severely impacted areas remained closed due to mandatory evacuation orders. Those include Canyon Charter Elementary, Kenter Canyon Charter Elementary, Palisades Charter Elementary, Marquez Charter Elementary, Topanga Charter Elementary, Lanai Road Elementary and Paul Revere Middle School, Roscomare Road Elementary and Community Magnet Charter.

To provide support to fire-affected students and employees, a meal distribution event was hosted from 9 a.m. to noon Monday at Daniel Webster Middle School in the Palms area.

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District stated that all schools in Santa Monica, except Roosevelt Elementary School would be open Monday, while they were closely monitoring weather conditions.

However, schools in Malibu were scheduled to remain closed till Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power says it has restored power to all its customers, except for 17,600 customers in Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Sylmar and Encino, where lines remain deactivated as a public safety measure. Crews will restore power once cleared by fire authorities, according to Unified LA officials.

Inspection maps of properties for Eaton fire:

Damage inspection maps for properties within the Eaton fire footprint can be found at fire.ca.gov/incidents/2025/1/7/eaton-fire and at recovery.lacounty.gov/eaton-fire.

Inspection maps of properties for Palisades fire:

Damage inspection maps for properties within the Palisades fire footprint can be found at www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2025/1/7/palisades-fire and at www.recovery.lacounty.gov/palisades-fire. 

Additional reporting by City News Service.