Crews race to contain raging Palisades Fire as high winds set to return

Firefighters are gaining ground as the Palisades Fire continued burning Saturday night. The blaze had expanded to threaten new communities in the San Fernando Valley including Brentwood, Mandeville Canyon and more.

Sky5 footage showed positive progress on Saturday night as dying embers were seen smoldering in Mandeville Canyon. Aerial and ground crews focused on the area and extinguished most of the hot spots, gaining the upper hand on overall containment.

“It was a very difficult firefight today, but crews were hitting it from the ground and in the air all day long,” KTLA’s Gil Leyvas reported from Sky5. “We lost one house in the canyon, but firefighters were able to save all the rest of the homes there. It really is a contrast from last night. It's looking really good."

By Saturday night, the Palisades Fire had grown to 23,654 acres with 11% containment. More than 5,000 structures have been destroyed in the Pacific Palisades. Officials confirmed 16 people had been killed in the fires so far.

Although the wind remained calmer on Saturday, breezes continued fanning the flames and the National Weather Service warned that strong Santa Ana winds could return this weekend and early next week.

“Those winds have been largely blamed for turning the wildfires into infernos that leveled entire neighborhoods around a city where there has been no significant rainfall in more than eight months,” the Associated Press reported.

Red Flag warnings remain in effect for L.A. and Ventura counties through Wednesday, Jan.15, according to the National Weather Service. Wind gusts could reach 50-70 mph.

"These winds, combined with dry air and dry vegetation, will keep the fire weather threat in the area,” said NWS.

On Saturday, some residents were allowed to return to the sites of their ruined homes to see what they can salvage from the wreckage. Teams with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department are working to sift through the rubble with cadaver dogs to search for human remains.

“We have people driving up and around trying to get in just to look. Stay away,” said L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna.

The Palisades Fire is one of the most destructive and costliest natural disasters in Los Angeles history. 

The fires have consumed about 56 square miles which is an area larger than San Francisco,” according to AP reports. A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic losses so far to run between $135 billion and $150 billion.

Tens of thousands of people remain under evacuation orders as new evacuations were ordered over the weekend.

Since the fire erupted on Jan. 7, evacuation warnings have extended to the east side of the 405 Freeway into Bel-Air. In nearby Westwood, the UCLA Police Department told the university's community to be prepared to evacuate.

Officials told residents to continue heeding all evacuation warnings and urged them to stay away from their homes, warning that lingering ash can contain lead, arsenic, asbestos and other harmful materials.

“If you’re kicking that stuff up, you’re breathing it in,” Chris Thomas, a spokesman for the unified incident command at the Palisades Fire, told AP. “All of that stuff is toxic.”

As air quality remains poor, health officials are advising residents to avoid going outdoors and wearing tight-fitting masks, such as N95 or P100 masks, when heading outside.

Residents should avoid outdoor burning or doing anything that creates sparks during the elevated fire weather danger. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.