Palisades Fire at 52% Containment; More Winds Expected This Week

Containment of the deadly Palisades Fire has grown to 52%, up overnight from 49%, and ahead of another Santa Ana wind event, which is expected to move into the region Monday with gusts of up to 60 mph.

Firefighters have continued to benefit from a break in the weather, thanks to low clouds and good humidity levels. But this week’s expected winds will create a renewed high risk for critical fire weather conditions and the rapid spread of any new fires, according to the National Weather Service.

The fire has scorched 23,713 acres and killed at least 10 people since erupting Jan. 7. Authorities said they anticipate the number of fatalities to rise as crews continue sifting through the ash and rubble.

Meanwhile. more evacuation orders were lifted Saturday although officials cited “an increased need for specialized supplies related to all- hazards response for responders and re-populating civilians, including masks, respirators, gloves, eye protection and decontamination,” according to Cal Fire.

Santa Monica officials said Saturday that all evacuation orders have been lifted within that city, and Pacific Coast Highway is now accessible for local residents, businesses and patrons. Access to PCH north of the Santa Monica city limits is being managed by the Los Angeles Police Department.

Interstate 10 remains closed west of Lincoln Boulevard per the California Highway Patrol until further notice.

Evacuation orders were also lifted Saturday for more than a dozen areas.

Residents returning to their homes were required to show identification. Some of the homes in the areas being re-populated may not have power, as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was awaiting approval from fire authorities before re-energizing lines in the fire zone.

Affected residents were urged to confirm their evacuation status by visiting protect.genasys.com/search and typing in their address, or visiting fire.ca.gov/incidents/2025/1/7/palisades-fire.

Evacuation centers remain open at the following sites:

— Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd. in Pacoima;

— Stoner Recreation Center, 1835 Stoner Ave., Los Angeles;

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

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

Small animals were being taken at the following locations:

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

— American Red Cross Sheltering Site with mobile animal shelter (small animals only);

— Agoura Animal Care Center, 29525 Agoura Road;

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

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

— Castaic Animal Care Center, 31044 Charlie Canyon;

— Downey Animal Care Center, 11258 Garfield Ave.;

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

— Palmdale Animal Care Center, 38550 Sierra Hwy.

Large animals were being taken at these locations:

— Hansen Dam Horse Park, 11127 Orcas Ave.;

— Castaic Animal Care Center, 31044 Charlie Canyon;

— Pomona Fairplex, 1101 W. McKinley Ave.,;

— Industry Hills Expo, 16200 Temple Ave., city of Industry;

— Pico Rivera Sports Arena, 11003 Sports Arena Drive.

The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority said it would re- open most of its parks outside of the Santa Monica Mountains. MRCA-managed parks and trails in the Santa Monica Mountains and in the fire evacuation zone, including Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, are still closed until the fire emergency is over.

The closures include Temescal Gateway Park, King Gillette Ranch, all Topanga Canyon Parks, parking lots and beach accessways in and directly adjacent to the city of Malibu including Escondido Canyon Park, Fryman Canyon Park, Wilacre Park, Franklin Canyon Park and Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve.

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power crews have reduced the number of customers without power in parts of Brentwood and Encino to 8,498.

Utility officials said Saturday night they had received permission to restore power to more customers in the Brentwood, Encino and Bel-Air areas and would work through the night. There were additional power lines close to the burned area that were expected to take longer to gain clearance for restoration. Customers with questions about the status of their service can call 1-800-342-5397.

Southern California Gas Co. had shut off service to about 13,600 customers in the Palisades Fire area for safety reasons, but the utility reported Saturday that it has restored service for 3,259 of those customers.

The Gas Co. has established an information booth for residents that will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Pavilions store at 29211 Heathercliff Road in Malibu, and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at UCLA Research Park West, 10850 W Pico Blvd., to provide information for customers.

Los Angeles County officials said its damage assessments can be viewed at recovery.lacounty.gov/palisades-fire. They will be updated daily in real time.

Malibu campuses in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District are scheduled to reopen Tuesday, following Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he will “probably” travel to California this week to view the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County.

“I will be, probably, at the end of the week,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“I was going to go, actually yesterday,” the president-elect added, “but I thought it would be better if I went as president. It’s a little bit more appropriate, I suspect.”

Trump is set to be inaugurated on Monday.

More than 3,800 structures have been destroyed in the blaze, and another 628 have been damaged. Those numbers may also rise in the coming days.

Some 5,677 personnel were committed to the firefighting effort.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The Palisades Fire erupted around 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7 in the area of Piedra Morada and Monte Hermoso drives as the area was under a red flag warning for critical fire danger due to a historic wind event that saw gusts of 80 mph. It continued to grow exponentially Jan. 7 and Jan. 8, driven by heavy fuel loads and powerful Santa Ana winds.

–City News Service