Firefighters holding blazes in check, but new wind event on the way
Calmer winds gave thousands of firefighters battling several active wildfires a chance to expand containment lines overnight on two of the three biggest infernos, but officials said Sunday the fire threat remains high and winds are expected to pick up.
The number of confirmed deaths from the fires stayed at 16 on Sunday, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said during a press conference Sunday that 16 people remain unaccounted for in the Eaton and Palisades fires, but he expects that number to grow as search and rescue teams with cadaver dogs sift through the rubble.
Chief Anthony Marrone of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said containment on the Eaton Fire burning in the Pasadena and Altadena areas has been expanded to 27%. Marrone said firefighters managed to keep the fire in check at 14,117 acres.
Marrone said more than 7,000 structures have been destroyed by the Eaton Fire and that 3,155 firefighting personnel were assigned to the blaze.
Chief Kristin Crowley of the Los Angeles Fire Department said the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, the largest fire burning, had grown to 23,707 acres by Sunday morning and remained 11 % contained. More than 4,700 personnel were battling the blaze, she said.
Marrone said firefighters made significant progress on the Hurst Fire burning near Sylmar, getting containment up to 89% and preventing the fire from growing beyond 799 acres.
