Firefighters make progress against Los Angeles fires as winds calm; dry conditions pose danger

WASHINGTON

Thousands of firefighters continued to make progress Thursday in containing Los Angeles-area wildfires that have claimed the lives of at least 25 people and brought sweeping devastation across the region as exceptionally dry conditions set the stage for a heightened fire danger.

Tens of thousands of people remain under mandatory evacuation orders or warnings with firefighters making progress against some of the largest blazes as winds have calmed in the region. The Palisades Fire is now 22% contained after burning through nearly 24,000 acres in and around the affluent Pacific Palisades community in northwest Los Angeles County.

The fire was the first to erupt Jan. 7. It was quickly followed hours later by the Eaton Fire, which has raged across more than 14,000 acres in and near the foothill city of Altadena, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. That fire is now 55% contained.

Two smaller blazes -- the Hurst and Auto fires -- are 98% and 85% contained, respectively.

The strong seasonal Santa Ana winds combined with an exceptionally dry winter have created conditions ripe for wildfires to spread rapidly after they begin. Conditions across southern California remain bone dry with the region receiving just 5% or less of its normal rainfall, said Alex Tardy, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's San Diego office, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Downtown Los Angeles has received just 3% of its normal rainfall since Oct. 1 -- 0.16 inches of its typical 5.56 inches.

Across other areas of Southern California, “this is the driest start to any water year,” Tardy said, according to the Times, “and you can see extreme fire behavior with the ignitions.”

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters that residents who were forced to evacuate their homes are "probably at least a week out" from being able to return, in part because investigators are still seeking to determine if the remains of any victims could be in the sprawling burn areas.

"We still have a variety of work and structures to go through," he said, according to ABC News.

The "entire city family is working collaboratively to get you back into your homes and communities as soon and as safely as possible," said City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley.

County authorities have 31 missing persons reports that they are continuing to investigate, including 24 from the Eaton Fire and seven from the Palisades Fire, Luna said. The Los Angeles Police Department, whose jurisdiction is the city proper, has eight missing person reports, including five whose remains were likely found, said Chief Jim McDonnell.