A curfew officially took effect overnight barring anyone without authorization from entering areas under mandatory evacuation orders due to the Palisades and Eaton fires, and county Sheriff Robert Luna warned that it will be “strictly enforced.
The National Weather Service issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation warning Monday, says winds could reach up to 100 mph.
Two people were arrested for arson in separate incidents just outside the fire zone on Wednesday, according to the LAPD. In one incident, a citizen extinguished a fire in a tree and detained an arson suspect, police said. That suspect admitted to starting the fire because he "liked the smell of burning leaves," police said.
A second day of windy and dry conditions is in store for Southern California. Winds have picked up and are expected to continue through Tuesday morning, raising the risk of new wildfires sparking.
A new fire broke out last night in Ventura County, while two major fires in LA County are still at less than 50 percent containment after a week of burning.
After a report from The Times, officials have called for an external review into delayed evacuation alerts in western Altadena, during the Eaton fire.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in an update Thursday that 18 people remain missing after the Southern California wildfires. Overall, authorities received a total of 43 missing persons reports related to the Eaton and Palisades fires. Of those, 12 were located safe.
Most residents of middle-class Altadena could get fire insurance, but that is likely to change as residents rebuild and face price hikes.
After authorities reopened parts of Altadena for the first time since the Eaton fire, residents returned to a grim checkerboard of destroyed homes next to others that were largely spared.
All 17 people who died in the Eaton fire lived in an area where evacuation orders came hours later than others, even as homes nearby were already burning. Some people never received warnings at all.
Fires across the Los Angeles area have killed at least 25 people. The Palisades and Eaton fires continue to burn in Southern California.
Massive fires continue burning after igniting in the foothills of Pacific Palisades, and Altadena, forcing thousands to evacuate amid a life-threatening and destructive windstorm slamming Southern California.