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Progress cited in containing L.A. wildfires as first residents allowed to re-enter

A burned car sits amid the rubble of a house destroyed in the Eaton fire in Pasadena, Calif., on Friday. The Eaton fire was listed as 73% contained on Saturday. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
1 of 7 | A burned car sits amid the rubble of a house destroyed in the Eaton fire in Pasadena, Calif., on Friday. The Eaton fire was listed as 73% contained on Saturday. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Firefighters said Saturday they are making significant progress in containing the two biggest wildfires in the Los Angeles area as the first displaced residents were being allowed to return to their charred neighborhoods.

As of 11 a.m. Saturday local time, the 24,000-acre Palisades Fire in West Los Angeles was listed as 43% contained while the 14,000-acre Eaton Fire near Pasadena was considered 73% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

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Along with two other recent fires contained, the Kenneth Fire and the Hurt Fire, the total is 39,681 acres charred, or 62 square miles. The total death toll is at least 27.

With slightly warmer temperatures and moderate humidity expected for Saturday, the Palisades Fire saw "minimal fire behavior" and no further growth during the overnight hours, Cal Fire said in an update.

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At least 10 people died in the massive Palisades wildfire in which hurricane-force Santa Ana winds whipped through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood west of Los Angeles last week, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. Officials believe about 5,000 structures may have been damaged or destroyed in the conflagration.

Meanwhile, containment of the Eaton Fire also continued to grow on Saturday, with a total of 60 miles of control lines established around the fire's perimeter, including 8 miles of hand lines, Cal Fire said.

Some 17 deaths have been attributed the Eaton Fire, which is believed to have destroyed or damaged nearly 9,000 structures in the vicinity of Altadena and Pasadena.

But even as the positive news as released, sharp concerns remained about the return of the Santa Ana winds early next week.

"Monday and Tuesday continue to look VERY concerning for the Santa Ana wind corridor of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties," the National Weather Service warned on Saturday. "A STRONG and dry Santa Ana event with EXTREME fire weather conditions is increasingly likely, with signs that this event may be considerably stronger for many areas than the event that we experienced this past Monday through Wednesday."

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The fire updates came as "repopulation" efforts came more sharply into focus on Friday.

The Palisades Fire Unified Incident Command announced limited re-entry to some evacuation zones for residents only, while the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office said they will allow re-entry for residents to certain neighborhoods currently under evacuation orders, including Encino in the San Fernando Valley and Brentwood in West Los Angeles.

They reiterated that curfews remain in effect in those areas and warned law enforcement will be checking proof of residency at checkpoints to prevent looting.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Friday announced the launch of a massive rebuilding effort dubbed "LA Strong - Return and Rebuild," to be led by Steve Soboroff, who will serve as the chief recovery officer for the city.

"The devastation is just unthinkable," she said. "But I am hopeful we are turning the corner. I know that Monday and Tuesday there are concerns the Santa Ana's are going to come back. But I am hopeful that it will not be anywhere near the severity that we saw in the beginning of this."

She cautioned that while evacuation orders for some areas were being lifted, others must remain in place due to the proliferation of hazardous materials such as lithium caused by burning car batteries. Those areas must be cleaned up first, the mayor said.

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The Los Angeles County Health Officer this week issued an order prohibiting the cleanup or removal of fire debris at damaged or burned properties in the Palisades and Eaton critical areas until a hazardous materials inspection is completed by an approved government agency.

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