As of Friday evening, the two major fires in Los Angeles have been further contained. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection announced that several evacuation orders have been downgraded, and some fire warnings will also be canceled. Residents in several evacuated areas in Pasadena will be able to return to their homes.
With the progress in controlling the wildfires, the Los Angeles County Fire Department has lifted more evacuation orders, downgrading some areas to warning zones or areas only accessible to residents. Information released by the fire department on Friday revealed that 15 areas have been downgraded from evacuation zones to areas only accessible to residents, 2 evacuation zones and 11 resident-accessible areas have been downgraded to warning zones. In addition, 10 areas have transitioned directly from evacuation zones to normal zones. Still, tens of thousands of residents in 27 residential areas remain under mandatory evacuation orders.
Currently, the containment rate of the Eaton Fire is at 65%, and the Palisades Fire is at 39%. Other statistics remain the same as Thursday: the total area burned exceeds 60 square miles, over 12,000 structures have been destroyed, and the death toll stands at 27.
The re-entry areas are open only to residents who must provide official proof of residency before entering. However, officials are urging residents to be aware of the current conditions of their homes upon re-entry. Some houses may still experience power outages, so homeowners should be cautious when returning. Officials also remind residents that the curfew in the Palisades and Eaton fire areas remains in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
For the past ten days since the fires broke out, evacuated residents have been staying in hotels or with family and friends, eager to receive notification on when they can return home. However, the devastating impact of the fires has left firefighters, cleanup crews, and utility workers facing daunting tasks. These include checking hotspots to prevent reignition during strong winds, repairing power and gas lines, assessing the impact of the fires on each property, evaluating water quality in severely affected areas, and searching for possible casualties.
Despite evacuation orders issued by authorities, some residents have chosen to stay in evacuated areas, and some who were allowed to briefly return home to retrieve belongings have not left. To check the status of their damaged homes, evacuated residents can visit the Los Angeles County disaster recovery websites for the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire, entering their addresses to view property conditions. However, it is noted that the information on the websites may not be complete and is continuously updated. If a resident cannot find information on their property, it may be due to ongoing building assessments in the neighborhood.
From both websites, it is evident that even in the severely affected areas where surrounding houses have been burned down, some properties appear to be untouched or only slightly damaged.
The Los Angeles County disaster recovery website responded to frequent inquiries from evacuees on Thursday (16th). Officials emphasized that residents in less severely affected evacuation areas are allowed to return home, while residents in severely affected areas may need at least a week before being permitted to return. Whether evacuees can return home depends on negotiations between the fire management team and relevant organizations at the fire site.
Some evacuated residents expressed a desire to return home briefly to see their houses or retrieve personal items. Officials responded that these areas still pose many dangers to returning residents, as fallen power lines need to be cleared to eliminate the risk of electrocution, toxic substances may be present in the debris of burnt houses, which could pose health risks, and the fire department must ensure all fire points are extinguished and there are no dangerous hotspots before allowing access to guarantee the safety of those entering.
For the same reasons, Los Angeles County officials stated that they do not encourage residents who have been temporarily allowed to return home to stay. In areas not directly affected by the fires, Southern California Gas Company will be gradually restoring gas supplies to households; in areas where evacuation orders have not been lifted or where safety concerns persist, residents will need to wait for further instructions.