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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The death toll from the Los Angeles County wildfires rose to 24 Sunday as firefighters continued battling the ongoing Palisades and Eaton fires while bracing for more gusty Santa Ana winds and low humidities expected this week.
At a briefing Sunday morning, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said three additional victims had been found Saturday in the rubble of the Eaton Fire in the Altadena and Pasadena areas, bringing the death toll from that blaze to 11.
"Yesterday we started a search and rescue operation out in the Eaton area, where in the first day of this operation, grid searching, we searched approximately 364 properties in the Altadena area, and unfortunately during that search we did locate three deceased," Luna said. "As these searches continue, I unfortunately anticipate that those numbers will increase. We will start a similar operation in the northern side of the county here very soon."
At least five people reportedly have been killed in the Palisades Fire, though officials have only officially confirmed two deaths. Luna said the death toll could rise as more inspections are completed in the worst-hit fire zones. He added that the sheriff's department has received 16 missing persons reports, 12 in the Eaton Fire area and four in the Palisades area.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Sunday that he had signed an executive order to suspend permitting and review requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Coastal Act to allow fire victims to restore their homes and businesses faster.
Among other things, the order directs state agencies to identify additional permitting requirements, including provisions of the Building Code, that can safely be suspended or streamlined to accelerate rebuilding and make it more affordable. It also extends protections against price gouging on building materials, storage services, construction and other essential goods and services to Jan. 7, 2026 in Los Angeles County.
On Sunday, firefighters battled steep terrain in an attempt to protect homes from encroaching flames in Mandeville Canyon northwest of the Getty Center and west of the 405 Freeway in Brentwood, with some homes overcome by flames. By 7 p.m., the Palisades Fire was 13% contained, increasing from 11% that afternoon after burning 23,713 acres. Residents and officials were on edge with another strong wind event expected to blow in Monday and last until Wednesday.
As of Sunday afternoon, at least 5,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed, a number that could grow as more evaluations are completed.
Some 4,707 personnel were assigned to battle the Palisades Fire.
Containment of the Eaton Fire, which has burned 14,117 acres, was at 27% as of Sunday night. More than 7,000 structures have been destroyed or damaged -- many of them homes -- and nearly 40,000 structures were said to be threatened. Those numbers were expected to rise after further evaluation.
Some 3,408 personnel were assigned to the firefighting effort, with the U.S. Forest Service, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Pasadena Fire Department, Arcadia Fire Department, Sierra Madre Fire Department, Pasadena Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department working under a unified command.
Five firefighters have suffered undisclosed injuries in that firefight, according to the county fire department.
The news was better for the Hurst Fire in Sylmar, which was 89% contained at 799 acres, with 300 firefighters assigned. It was reported around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 5900 block of Yarnell Street, near Foothill Boulevard, Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said.
In a report released on Friday, Southern California Edison announced their preliminary investigation found a downed conductor near an electrical tower in the area about 20 minutes prior to the fire being reported. However, the company issued a statement saying it was unsure whether the damage observed occurred before or after the fire.
SCE is currently defending a lawsuit brought by the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services for the utility's alleged role in the ignition of the 2018 Woolsey Fire.
Meanwhile, the Kenneth Fire in West Hills was 100% contained.
Authorities were warning residents near the fire areas that air quality continues to be highly unhealthy. People were urged to suspend the use of leaf blowers, to stay inside with doors and windows closed as much as possible, and to wear masks if they do go outside.
An extended period of critical fire weather conditions was expected to affect the Southland through midweek, and firefighters were dealing with some strong winds Sunday. High wind warnings were in place until 2 p.m. for the San Gabriel Mountains and western Santa Monica Mountains, with gusts of 60 mph or more.
Winds weakened into Sunday afternoon, but a stronger offshore wind event will likely develop between Monday night and Wednesday, with gusts up to 80 mph in some areas.
"It goes without saying that these winds combined with the very low humidities and tinder dry fuels will lead to Red Flag Fire conditions," according to the National Weather Service.
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said the LAFD would have "every firefighter on hand and available for the upcoming wind event."
Red Flag parking restrictions will be in effect in the city of L.A. beginning at 8 a.m. Monday due to the ongoing wind conditions, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The restrictions will be tightly enforced to ensure faster response times to fast-moving brush fires, and to help keep streets clear for people forced to evacuate their homes. Vehicles illegally parked in areas within the "Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones" will be towed.
Drivers were reminded to look for "Red Flag Days" no-parking signs to ensure compliance.
With high winds and power lines presenting a potential further fire danger, power was shut off for thousands of customers as a precaution. Southern California Edison reported Sunday morning that 62,850 of its customers were without power, and 46,000 of those were from the Public Safety Power Shutoff program. Officials said restoration may take longer than usual due to unsafe conditions.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said that as of 5 p.m. Sunday, approximately 18,500 of its 1.5 million customers remained without power, most in Pacific Palisades and Brentwood. Other communities still experiencing outages included Eagle Rock, Hollywood Hills, Encino and Sunland.
The agency stated that 200 employees were working around the clock on the effort, fixing customer and distribution system leaks and shutting of all fire hydrants that were left open.
"These measures will boost water pressure throughout the system, restoring flow to our three one-million-gallon storage tanks at higher elevation and all neighborhood pipes in the Palisades area."
The LADWP announced that as of 5 p.m. Sunday, it had shut off more than 4,200 residential and commercial connections to homes and businesses.
Los Angeles Unified School District officials said they will reopen the vast majority of its schools and all offices Monday.
"Conditions have improved for a majority of areas across the Los Angeles region and the District is confident it is safe for students and employees to return to campuses," the statement said.
Masks will be provided to students and employees, and all open schools will be limited from conducting outdoor and athletics activities.
Some schools in the most severely impacted areas will remain closed due to mandatory evacuation orders. Those include Canyon Charter Elementary, Kenter Canyon Charter Elementary, Palisades Charter Elementary, Marquez Charter Elementary, Topanga Charter Elementary, Lanai Road Elementary and Paul Revere Middle School, Roscomare Road Elementary and Community Magnet Charter.
Speaking to the media Sunday evening, LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said power had been restored to all schools set to be immediately reopened. He said air quality inspections and HVAC filter replacements for more than 1,000 schools in the district were expected to be completed by Sunday night.
To provide support to fire-affected students and employees, a meal distribution event would be hosted from 9 a.m. to noon Monday at Daniel Webster Middle School in the Palms area.
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District stated that all schools in Santa Monica, except Roosevelt Elementary School would be open Monday, while they were closely monitoring weather conditions.
However, schools in Malibu were scheduled to remain closed till Wednesday.
Luna said that the sheriff's department has increased staffing to 1,200 personnel, with many working 12-hour shifts. Also Sunday, Newsom said he was deploying an additional 1,000 California National Guard members to Los Angeles County to support safety and security efforts in the wildfire areas, bringing the total deployment to approximately 2,500.
Approximately 100,000 people remained under evacuation orders in all the fire areas, with about 87,000 under evacuation warnings. A few areas were being re-populated Sunday evening, but for the most part, officials said the fire areas remain extremely unsafe, with downed power lines, unstable buildings and pockets of fire.
The county has implemented a curfew that continues to be in effect nightly from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the mandatory evacuation areas in the Eaton and Palisades fire zones. Only firefighters, utility workers and law enforcement personnel are allowed in those areas.
Luna reported approximately 29 arrests so far, 25 in the Eaton Fire area and four in the Palisades Fire area, including one man in Malibu who was arrested for allegedly dressing as a firefighter in an attempt to burglarize a home.
The Santa Monica Police Department announced that on Saturday night, they arrested three people near an evacuation zone suspected of possessing a controlled substance, drug paraphernalia, driving without a valid license, providing false identification to a peace officer and possession of burglary tools.
The department announced that as of Sunday, 39 people had been arrested in evacuation zones. That included 10 arrests for burglary, six for possessing burglary tools and others for drug possession, driving violations, warrants, and parole/probation violations. None of those arrested were from the local area.
Officials said 16% of damage inspections have been completed, and they were working on a process to allow affected residents to go online to view information about their homes.
L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman was set to join with local and federal law enforcement officials on Monday to announce charges against "a group of people" in a residential looting in Pacific Palisades, as well as arson charges against a man in the city of Azusa, Hochman's office announced.
According to a Sunday statement from Hochman's office, the officials who will gather Monday will also discuss "the multi-agency collaborative partnerships at the forefront of combating these crimes and ensuring the safety and well-being of our communities."
Hochman last week insisted that people arrested for curfew violations or any other criminal activity relating to the wildfires ravaging the L.A. area will be prosecuted.
Members of the California National Guard have also been deployed to the Eaton Fire area, with additional Guard members are expected to be deployed to the Palisades Fire area.
Luna said some could also be deployed to cities such as Santa Monica, Pasadena, Azusa and Arcadia, all of which have requested assistance from the Guard.
According to the governor's office, the Guard members "will be stationed at traffic control points to ensure the safety of the surrounding community. In addition, their support helps build capacity of local law enforcement to support their respective areas."
Metro will continue to provide free rides on its trains and buses while the wildfire crisis continues. The announcement was made Sunday by L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who is also chair of the Metro Board of Directors.
The agency has also developed an interactive map displaying its bus and rail routes that connect to fire-related resource centers. The map uses data linked to the county and CALFIRE, "ensuring real-time accuracy," and can be found at experience.arcgis.com/experience/65f1014edfc349579365314f8725408a/.
As of 7 p.m. Sunday, all rail lines were operating normally. However, the 134 and the 602 bus lines, which run along Pacific Coast Highway have been canceled until further notice. And in Altadena, the 660 and 662 routes were being detoured, along with the Metro Micro, which services Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre.
The latest Metro service information is available by following @MetroLAAlerts or on the agency's web page at alerts.metro.net.
FEMA has deployed officials at eight county libraries near the impacted areas to assist residents through fire damages. They will be available between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday at the following locations:
-- La Canada Flintridge Library, 4545 N Oakwood Ave.
-- La Crescenta Library, 2809 Foothill Blvd.
-- Live Oak Library, 22 W. Live Oak Ave., Arcadia
-- San Fernando Library, 217 N. Maclay Ave.
-- San Gabriel Library, 500 S Del Mar Ave.
-- Temple City Library, 5939 Golden West Ave.
-- West Hollywood Library, 625 N San Vicente Blvd.
-- Alhambra Civic Center Library, 101 S. First St.
The deadly wildfires ravaging Los Angeles have destroyed at least 35 historic places, according to the latest count Sunday by the Los Angeles Conservancy. The list was being updated as new information emerges at laconservancy.org.
By the time all the damage in assessed, the fires are expected to constitute one of the costliest disasters in U.S. history. Newsom told NBC News on Sunday that he believes the fires will be the worst natural disaster in the history of the country "in terms of just the costs associated with it, in terms of the scale and scope."
Emergencies have been declared in the county and the state, and President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for the state. Both Newsom and County Supervisor Kathryn Barger have invited President-elect Donald Trump to visit the area and assess the damage.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Sunday that "there has been no lack of communication between Los Angeles" and the incoming Trump administration. She said she had spoken with members of Trump's team and would have more to say in the coming days.
Trump criticized Newsom in the early hours of the wildfire crisis for policies that he said hampered the firefighting effort.
"Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way," Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform.
"He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn't work!), but didn't care about the people of California. Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!"
Newsom blasted Trump's response on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday.
"Responding to Donald Trump's insults, we would spend another month," Newsom told NBC News. "I'm very familiar with them. Every elected official that he disagrees with is very familiar with them."
Newsom said Trump was "somehow connecting the delta smelt to this fire, which is inexcusable because it's inaccurate. Also, incomprehensible to anyone that understands water policy in the state."
The governor said he was concerned that his feud with Trump could delay badly needed federal disaster aid.
"That's his style," Newsom said. "And we take it seriously to the extent that in the past it's taken a little bit more time [to get federal aid]."
Trump has not publicly responded to the invitation to visit the state, and Newsom told NBC News that he has not received a response.