The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) announced that the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires, which ravaged Southern California for nearly three and a half weeks, were fully contained on Friday, according to media reports.
The Palisades Fire broke out on the morning of January 7 in Pacific Palisades, east of Malibu, as a brush fire that quickly escalated in the dry conditions of Southern California. Later that evening, the Eaton Fire ignited in Los Angeles County, in the foothills of the Angeles National Forest. Fueled by seven months of dry brush and hurricane-force winds, the fire spread quickly into the neighborhoods of Altadena.
Containment refers to the perimeter established around a fire to stop its spread.
The two fires have claimed at least 29 lives—17 in the Eaton Fire and 12 in the Palisades Fire, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. The official cause of the fires is still under investigation by Cal Fire.
The Palisades Fire burned 23,448 acres, destroyed 6,837 structures, and damaged another 1,017, according to Cal Fire.
The Eaton Fire caused devastation in Altadena, a community known for its historic Black residents and artists. The fire destroyed 9,418 structures and damaged 1,073, including iconic buildings such as the Andrew McNally House and the Zane Grey Estate, according to the Los Angeles Conservancy. About 4,000 acres of the 14,021-acre fire burned through urban areas.
The combination of drought conditions and powerful offshore winds created “extreme fire weather,” as described by the National Weather Service. The region had received less than 10% of its average rainfall since October 1. On January 6, the National Weather Service issued a rare warning, calling the situation a “particularly dangerous situation.”