Los Angeles wildfires fully contained, evacuation orders lifted

LOS ANGELES – More than three weeks after the devastating

Eaton and Palisades fires broke out in Southern California

, state officials said on the evening of Jan 31 that firefighters had fully contained both fires, meaning that the perimeters of the fires were completely under control.

Evacuation orders had already been lifted, and for more than a week, the fires have not posed a major threat. Their full containment closed a chapter on two fires that raged for days, killed at least 29 people, displaced thousands of residents and ravaged many neighbourhoods.

Cal Fire, the state’s firefighting agency, updated the data for both fires on the night of Jan 31 to show 100 per cent containment.

The Palisades fire destroyed more than 6,800 structures, mostly in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles and Malibu, and burned 9,489ha, according to the agency.

The Eaton fire destroyed more than 9,400 structures, mostly in the Altadena community in Los Angeles County, and burned 5,674ha.

While the threat from those fires is effectively over, their impact will last for months and years. In the short term, at least 14 people are still missing because of the fires – two from the Palisades fire and 12 from the Eaton fire.

Beyond that is a lengthy road ahead to rebuilding, at a cost that could be in the hundreds of billions. Concerns linger about the potential long-term health effects from days of dangerous air quality, and the psyche of an entire region is damaged.

Firefighters began to gain ground on the fires only after several bouts of Santa Ana winds threatened to whip up flames and burn homes. Light rain arrived last weekend, causing minor mudslides but helping calm the fires.

With evacuation orders lifted, many residents of the Altadena area and the Palisades have been returning to see the damage for themselves and search for any belongings that might have survived. This past week was the first time that most Pacific Palisades residents were able to see what was left of their homes.

Rebuilding could take years. The first step towards recovery began for many this week as Environmental Protection Agency crews began processing hazardous debris from areas affected by the fires. NYTIMES