LOS ANGELES (NewsNation) — Some residents affected by the Palisades fire have been allowed to return home and begin the first steps on a long road to recovery.
As of Monday morning, the Palisades fire was 56% contained. Since erupting on Jan. 7, it has scorched more than 23,000 acres, destroyed thousands of structures in the Pacific Palisades and led to the deaths of 10 people.
31 people remain missing from the Los Angeles area fires.
Repopulation began Friday afternoon in communities where evacuation orders had been issued and have since been downgraded by officials.
“It’s heartbreaking that we are now dealing with a warzone in our country,” Dr. Babak Kateb told NewsNation. “You know, I really hope that people come together and really support our efforts.”
Anna Hsu, a mother of two, told NewsNation she was turned away by first responders when she tried to go back for the family cat: “I do feel a sense of loss … I wasn’t able to get her.”
Another local, Kevin Kelly, said on Sunday that the blazes were a “wild beast” and “something I’ll never forget.”
Simultaneously, the Eaton fire, which was 81% contained as of Monday morning, reduced thousands of structures to ash and rubble further east in the Altadena area after breaking out on the same day as the Palisades Fire.
The fires have killed at least 27 people as of Friday and destroyed more than 10,000 structures in the residential enclaves of Pacific Palisades and Altadena. In the wake of the fires, rents have surged and uncertainty over insurance settlements has left some of the displaced in limbo.
The Eaton and Palisades fires that erupted last week have collectively burned almost 4 square miles of highly dense parts of Los Angeles, more than double the urban acreage consumed by the region’s Woolsey Fire in 2018, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from the Silvis Lab at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles said Thursday it expects a “much-needed break from the fire weather concerns” for the end of this week. However, “next week is a concern,” the weather service said.
“While confident that we will NOT see a repeat of last week, dangerous fire weather conditions are expected,” the NWS in LA added.
A moderate red-flag warning is predicted Monday and Tuesday, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a news conference.
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles said Thursday it expects a “much-needed break from the fire weather concerns” for the end of this week. However, “next week is a concern,” the weather service said.
“While confident that we will NOT see a repeat of last week, dangerous fire weather conditions are expected,” the NWS in LA added.
A moderate red-flag warning is predicted Monday and Tuesday, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a news conference.
An air quality warning is in effect due to wind-blown ash particles. Public health authorities advised residents to use N95 masks to protect their lungs, noting that masks would be made available for free at area libraries and disaster relief centers
Experts say several factors could lead to wildfires reaching cities more often. Urban areas continue to sprawl into wildlands. Climate change is raising global temperatures that lead to more severe weather, including droughts, especially in the western United States.
NewsNation affiliate KTLA contributed to this report.