Los Angeles [California], February 2: The devastating wildfires in and around Los Angeles have been completely contained after burning for three weeks, state officials said late Friday.
Cal Fire, the state of California's firefighting agency, said both the Palisades fire on the western edge of Los Angeles and the Eaton fire, near Pasadena, were completely under control.
Multiple blazes erupted in the Los Angeles area in early January, fuelled by strong winds and extremely dry conditions. The Palisades and Eaton fires were the worst, scorching vast areas of the city and destroying more than 16,200 structures. The number of confirmed deaths stands at 29. The fires, which broke out on Jan. 7, were fueled by extreme drought conditions and powerful winds.
The Palisades Fire ignited in Pacific Palisades, east of Malibu, and spread rapidly, while the Eaton Fire erupted in the foothills of Angeles National Forest before moving into Altadena.
Some 17 deaths re linked to the Eaton Fire and 12 to the Palisades Fire, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said, according to NBC News.
Officials are still investigating the cause of the fires. The Palisades Fire scorched 23,448 acres, destroying 6,837 structures and damaging over 1,000 more, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), the media outlet reported. The Eaton Fire consumed 14,021 acres, with nearly 4,000 acres affected in urban areas. The flames destroyed 9,418 structures, including historic buildings in Altadena.
A storm earlier this week brought the first significant rainfall in months, helping firefighters contain the fires.
"Rain showers across Southern California have greatly reduced current fire potential," the outlet quoted Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler as saying.
What authorities described as one of the largest lithium-ion battery cleanups ever is underway in Los Angeles County neighborhoods destroyed by the Eaton and Palisades fires.
The batteries are a major challenge in the early stages of the debris removal process after two of the most destructive wildfires on record in California. They power plug-in hybrid cars and EVs, many of which were destroyed by flames in Altadena and Pacific Palisades. They're also are found in laptops, cellphones and other items left behind as residents evacuated neighborhoods overrun by flames after the fires started Jan. 7 in an extreme Santa Ana windstorm.
Source: Qatar Tribune