Los Angeles Wildfires Rage on, Destroying Structures and Displacing Residents

Significant damage seen in several communities but full assessment still is far from over

The Palisades fire, located in the California community of Pacific Palisades, has already destroyed thousands of structures and was still uncontained as of Jan. 9.

Photo courtesy of CAL FIRE

Wildfires in Los Angeles have already destroyed thousands of buildings, but the full extent of the damage will not be known for some time, according to local officials during a media briefing Jan. 9.

The California Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) said it will conduct damage inspections and coordinate debris removal through tomorrow. Kathryn Barger, a member of the LA Board of Supervisors, said communities are “still facing significant threats, but I’m hopeful the tide is turning.”

President Joe Biden signed a major disaster declaration for the state on Jan. 7, freeing up federal funds to support residents and business owners affected by the fires, as well as support state and local government agencies in their responses.

Firefighters worked to contain the blaze in Pacific Palisades. Photo courtesy Cal Fire

By the numbers, the damage is already extensive. LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said the Eaton Fire just north of Pasadena covered 13,690 acres by the late afternoon of Jan. 9 and was zero percent contained. Officials estimate up to 5,000 structures have been destroyed.

LA Fire Dept. Chief Kristin Crowley said at the briefing that the Palisades fire, west of Santa Monica in the community of Pacific Palisades, extends to 17,234 acres with wind gusts up to 60 mph. This estimate would grow to 19,978 acres by the end of the day, with only 6% containment.

A damage assessment is ongoing, but preliminary reports estimate structures damaged by the Palisades fire to be in the thousands, making it one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of LA.

Mark Pestrella, director of the Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Works, said the current mission of his agency for the past three days has been supporting fire and law enforcement.

LA County Dept. of Public Works Director Mark Pestrella updated the public during a briefing Jan. 9. Image courtesy Public Works

Eventually, “we will be focusing on the inevitable recovery and repopulation—we will build back,” he said.

Pestrella added that sewer, water, power and transportation are all “significantly damaged” with thousands of fallen trees on roads, and that a “tremendous amount of debris” will need to be processed and moved out. LA Public Works is leading a coordinated effort for debris removal.

The agency plans to conduct a “health review of every property” affected by the fire. Pestrella urged those at fire sites not to handle debris themselves: “Debris can be hazardous, maybe toxic."

The water supply system currently is still being used to aid in fire suppression. Reservoirs are being used for aerial attacks. “They are full," Pestrella said. The municipal water system still suffers from poor water quality due to ash and debris. In some areas, there are boil water advisories. “We will actively come, within the next day or so, delivering water” to residents, he noted.

The region’s road system is heavily impacted, with many traffic signals non-operational.

Janisse Quiñones, CEO and chief engineer of the LA Dept. of Water and Power, said crews are “working around the clock to restore power.” So far power has been restored for 200,000 customers in the region. As of the morning of Jan. 9, 95,000 customers were still in the dark. The department has 118 crews working on restoration, with power utility PG&E supporting the effort.

The priority is addressing downed wires, she added. Electrical transmission and distribution equipment may be compromised in fire-damaged areas, or shut down for the safety of firefighters.

Aileen Cho, ENR's senior transportation editor, is a native of Los Angeles and recovering New Yorker. She studied English and theater at Occidental College, where a reporter teaching the one existing journalism course encouraged her to apply for the LA Times Minority Editing Training Program. Her journalism training led to her first stories about transportation, working as a cub reporter with the Greenwich Time. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and New York Times. Many of her experiences with engineers and contractors have inspired material for her alternative theater productions way, way off Broadway. For ENR, Aileen has traveled the world, clambering over bridges in China, touring an airport in Abu Dhabi and descending into dark subway tunnels in New York City. She is a regular at transportation conferences, where she finds that airport and mass transit engineers really know how to have fun. Aileen is always eager to hop on another flight because there are so many interesting projects and people, and she gets tired of throwing her cats off her computer in her home office in Long Beach, California. She is a very conflicted Mets/Dodgers fan.

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