LOS ANGELES – The National Weather Service reports dangerous fire weather conditions for parts of Los Angeles County and Ventura County through Friday, with rains forecasted this weekend. The City of Los Angeles will lift Red Flag No Parking Restrictions in brush areas at 8:00 AM on Friday. Angelenos are encouraged to remain prepared and stay vigilant. Read on for key updates and information about emergency response and recovery:
Containing Wildfires
The Sepulveda Fire which broke out at 11:00 PM yesterday east of the 405 freeway in the City of Los Angeles was contained shortly after by first responders only burning 45 acres. All evacuation orders for the Sepulveda fire have been lifted.
The City of Los Angeles continues to monitor the Hughes Fire, which is outside of the City and in the County of Los Angeles’ Castaic Area. This fire burned more than 10,000 acres and is 36% contained. The LAFD deployed five strike teams and one dozer with support to assist in the fire fight.
Marshalling State Resources
Today, Mayor Bass joined Governor Gavin Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Senate pro Tempore Mike McGuire, and other state and local leaders as the Governor signed a bill that immediately provides Los Angeles $2.5 billion in aid for wildfire recovery. These new state funds will allow Los Angeles to expedite cleanup and provide the necessary resources to rapidly recover and rebuild.
Shoring Up Burn Areas Ahead of Possible Rain, Protecting Water, Beaches and Ocean
Today, Mayor Bass and Councilmember Traci Park met with city engineers who are deployed in the Palisades to address and respond to mudslide-prone areas. Engineers identified and inspected potential mudflow locations to lay down K-Rail, sandbags and other protective equipment. This will be done in coordination with County teams that will work to protect homes that survived the wildfires. LA Mayor Bass issued an Emergency Executive Order earlier this week to shore up burn areas and to mitigate the serious health and environmental impacts of fire-related hazardous pollutants on the stormwater system, beaches and ocean.
Pick up a sandbag to protect you and your family at a local fire station or recreation center. For information on where to get sand, go to emergency.lacity.gov. Angelenos are encouraged to call ahead of time to ensure that sand remains available.
Protect Yourself During Re-Entry to a Burned Area: New Zones Announced
Palisades Fire Unified Incident Command announced limited re-entry to some evacuation zones for residents only, including a new zone today. Visit the City of Los Angeles’ website for zones that are allowing re-entry and for guidance about how to stay safe when you return to an area impacted by wildfire.
Protect yourself from health and environmental hazards:
Wear a tight fitting N95 Mask or greater
Wear household dishwashing gloves, long-sleeved shirt and long pants
Wear safety goggles, not safety glasses
Do not use leafblowers or other equipment such as vacuum cleaners that may cause dust particles to be airborne.
Unified Command encourages residents who are re-entering the evacuation area to enter at their own risk and not sort through any fire debris – Know the risks. Stay safe.
LA Department of Water and Power Palisades Restoration
If you have been allowed to return to your home and find your power out but your immediate neighbors’ electricity is on, please check your electrical panel. If power remains out on your street or block, LADWP crews are still inspecting the power lines that supply power to your street or block to ensure they are safe to restore. Allowing power lines to be turned on before it is safe to do so can create a public safety hazard. LADWP remains in close coordination with Unified Command and will continue working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible, as clearance is received.
Do Not Drink Notice
Effective January 10, 2025, LADWP issued a Do Not Drink Notice in the zip code 90272 and the LADWP service area immediately south of the 90272 zip code and north of San Vicente Blvd. Click here to see if you are in an affected area and to better understand what that means for your tap water.
For residents who have not yet been able to return to evacuation areas, please know that emergency crews are responding and assessing burn areas for environmental and safety hazards. There are criteria for consideration prior to re-opening areas currently under mandatory evacuation order. To see the safety and environmental criteria that must be considered in order to allow for re-entry, please visit LACity.gov.
Find out if your home has been damaged with Damage Inspection Dashboard. The Dashboard is operated by L.A. County and updated regularly however, information may change. More than 11,000 structures have been inspected.
Making Progress on Debris Removal
Hazardous materials from burned properties require special handling and safe disposal by U.S. EPA’s cleanup crews. These materials will be sent to licensed disposal facilities (not municipal landfills). The EPA has been assessing and preparing to remove the first phase of debris - hazardous materials such as lithium batteries, asbestos, paints, cleaners and pesticides. Read more and check out EPA’s interactive map.
Deadline to Apply For Federal Assistance is March 10, 2025
FEMA announced that more than $35 million has been distributed to wildfire survivors in L.A. thus far and more than 101,000 applications have been received. The deadline to apply for FEMA assistance and SBA loans – includes help for homeowners, renters and businesses – is March 10, 2025. Visit lacity.gov to learn more or stop by the City Disaster Recovery Center located at the UCLA Research Park, formerly known as the Westside Pavilion at 10850 Pico Blvd. Current hours of operation are 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM, 7 days a week.
Key Updates:
Monitor Air Quality
Continue to monitor air quality and wear a N95 mask when ash, smoke, dust is in the air. Find more information here.
N95 masks are available for free at local LA libraries and recreation centers.
Know Before You Go – Runyon Canyon and other parks remain closed until further notice. See full list of closed parks at laparks.org. Griffith Park and the LA Zoo will reopen tomorrow.
Help For Pets – For help with a pet in the evacuation area, call 213-270-8155.
Progress Toward Containment (As of Thursday, 6:30 PM):
Palisades Fire is 75% contained – urgent work continues.
Eaton Fire, affecting communities outside the City of Los Angeles, is 95% contained.