WATERTOWN — Terrible fires have ravaged several parts of Los Angeles County for a week, leading to the evacuation of nearly 100,000 people from their homes, the destruction of thousands of houses, and, as of Monday, January 13, 24 deaths. The prolonged lack of rainfall dried up vegetation, allowing easy combustion, while extremely powerful wind conditions spread embers from fires quickly and to relatively great distances. However, the immediate causes of the fires are still being investigated.
The two largest fires began Tuesday, January 7, first in the wealthy coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, in the western part of the city of Los Angeles in the morning, and, then hours later, in the evening, some 40 miles to the east, starting in the Eaton Canyon area and spreading through the neighborhoods of Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre. They are respectively the fourth and second most destructive fires in Californian history. Large numbers of Armenians live in the area of the Eaton Fire.
Other fires which began in this period include the Hurst fire, in the San Fernando Valley’s Sylmar area, which began Tuesday night, the Lidia Fire, which began Wednesday in Acton, the Sunset Fire, which began in the Hollywood Hills Wednesday evening, and the Kenneth Fire, which began Thursday afternoon, January 9, in the West Hills area of the San Fernando Valley on the border between Los Angeles and Ventura counties. A new fire broke out the evening of January 13 in Ventura County near Ventura Boulevard and Auto Center Drive, and so was dubbed the Auto Fire.
The Lidia Fire, burning over 395 acres, was fully contained by January 11, the Sunset Fire was fully contained within 24 hours and the Kenneth Fire was fully contained on January 12 after burning over 1,000 acres, while the Hurst Fire, active for six days and burning nearly 800 acres, was 95 percent contained by Monday, January 13. The new Auto Fire covered 56 acres and was 0 percent contained. Containment means that a control line has been established surrounding the fire perimeter, though it does not necessarily mean that the fire has been extinguished.
The Pacific Palisades Fire, having destroyed around 5,000 structures over 23,000 acres by the morning of January 13, was only 14 percent contained, while the Eaton Fire, damaging 7,000 structures over 14,000 acres, was only 33 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire).
Pasadena Public Information Officer Lisa Derderian told the Mirror-Spectator on January 8 that at that time, with zero percent containment of the fire, over 100 homes and structures were lost overnight but Pasadena had requested 50 strike teams (a strike team consists of five fire engines), and they had been arriving all day from several states along with some water and fire retardant dropping aircraft. There were around also 1,200 residents taking refuge at the Pasadena Convention Center.
