Residents Return to Eaton Burn Areas; Health Protections Advised

As residents continue returning to the Eaton burn areas, authorities are urging them Monday to be aware of potential health hazards and wear masks, gloves and other protective gear if they are digging through rubble, noting the toxic nature of wildfire ash and other debris.

County public health officials are distributing personal protective equipment to those who need it.

Nightly curfew orders remain in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the burn areas in an effort to restrict unnecessary access and prevent looting.

Both the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire in the Altadena and Pasadena areas, which erupted on Jan. 7, were fully contained as of Friday, according to CalFire.

Another Southland blaze that broke out later in January, the Hughes Fire in the Castaic Lake area, burned 10,425 acres and was fully contained Friday, the agency said.

The Eaton Fire caused at least 17 deaths, destroyed 9,418 structures and damaged 1,073 more while burning 14,021 acres.

The causes of both fires, which began while the region was under a red flag warning for critical fire danger due to a historic wind event that saw gusts of 80 to 100 mph, remain under official investigation.

The Los Angeles County Office of Medical Examiner has positively identified 18 of the 29 people confirmed dead in the two wildfires. The list can be found here.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency crews continue working to identify and remove hazardous waste from properties scorched by the fires.

Questions continued to linger about exactly how long it would take for residents to begin the rebuilding process, but county and federal officials said Wednesday the process was being expedited as much as possible. The first phase of the cleanup effort — the removal of hazardous materials from properties in the burn area — was underway, with the EPA tasked with completing the work within 30 days.

Status updates on the EPA’s work, including an interactive map of individual fire-affected properties, are available online at epa.gov/ca/2025- california-wildfires.

As that process continues, officials urged affected residents to fill out “Right of Entry” forms to either opt in or out of a free debris-clearance program offered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Saturday that more than 4,000 such forms have already been submitted accepting the free property cleanup.

Officials urged other residents to complete the forms as soon as possible so the Army Corps can quickly begin the debris-clearance work after the EPA completes its work on individual properties, in what is considered Phase 2 of the cleanup work. Residents have until March 31 to complete the forms, which are available online at recovery.lacounty.gov/debris-removal/ or at any FEMA Disaster Recovery Center.

Col. Eric Swenson of the Corps of Engineers said Wednesday morning that he anticipates the vast majority of the debris-clearance work to be completed within a year. He said previous comments about the process taking up to 18 months included potential delays involved with some properties in which ownership could be in question or the resident died.

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said the county is working on a set of guidelines for property owners who would like to put temporary “accessory dwelling units” on their fire-damaged properties, allowing them to live on site while rebuilding work is done. She noted there are pre-fabricated units available that could potentially be erected on properties quickly, providing a living space for displaced residents who have been staying in hotels or other accommodations.

FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers are open, the closest is in Altadena at 540 W. Woodbury Road, to assist homeowners with applying for aid. The center’s are open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The deadline for fire victims to apply for FEMA financial relief is March 10. According to the county, FEMA has already approved more than $54 million in housing and other assistance for 24,575 households. More than 117,200 individuals have registered for FEMA assistance.

Meanwhile, the city of Pasadena is set to resume parking enforcement in residential areas on Monday for street sweeping, oversized vehicles, and 72- hour limits.

Enforcement for streets where a permit is required will resume on Feb. 17, and enforcement for overnight parking will resume on March 1.

The Rev. Al Sharpton announced that he will travel to Pasadena on Thursday to lead a noontime memorial service and rally for victims of the devastating Los Angeles County wildfires. The civil rights leader will appear with attorney Ben Crump, who represents relatives of several Southern Californians killed in the blazes.

The service will be at First AME Church at 1700 N. Raymond Ave. in Pasadena, and will also include Pastor Larry Campbell.

Multiple lawsuits have been filed accusing Southern California Edison power lines for sparking the Eaton Fire. The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that investigators on the Palisades Fire believe there was a human element to the fire, including the possibility it began with a flare-up of a New Year’s Day fire that was believed to have been doused.

By the time all the damage is assessed, the fires are expected to constitute the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.