Historic LA Wildfires End After Devastation

News Desk

Islamabad: The Eaton Fire, which scorched over 14,000 acres (57 square km) east of Los Angeles, has been fully contained, according to fire officials on Friday. This marks a significant milestone, though it comes more than three weeks after two devastating wildfires ignited on either side of the city.

The larger Palisades Fire, which consumed 23,448 acres (95 square km) on Los Angeles’s west side, has also been completely contained, Cal Fire reported.

Together, these two major fires, along with several smaller blazes, have created the worst natural disaster in Los Angeles County’s history.

The fires have killed 28 people and damaged or destroyed over 16,000 structures. At the height of the crisis, 180,000 people were under evacuation orders, according to Los Angeles County officials.

AccuWeather, a private forecasting company, estimates the total damage and economic losses to exceed $250 billion.

Containment refers to the percentage of a fire’s perimeter that is under control, with the confidence that those lines will hold. However, some areas of the fire’s interior may still be burning.

Recent rain in Southern California, which arrived last week, aided in containing the fires, but also posed new risks, such as flash floods, mudslides, and the spread of toxic materials from the fire’s destruction.

While the fires are now 100% contained, this is largely symbolic, as the last remaining fires are confined to difficult-to-reach mountain areas. “The key moment was when we stopped forward progress,” said Margaret Stewart, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Forward progress was halted about a week after the fires began on January 7.

Stewart noted that the rain, while helpful in some ways, became more of an obstacle. It caused mudslides and blocked roads, hindering firefighters’ efforts. “Had this rain come two weeks ago, it might have been more helpful,” she added.