Thousands of firefighters are battling the sprawling wildfires across LA.
At least 24 people are believed to be dead and more than a dozen others remain unaccounted for as multiple fires, fueled by severe drought conditions and strong Santa Ana winds, continue to rage across Southern California, leaving fire crews scrambling to contain the historic destruction.
Thousands of firefighters are battling several sprawling wildfires across 45 square miles of densely populated Los Angeles County. The largest, the Palisades Fire, in Pacific Palisades, has scorched nearly 24,000 acres, destroyed thousands of structures and is 11% contained. The Eaton Fire, in Altadena, now stands at more than 14,100 acres and is 27% contained. The Hurst Fire near Sylmar has burned 799 acres and is 89% contained.
About 105,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders and another 87,000 are under evacuation warnings.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection listed four ongoing wildfires in the Los Angeles area as of Sunday.
The Palisades Fire began in the Pacific Palisades area of the city on Jan. 7. It is at 23,707 acres in size with 11% containment. At least 5,613 structures have been destroyed with five people confirmed killed.
The Eaton Fire north of Pasadena also began on Jan. 7. It is burning at 14,117 acres with 27% containment on Sunday. Around 7,000 structures are believed to have been damaged or destroyed, with 11 people confirmed dead.
The Kenneth Fire began on Jan. 9 and is straddling Los Angeles and Ventura counties. It is 1,052 acres in size and was 100% contained on Sunday.
The Hurst Fire in Sylmar, northwest of San Fernando, began on Jan. 7 and has burned 799 acres. It is at 89% containment.
There have been at least 24 fire-related deaths in the Palisades and Eaton Fires, according to the latest tally from the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner.
The number of fatalities is expected to rise as officials continue to battle the dual fires.
According to the medical examiner, there have been 16 confirmed deaths linked to the Eaton Fire and eight fatalities due to the Palisades Fire.
Los Angeles Unified School District announced some schools are reopening Monday, depending on the location of the institution and the weather conditions.
LAUSD said school principals will contact communities directly.
ABC News confirmed that some community members received calls on Sunday about schools reopening.
The district has over 1,500 schools serving roughly 600,000 students in grades K–12. Schools across the district have been closed due to fires since Thursday.
The National Weather Service on Sunday issued another red flag warning for fire danger in Southern California.
This is the fourth time in three months the NWS has issued the high-level alert, with the last one occurring last week when winds went up to 100 mph and the fires in Los Angeles County began.
Winds are expected to gust from 45 to 70 mph Tuesday morning through Wednesday morning.
The red flag warning is the highest level alert the agency is capable of issuing and is intended to invoke the highest level of urgency and attention.
Over 24,000 people have registered for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency since President Joe Biden approved the Major Disaster Declaration last week, a White House official reported.
The number was shared as Biden convened federal officials for a briefing on Sunday about the latest about the Los Angeles County fires and the ongoing federal efforts to support those affected.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell had appeared on ABC's "This Week" earlier in the day, saying the agency was already "starting to help support this recovery piece" by working with the local jurisdictions to "understand what their long-term recovery needs are going to be."
