LOS ANGELES (AP) — More rain fell Monday on parts of Southern California after causing mudflows over the weekend, helping firefighters but boosting the risk of toxic ash runoff in areas scorched by Los Angeles-area wildfires.
Rain was falling across Southern California on Sunday, bringing some relief to thousands of firefighters who have been battling multiple major wildfires in the LA area.
Palisades Fire initially started 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7 in Los Angeles County. It has burned 23,448 acres after being active for 19 days. A crew of 1,043 firefighters has been working on site and they managed to contain 90% of the fire by Sunday evening. The blaze's cause remains under investigation.
Law enforcement and prosecutors are geared up for scammers who are expected to exploit relief for victims of the Palisades and Eaton fires.
As parts of fire-ravaged Southern California begin to recover, Los Angeles County is sending out mental health workers to help fire victims heal from trauma.
Real estate mogul Mauricio Umansky said California needs to work with the federal government in order to help Los Angeles rebuild from the devastating wildfires.
Eaton Fire initially started 6:18 p.m. Jan. 7 in Los Angeles County. Since its discovery 16 days ago, it has burned 14,021 acres. A fire crew of 1,837 has been working on site and, as of Thursday morning, they managed to contain 95% of the fire. However, investigations into the cause are ongoing.
Officials ordered evacuations in the area surrounding the Hughes Fire on Wednesday morning, located near Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County.
The Hughes Fire near Castaic, north of Los Angeles, was 24% contained on Thursday afternoon, according to Cal Fire.
Thousands of firefighters are battling wildfires across 45 square miles of densely populated Los Angeles County. About 92,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders and another 89,000 are under evacuation warnings.
The Eaton Fire is almost completely contained in the Altadena area northeast of Los Angeles. On the LA County coast, the Palisades Fire is over three-fourths contained. The Hughes Fire, which broke out in the Lake Castaic area Wednesday north of Los Angeles, is over 50% contained.