PASADENA, Calif. (KTLA) – As firefighters brace for yet another round of strong Santa Ana winds over the next several days, prompting high wind warnings, dozens of residents and businesses owners impacted by the Eaton Fire attended a community meeting in Pasadena.
As of the latest update from fire officials, the more than 14,000-acre firestorm that swept through the San Gabriel Mountains, destroying much of Altadena, is 81% contained.
Nearly 10,000 structures were destroyed and at least 17 people were killed, though that number is expected to rise.
The National Weather Service has issued another Red Flag Warning from 10 a.m. Monday to 10 p.m. Tuesday for much of inland Southern California, including parts of Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
The warning comes because of projected high winds across the region combined with dry humidity — the same recipe that contributed to the rapid spread of the Palisades and Eaton fires.
“This is basically one tick below the Jan. 7 event, and it just depends on where the low pressure and high-pressure systems that cause these kind of wind events line up as to the areas that are going to see the largest impact,” Dennis Burns, a fire behavior analyst, said at Sunday’s meeting.
According to the weather service, winds gusts between 50-70 miles per hour are forecast for the coasts and valleys, with gusts as high as 60-100 miles per hour in the mountains and foothills.
As residents and first responders prepare for this next Santa Ana event, L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone shared some perspective on Eaton Fire at Sunday’s meeting.
“As I talk to the commanders and firefighters that were in this area, this was the worst fire incident that they’ve ever experienced,” he said. “I’m grateful we didn’t lose more people, but 17 is too much.”
Many of those in attendance, like San Gabriel Unified schoolteacher Karen Dekker, lost their homes to the Eaton Fire.
“It’s hard,” Dekker told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo. “It’s hard to lose your home, your place that is safe and grounding.”
An Altadena resident for more than 30 years, her house on Homewood Drive was reduced to rubble. Like many others, though, she plans to rebuild.
“I’m definitely rebuilding and everyone I talk to on my street and others I know who lost their homes, they’re all rebuilding,” Dekker said.
To support her efforts, several of her colleagues at SGUSD have organized a GoFundMe to help Dekker and her family recover from the tragedy.
In the meantime, the L.A. Sheriff’s Department has released repopulation and safety guidelines for those forced to evacuate as a result of the Eaton Fire. More information can be found by following this link.
More information on how to prepare for wildfires can be found here.
