(NewsNation) — At least 24 people have died in the Los Angeles area wildfires that have been blazing since last week.
Crews got some relief over the weekend as the winds died down, but the gusts are expected to pick up later Monday and Tuesday. The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for severe fire conditions with sustained winds of 50 mph. In the mountains, they’re set to reach 70 mph.
Over 12,000 structures have been destroyed in the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires. The biggest of them, Palisades, is still only 13% contained.
More than 150,000 people are still under evacuation orders.
Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said Sunday that some residents won’t be allowed to return to evacuation zones until the forecasted Red Flag event on Jan. 15 ends.
Most Los Angeles Unified schools and all of the district’s offices are set to open Monday.
“Conditions have improved for a majority of areas across the Los Angeles region and the District is confident it is safe for students and employees to return to campuses,” the school district said in a statement. Schools remaining closed because of mandatory evacuation orders are: Canyon Charter Elementary, Kenter Canyon Charter Elementary, Palisades Charter Elementary, Marquez Charter Elementary, Topanga Charter Elementary, Lanai Road Elementary and Paul Revere Middle School.
At a Monday afternoon press conference, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman is set to announce charges against a group of people in a residential looting in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, as well as arson charges against a man in the city of Azusa.
Palisades Fire
According to CalFire, the Palisades Fire has scorched 23,713 acres and is 14% contained as of Monday morning.
Eight of the 24 deaths in the wildfires are attributed to Palisades, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
Four people are missing from the Palisades Fire zone, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
The blaze was first reported as a vegetation fire around 10:30 a.m. PT Tuesday.
Eaton Fire
The Eaton Fire burned 14,117 acres and is at 27% containment, per CalFire.
Sixteen of the deaths from the wildfires are from Eaton, the LA County coroner’s office said.
Luna said 12 people are missing in the Eaton Fire zone.
Hurst Fire
The Hurst Fire burned 799 acres and is 89% contained, CalFire said.
How much damage have wildfires caused?
Accuweather estimates that the total damage and economic loss from the fires could be $135-150 billion. Poweroutage.us estimates that 49,605 people across California are without power.
Mark Pestrella, director of Los Angeles County Public Works Director, said sewer, power and transportation systems have been damaged significantly.
Angeles National Forest is temporarily closed for public safety through Wednesday, Jan.15.
On X, the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team announced their game from last Thursday is being rescheduled. The Wild Card playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams football team and Minnesota Vikings, originally set to be played in SoFi Stadium, was moved to Glendale, Arizona.
The Altadena Golf Course has been destroyed, according to Johnny Eusebio, general manager.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.