PASADENA, Calif. (KTLA) – Dozens of residents and business owners affected by the Eaton Fire hold a community meeting as fire departments across Southern California predict high winds from the Santa Ana in the coming days and issue high wind warnings. Attending. at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Pasadena.
The more than 14,000-acre firestorm that ripped through the San Gabriel Mountains and destroyed much of Altadena is 81% contained, according to the latest information from fire officials.
Nearly 10,000 buildings were destroyed and at least 17 people were killed, but the number is expected to rise.
The National Weather Service has issued another red flag warning for much of inland Southern California, including parts of Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, from 10 a.m. Monday until 10 p.m. Tuesday. An order has been issued.
The warning was issued due to high winds and dry moisture expected across the region, the same factors that caused the rapid spread of the Palisades and Eaton fires.
(National Weather Bureau)
“This is basically one tick lower than the Jan. 7 event, but it depends on where the low and high pressure systems that produce this type of wind event line up, and where the areas will be most affected. It’s decided,” fire behavior analyst Dennis Burns said at Sunday’s meeting.
Suspect posing as a firefighter in Palisades had a fake fire engine
Wind gusts are expected to be 50 to 70 mph along the coast and valleys, and 60 to 160 mph in the mountains and foothills, the weather bureau said.
As residents and first responders prepare for the next Santa Ana event, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Malone shared his thoughts on the Eaton Fire at the meeting.
“If you talk to the commanders and firefighters who were in the area, this was the worst fire incident they’ve ever experienced,” he said. I’m glad we didn’t lose more people, but 17 people is too many. ”
Many of those attending the rally lost their homes in the Eaton fire, like Karen Decker, a San Gabriel Unified School teacher.
“It’s difficult,” Decker told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo. “It’s hard to lose your home, a safe and grounded place.”
Her home on Homewood Drive, where she had lived in Altadena for more than 30 years, was reduced to rubble. But like many others, she plans to rebuild.
“I’m definitely rebuilding, and everyone I talk to on the street and everyone I know who lost their homes is also rebuilding,” Decker said.
To support her efforts, several SGUSD colleagues organized a GoFundMe to help Decker and her family recover from the tragedy.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department released repopulation and safety guidelines for people displaced by the Eaton Fire. See this link for more information.
Learn more about how to prepare for wildfires.
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