Here’s the latest on the fires.
Firefighters racing against the arrival of more desert winds made progress on Sunday against the two biggest fires raging in Los Angeles, which have killed at least 16 people and destroyed entire neighborhoods from the inland hills to the Pacific Coast.
At least 16 other people have been reported missing in the area of the two largest fires, Sheriff Robert Luna of Los Angeles County said at a news conference, adding that he expected that number would “absolutely” rise.
Crews managed to contain more of the Eaton fire as of Sunday morning, and they had largely stopped the Palisades fire’s momentum toward a road of homes in a section of the Brentwood neighborhood.
Forecasters expected a brief reprieve from the wind on Sunday afternoon, but the kind of gusty desert winds that have propelled the fires were expected to return on Monday through Wednesday, keeping the fire risk in the area high.
Here’s what else to know:
Slow progress: Crews have contained 11 percent of the 23,700-acre Palisades fire and 27 percent of the 14,000-acre Eaton fire in the San Gabriel Mountains, according to Cal Fire. More than 100,000 residents are still under evacuation orders, and tens of thousands more have been warned they may have to evacuate.
High winds: The National Weather Service reported wind gusts between 30 and 40 miles per hour on Sunday morning in parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, combined with low humidity. Here’s the forecast.
Scale of destruction: The combined area burned by the past week’s fires is larger than each of the city limits of San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Boston or Miami. Together, the Eaton and Palisades fires have damaged more than 12,000 “structures,” which can refer to houses, but also cars and outbuildings.
The victims: The identities of more people who died in the blazes have been released. Read more about them.
Arrests: Robert Luna, the Los Angeles sheriff, said that 25 people were arrested in the area of the Eaton fire, and four near the Palisades. One man was dressed like a firefighter and had been burglarizing a home, he said.