6 months later: What we know so far about Palisades, Eaton fires and status of the recovery

Six months after unprecedented twin fires tore through the Pacific Palisades near Malibu and Eaton Canyon rapidly burning homes in Pasadena and destroying of Altadena the cleanup process has been rapid but rebuilding has been slowed by insurance and financial issues The recovery from the fires is an evolving saga that changes by the day But here s a brisk overview of what we know at this milestone The Scope Among state s worst ever Even six months later the scale of the fires is mind-boggling The Eaton fire charred acres killing civilians and destroying structures both residential and commercial Altadena was nearly wiped off the map and has become a near ghost town destroying more than residential and commercial units plus a great number of churches and nonprofits In the Palisades along the coast acres burned killing civilians and destroying structures both residential and commercial A firefighter tries to extinguish flames at a burning apartment building during the Eaton Fire Jan in Altadena Calif AP Photo Chris Pizzello File The fires were fueled by dry weather and a rare windstorm that strengthened flames and carried embers via mph gusts creating an unprecedented problem that overwhelmed firefighting efforts According to Los Angeles County executives the wildfires of Jan and Jan destroyed more than structures caused billion in economic losses and displaced more than residents Clearly the twin fires were one of the region s worst-ever fires and are estimated to be among the costliest natural disasters in U S history Causes Working theories are evolving Causes of both fires remain undetermined But there are several working theories In the Palisades fire then-L A Fire Chief Kristin Crowley stated the department was exploring that a previous fire was a attainable cause Six days before the Palisades fire started Los Angeles firefighters rushed to the hillside society to put out a brush fire Fire investigators were looking into that fire at a hiking area called Skull Rock the scene of the New Year s Day fire Crews battled the -acre fire in the block of Via Las Palmas The theory is that fire may have re-ignited on Jan As for a attainable cause of the Eaton fire attention centers on an old transmission tower named the Mesa-Sylmar line in Eaton Canyon in eastern Pasadena that was taken out of commission after being damaged in the San Fernando earthquake Southern California Edison crews were air lifted out to transmission tower in Eaton Canyon Altadena on Monday May to begin removal of the tower to be preserved as evidence as being the feasible cause of the Eaton Fire Photo by Dean Musgrove Los Angeles daily News SCNG Edison International Chief Executive Pedro Pizarro communicated the media that Tower may have become reenergized through a phenomenon called induction in which the electromagnetic field of a nearby current line reenergizes an idle line That has become a leading theory in SCE s inquiry into the cause of the fire Pizarro disclosed SCE left the old towers standing rather than remove them that is until crews took down the tower in question more than two months ago More than lawsuits have been filed against the utility blaming it for sparking the devastating blaze either through molten material falling from a reenergized power line or through an exposed ground wire that was in contact with the brush Progress toward recovery The percentage of private lots cleared in the Eaton fire is The percentage of cleared private lots in the Palisades is according to Gerre Laine L Alcordo spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers The figures were as of Thursday night July Frank Jones thanks the land where his home once stood as he visits his Altadena property on Wednesday June Jones who lost his wife shortly before the Eaton fire is looking into rebuilding Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz Los Angeles Daily News SCNG L A County Supervisor Kathryn Barger whose district includes Altadena and Pasadena disclosed the Army Corps response set a record for speed and scale She estimated debris removal has been completed on properties affected by the Eaton Fire with completion by end of summer Included in that is the completion of the clearing process for of burned structures specifically in Pasadena by the end of June Altadena s recovery has demonstrated what is realizable when local state and federal agencies work together in lockstep Barger announced In the time since the Eaton Fire I ve traveled to Washington D C and met with top level personnel within the Presidential Administration key Congressional leaders and FEMA agents to advocate for ongoing help Wildlife is steadily returning to the burned regions and scientists are closely monitoring the animals FEMA has approved million in assistance to eligible county residents affected by the wildfires including million in housing assistance Barger communicated Rebuilding or selling In the Palisades nearly of homeowners intend to rebuild but revealed they may not return if the process dragged on for more than three years In the Eaton fire area intend to rebuild with saying no if it took too long The evidence is from a survey from the Urban Land Institute in cooperation with USC and UCLA Because insurance reimbursement levels are low as compared to the cost of rebuilding the survey concluded A important share of respondents are uncertain if they will have sufficient tools to fully cover rebuilding expenses Construction continues on a home destroyed in the Eaton fire on Riviera Dr In Pasadena on Thursday June Photo by Dean Musgrove Los Angeles Daily News SCNG Hundreds of homeowners have applied for city or county approval for new home designs and other permits to rebuild or repair their homes Los Angeles approved its first building permit about two months after the fires By comparison it took seven months before the first such permit was approved after the Woolsey Fire in Services protections Here s a brisk overview of selected of the services and protects available to people who lost homes in the fires Rental housing price gouging protections are extended through July by the L A County Board of Supervisors These limit rent and hotel rate increases and prohibit evictions so that a landlord can relist the unit at higher rates For advice on preventing property foreclosures L A County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs counselors are available to help For more information call DCBA at - - - or visit dcba lacounty gov foreclosure-prevention Economic injury loans for small businesses and private nonprofit organizations in the fire zones are available in the form of Small Business Administration Economic Injury Mishap Loans Visit sba gov Worried about lead exposure from fire ash Free blood tests are available through December by scheduling a blood test appointment by calling - -LA- -LEAD - - - The county Department of Society Soundness has screened more than adults and children at population events To date all but seven test results have been below the Centers for Condition Control and Prevention s CDC blood lead reference value of micrograms per deciliter indicating no elevated blood lead levels among the vast majority of those tested For help with rebuilding go to LA County One-Stop Permit Center West Woodbury Road Suite Altadena CA Walk-in hours Monday-Friday a m p m LA County One-Stop Permit Center Agoura Road Calabasas CA Walk-in hours Monday Friday a m a m City of LA One Stop Permit Center Sawtelle Blvd Los Angeles CA Open Monday Friday a m p m The Associated Press contributed to this document