Deaths from Los Angeles-area wildfires rise to 29

The number of deaths in the wildfires that destroyed entire communities in the Los Angeles area this month has risen to 29, the county medical examiner’s office said Monday.

The 29th person died at a hospital from the Palisades Fire, which erupted on Jan. 7 and destroyed thousands of homes in Pacific Palisades and on the Pacific Coast, the office said in a statement.

The Palisades Fire is confirmed to have destroyed 6,837 homes and other structures and burned 23,448 acres after it ignited during extreme winds on Jan. 7, fire officials said. Damage assessment teams are nearly finished with their inspections, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

The blaze was 95% contained Monday evening.

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Also Monday, residents were allowed to return to areas of the fire zone that had been under mandatory evacuation orders.

Another large and destructive wildfire, the Eaton Fire, also broke out Jan. 7 in Los Angeles County. It caused major damage in the community of Altadena and also burned homes in the cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre.

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It has destroyed 9,418 homes and other structures and burned 14,021 acres, according to an interagency fire information center that includes Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service. The fire was 98% contained Monday.

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Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has called the fires one of the most destructive disasters in Los Angeles history. They occurred as hurricane-force Santa Ana winds fanned the flames and grounded firefighting aircraft.

The causes of both fires are under investigation.