Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building on Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
The Palisades Fire on the western edge of Los Angeles has turned towards a densely populated area, leading to further evacuations.
The death toll has risen to 24.
Concerns are rising that the Getty Center art museum and its priceless collection is at risk of being in the path of the Palisades Fire, the largest of four fires still burning.
The Palisades Fire is threatening to jump over Interstate 405 into a heavily populated area.
Two of the largest fires are only 15% or less contained, with concerns that fierce winds could return in the coming days.
Of the fatalities, 16 were recorded to be in the Eaton Fire zone, while eight were from the Palisades Fire zone.
Teams with cadaver dogs are continuing to carry out grid searches with the expectation that the death toll will still rise.
Better weather conditions and efforts from firefighters have restricted the spread of the Palisades Fire, which was moving towards Brentwood and the densely populated San Fernando Valley.
However, conditions are due to worsen again, with “extreme fire behavior and life threatening conditions” over the coming days.
The Palisades Fire now encompasses 23,713 acres, with about 13% contained.
Winds of up to 70 miles (110 kilometers) per hour mean a “particularly dangerous situation” is expected to be declared from early on Tuesday, said National Weather Service meteorologist, Rose Schoenfeld.
At least 16 people are still missing.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said on Sunday that 12 people were missing in the Eaton fire zone and four were missing from the Palisades blaze. None of them were children.
The number of missing people is likely to increase as “dozens” more reports might had come in on Sunday, Luna added.
Investigators were also investigating whether any of the people reported missing had been killed by the wildfires.
