Palisades and Eaton wildfires 100% contained after nearly a month of burning

LOS ANGELES ? After nearly a month of destruction, smoke, and ash, the Eaton and Palisades fires that once ensconced Los Angeles have been fully contained, according to Cal Fire.

The two fires sparked on Jan. 7 during a historic wind event swept through the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, killing at least 29, burning over 37,000 acres, or 57.8 square miles, and leaving destroyed homes and livelihoods in their wake.

"The conditions, that night, were unbearable," Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said during an interview with 60 Minutes. "It was a devil wind that came out, you know, that extreme Santa Ana wind condition."

The two blazes, currently under investigation, are the second and third most destructive wildfires in California history, according to Cal Fire.

PCH to reopen, checkpoints in Palisades to remain

Pacific Coast Highway is set to see a limited reopening on Monday, with one lane of traffic each way and a reduced speed limit, according to an announcement by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Checkpoints in the area will remain in place, with responsibilities transferring from the Los Angeles Police Department to the California Highway Patrol and National Guard.

The announcement said continued checkpoints came as a response to concerns the community had over safety in the burn area. The city had originally planned to remove the checkpoints Sunday, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"This plan secures the Palisades and eases the strain on LAPD, whose ability to respond across L.A. has been impacted for nearly one month," Bass said in the announcement. "My priority continues to be rebuilding the Palisades as rapidly and safely as possible."

Clean-up efforts complicated

The collective exhale Southern California experienced as the fires were contained was short as efforts to begin the rebuilding process faced the first of many challenges as toxic debris from the fires remained in the burn areas

"Residents should not, not, not, go home and sift through the debris," said Katie Arrington, a disaster recovery expert who has helped manage the aftermath of a suburban Denver 2021 wildfire that destroyed about 1,000 homes. "It is highly toxic debris. It’s the mixing all the materials together, along with it burning. It’s not just your house, but your neighbor's houses, your car in the driveway."

Arrington, who works for Boulder County's Recovery and Resiliency Division, previously told USA TODAY that removing the debris from homes destroyed in the 2021 Marshall Fire took six months and required the expertise of contractors licensed to handle the waste.

Contributing: Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Los Angeles fires contained, reopening Palisades burn area delayed