Fire dept says Eaton, Palisades fires 100% contained in Los Angeles

More than three weeks after two deadly wildfires erupted on either side of Los Angeles, fire officials announced on Friday that the Eaton Fire, which burned more than 14,000 acres (57 square kilometers) east of the city, was 100% controlled.

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), the larger Palisades Fire, which has burned 23,448 acres (95 square kilometers) on the west side of Los Angeles, was also completely doused.

The two major fires plus several smaller ones created the worst natural disaster in Los Angeles County history, killing 28 people and damaging or destroying more than 16,000 structures, Cal Fire said. At one point, 180,000 people were under evacuation orders, according to Los Angeles County officials.

Private forecaster AccuWeather projects damage and economic losses at more than $250 billion.

Containment measures the percentage of a fire's perimeter that firefighters have under control, with confidence that those lines can be maintained. Parts of the fire's interior may still be burning.

Long overdue rain reached Southern California in the past week, helping firefighters contain the fires while also increasing the danger of flash floods and mudslides in the denuded hills and the spread of toxic material left in the fire's devastation.

Firefighters say 100% containment is largely symbolic at this point as the last remaining fires were isolated in steep mountain terrain.

"It's more important when we say forward progress is stopped," said Margaret Stewart, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Forward progress was halted about a week after the two major fires started on January 7.

The rain was "more of a hindrance," Stewart said, because it caused mudslides and blocked roads used by responders.

"Had this rain come two weeks ago, it might have been more helpful," Stewart said.