- Southern California Edison power company faces multiple lawsuits claiming faulty power lines caused the Eaton fire.
- The Eaton and Palisades fires are partially contained, while other smaller fires have been fully contained.
- Prison inmates, trained for disaster response, are also involved in fighting the fires.
It’s been one week since the wildfires in the Los Angeles area first ignited, and some of the fires are fully contained while others continue to burn.
Since the fires started, thousands of residents have lost their homes, hundreds of firefighters from outside the state have been deployed to California and multiple lawsuits have been filed over the cause of the fires.
Lawsuits filed over the cause of the Eaton fire
Multiple lawsuits were filed Monday against Southern California Edison power company, claiming that faulty power lines caused the deadly Eaton fire, per NPR. The Eaton fire has killed over 16 people and it destroyed thousands of structures, per reports.
“The complaint alleges that Southern California Edison violated public safety and utility codes and was negligent in its handling of power safety shut-offs during known extreme fire conditions and high winds,” according to NPR.
Containment of the fires increases but some continue to burn
Multiple fires have popped up in Los Angeles County over the last week, and several of the fires have been fully contained. The two biggest fires, the Eaton and Palisades fires, are both partially contained. As of Tuesday morning Palisades was 17% contained and Eaton was 33% contained, per The New York Times.
While the Eaton and Palisades fires still burn as of Tuesday, they aren’t burning any new structures or homes, officials report.
Another fire, the Hurst fire, was 97% contained as of Tuesday morning. The Kenneth, Sunset, Lidia and Archer fires have all been fully contained.
Firefighters from outside California have come together to fight the fires
At least nine states, including Texas, Utah and Oregon, have deployed firefighters to help in California. Canada has also sent 60 firefighters, and Mexico has contributed as well by sending 72 firefighters, per The New York Times.
Prison inmates are also among those who are helping to fight the fires. These inmates are a part of the California Conservation Camp Program, per USA Today.
“The inmates, who are trained to respond to disasters like floods and fires, have been a large part of the state’s firefighting force since the 1940s,” according to USA Today.
Thousands of people have submitted applications for assistance from FEMA
According to The New York Times, FEMA has received over 40,000 applications for assistance, and the agency has provided more than $8 million in aid.
People can also receive aid from California’s FAIR Plan, which was created in 1968 to cover people who, for various reasons, couldn’t get standard home insurance.
Recently fires have grown more frequent and intense, “causing commercial insurance companies to pull back from the state, the rapidly growing FAIR Plan has become the linchpin holding together California’s increasing fragile insurance market,” per The New York Times.
As of Friday, there was just $377 million available to be paid from the FAIR Plan. It is unclear how many claims the plan will face due to the fires, but the cost is expected to be in the billions.