California fires: Crews improve containment on Palisades, Eaton fires as winds die down

Los Angeles County Public Works officials said Thursday that teams were working to assess watershed areas in and around the fires, preparing for mudslides and debris flows that are likely to occur if and when rain comes.

But they also noted that some of those hazards have already begun in dry areas scarred by the Palisades fire.

The area is suffering from “dry ravel,” a type of erosion that causes downhill movement of dry soils and debris, particularly an issue when vegetation cover — and hold — has been destroyed during a fire, said Mark Pestrella, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.

“The slopes that are over-steepened have been really dried out and you will see this raveling of the slopes and what looks like a landslide — and it is a landslide,” Pestrella said at a Thursday morning news conference.

That has sent “debris into streets and into properties.”

Photos showed a home on Castellammare Drive that survived the fire, but collapsed amid such a slide, according to a report from KTLA.

Pestrella said the situation has been exacerbated in some areas by increased water from firefighting efforts and destroyed water lines. He said the department’s teams are particularly aware of the issue in the lower Topanga area.

“We’re working with Caltrans to maintain slopes so we can continue to have access,” Pestrella said of the Topanga area.

There is also an ongoing effort by city and county officials to respond to areas of concern to assess geology, soils and water conditions in and around burn scars.

“No matter where you live in L.A. County, if you have slopes behind your homes or you’re located on top of a slope, these slopes have become fragile,” Pestrella said. “The soil that is supporting your home [has] all become fragile and damaged, due to the events that we’ve had, wind included. … There are mud and debris flow hazards that are existing even when it’s not raining, so we want people to be very careful.”

He urged residents who might notice this dry ravel or land movement — in or outside of the fires’ burn scars — to call 211, so geology, soil and flood control engineers can assess the property and make safety recommendations.