Investigators are looking into whether a small blaze was not totally snuffed out and reignited to start the Palisades fire, the Los Angeles Fire Department’s chief said.

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“We owe that to you, as a community, to understand where and how this happened, where and how this started,” Chief Kristin Crowley said during a virtual community meeting on Thursday night, Jan 16.

Assistant Fire Chief Joe Everett said firefighters patrolled the area following the New Year’s Day fire for more than 36 hours and kept a hose line on the Pacific Palisades hill.

“That fire was dead out,” he said. “If it is determined that was the cause, it would be a phenomenon.”

Fire investigators are looking at a hiking area called Skull Rock as the potential point of origin for the destructive Palisades fire, which erupted on Jan. 7. The site was the scene of another fire, on New Year’s Day; Los Angeles firefighters, just 15 minutes into the new year, were dispatched to the hillside community to put out the initial brush fire.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has asked that anyone hiking there on Jan. 7 to contact the agency by texting ATFLA to 63975 to create a report and describe anything seen, smelled or heard.

Meanwhile, though a cause has not been announced by officials concerning Los Angeles County’s other massive fire, the Eaton, which also started on Jan. 7, lawsuits on behalf of dozens of victims have been filed against Southern California Edison blaming its equipment for sparking the blaze.

Firefighters achieved another jump in containment on both the Eaton and Palisades fires, taking advantage of favorable weather conditions before another round of Santa Ana winds likely enters the region early next week.

The Eaton fire, burning in Eaton Canyon, Altadena and Pasadena, was 65% contained as of Friday night, Jan. 17, authorities said. The Palisades fire, in Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Topanga and Mandeville canyons, was 39% contained, according to Cal Fire.

Neither fire has grown in size in several days.

Cooler temperatures, higher humidity and weaker winds will aid firefighting efforts over the weekend, National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Thompson said. However, he warned that Santa Ana winds and single-digit humidity would return on Monday, Jan. 20, and last through most of the week.

The fires have combined to claim at least 27 lives. As of Friday morning, Jan. 17, law enforcement officials were working on 32 missing-person cases tied to the fires’ footprints.

The number of damaged or destroyed structures in the Eaton fire surpassed 8,600, according to updated numbers from Cal Fire, while officials have said more than 5,000 have been damaged or destroyed in the Palisades fire. The Palisades has ravaged 23,713 acres, while Eaton has charred 14,117.

Some residents evacuated from the Palisades fire near the Encino Reservoir have been allowed to return home; the same was true with residents near the fire perimeter north of Pacific Coast Highway and west of the 405 Freeway.

In Altadena, more residents also were allowed to begin returning to their homes: those living Northeast of Millard Creek, east of Lake Avenue and south of Mendocino Lane, as well as south of Church Canyon Place, east of Old Toll Road, and west of Sunset Ridge Road.

Officials have warned, however, that most others likely would not be able to return to their homes for at least another week as authorities continue to conduct damage and search-and-rescue assessments.

“Many areas are still being actively wiped to ensure the safety of our residents and fire personnel,” Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Commander Minh Dinh said. “Additionally, significant road damage, debris and hazardous conditions are present in the burn area, further complicating safe entry.”

Resources for those impacted by the fires are available at lacity.gov. For evacuation orders and warnings, shelters and road closures: fire.ca.gov.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that the California Department of Justice has sent more than 200 warning letters to hotels and landlords accused of price gouging. In addition, the office is conducting criminal investigations into price gouging.

The Pasadena Public Health Department reported on Friday, Jan. 17, that there was an outbreak of gastrointestinal norovirus at the American Red Cross’ Pasadena Evacuation Shelter. Three people at the shelter tested positive for the virus among a cluster of 28 people suffering from acute gastrointestinal illness.

People suffering from norovirus can have acute vomiting and diarrhea several times a day and stomach cramps, health officials said. It can lead to dehydration, especially in young children, older adults and people with other illnesses.

In one Palisades neighborhood where evacuation orders were lifted for residents on Friday, Jan. 17, the homes remained intact but lacked power. A few residents parked in their driveways, going into their darkened homes to grab belongings before leaving. By sunset, private security, hired by homeowners, made up the majority of people in the area.

In Mandeville Canyon, only residents were allowed back in, with the National Guard and fire personnel checking identification. Where the road winds back deeper into the mountains, the Upper Mandeville area remains tinged pink, with fire retardant atop trees and roofs — a reminder of the fight waged against the fire as it threatened this area just days ago.

The one home that burned here, with only the chimney remaining, is visible from Merrimac Road — the remains just sitting on the hillside above.

City News Service contributed to this report.