PASADENA, Calif. (KTLA) – As firefighters brace for yet another round of strong Santa Ana winds over the next several days, prompting high wind warnings, dozens of residents and businesses owners impacted by the Eaton Fire attended a community meeting in Pasadena.  

As of the latest update from fire officials, the more than 14,000-acre firestorm that swept through the San Gabriel Mountains, destroying much of Altadena, is 81% contained.  

Nearly 10,000 structures were destroyed and at least 17 people were killed, though that number is expected to rise.  

The National Weather Service has issued another Red Flag Warning from 10 a.m. Monday to 10 p.m. Tuesday for much of inland Southern California, including parts of Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. 

The warning comes because of projected high winds across the region combined with dry humidity — the same recipe that contributed to the rapid spread of the Palisades and Eaton fires. 

“This is basically one tick below the Jan. 7 event, and it just depends on where the low pressure and high-pressure systems that cause these kind of wind events line up as to the areas that are going to see the largest impact,” Dennis Burns, a fire behavior analyst, said at Sunday’s meeting.

According to the weather service, winds gusts between 50-70 miles per hour are forecast for the coasts and valleys, with gusts as high as 60-100 miles per hour in the mountains and foothills.

As residents and first responders prepare for this next Santa Ana event, L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone shared some perspective on Eaton Fire at Sunday’s meeting.  

“As I talk to the commanders and firefighters that were in this area, this was the worst fire incident that they’ve ever experienced,” he said. “I’m grateful we didn’t lose more people, but 17 is too much.”  

Many of those in attendance, like San Gabriel Unified schoolteacher Karen Dekker, lost their homes to the Eaton Fire.  

“It’s hard,” Dekker told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo. “It’s hard to lose your home, your place that is safe and grounding.”  

An Altadena resident for more than 30 years, her house on Homewood Drive was reduced to rubble. Like many others, though, she plans to rebuild.  

“I’m definitely rebuilding and everyone I talk to on my street and others I know who lost their homes, they’re all rebuilding,” Dekker said.  

To support her efforts, several of her colleagues at SGUSD have organized a GoFundMe to help Dekker and her family recover from the tragedy.  

In the meantime, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department has released repopulation and safety guidelines for those forced to evacuate as a result of the Eaton Fire. More information can be found by following this link.  

More information on how to prepare for wildfires can be found here. 

A Texas police sergeant and Army veteran killed in the line of duty is being hailed as a hero for preventing even more tragedy.

Navasota Police Sgt. Mark Butler was killed in a head-on collision during a pursuit of a suspect wanted for attempting to cash a fake check, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a site dedicated to remembering law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. 

The ordeal began just after 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, when the College Station Police Department (CSPD) responded to a forgery in progress at Prosperity Bank. 

Officials said officers made contact with the female suspect, who was attempting to cash a fraudulent check and fled in a black Jeep Wrangler when approached.

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Navasota Police Sgt. Mark Butler was killed in a head-on collision while pursuing a suspect who tried to cash a fake check Wednesday afternoon.  (Officer Down Memorial Page)

Troopers were dispatched with the suspect reported to be traveling in the wrong direction on Highway 6 in Navasota, 24 miles outside College Station.

At 3:30 p.m., officials said Butler, who was traveling north, maneuvered his marked patrol vehicle and collided with the suspect, preventing her from hitting other motorists on the highway.

Officials said Butler was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died. The wrong-way driver, whose identity has not been released, was pronounced dead at the crash site. 

A Bryan, Texas, family spoke to KBTX and praised Butler for his heroism and credited him with saving the lives of other drivers.

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“I don’t believe we would have made it out if it wasn’t for the officer,” Jonathan Crider told KBTX of the harrowing moments before the crash. “He selflessly gave himself up so nobody else would perish.”

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Navasota Police Sgt. Mark Butler was killed Wednesday while pursuing a wrong-way driver wanted for attempting to cash a fake check.  (LinkedIn)

Crider told KBTX he and his coworkers were returning to Bryan from a landscaping job in Cypress when they saw a black Jeep Wrangler speeding toward them. At the last moment, Crider said, Butler maneuvered his patrol vehicle into the Jeep’s path, preventing the oncoming car from hitting Crider’s truck and other vehicles around him.

“We changed lanes five seconds before the impact,” Crider said. “He didn’t swerve or brake. He sacrificed himself to save everyone behind us. I truly owe my life to him.”

Officials said the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is leading the investigation into the crash, while the College Station Police Department is assisting with the investigation into the forgery incident. 

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“Our thoughts and condolences go out to Sergeant Butler’s family, colleagues, and the entire Navasota community during this incredibly difficult time,” the College Station Police Department wrote in a post on social media.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the death of Butler “a heartbreaking reminder of the danger our law enforcement officers face every time they leave home for work,” referring to Butler and Brazoria County Sheriff’s Deputy Jesus Vargas, who was shot and killed in the line of duty Wednesday.

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“We lost two officers today in the line of duty,” Patrick wrote in a post on X. “Texas law enforcement officers who make the ultimate sacrifice protecting our communities live on in our hearts forever. Please pray tonight for both of these heroes’ families. They have suffered such great loss.”

Republican Texas State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst also shared her condolences in a post on her Facebook page and said it’s “hard to fathom this sudden and reckless loss of life.”

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“Our hearts are broken tonight, and I join the entire Navasota community in extending deepest sympathy to the family of Navasota Police Sgt. Mark Butler,” she wrote. “Sgt Butler tragically died in the line of duty late this afternoon when a woman evading arrest drove head-on into his patrol car during a police pursuit.

“It is hard to fathom this sudden and reckless loss of life. Those that wear the blue risk so much to protect all of us. … We are reminded of their sacrifices at times like this. He lived his life to serve others.”

— Texas State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst

“Please keep Sgt. Butler’s family, friends, and the Navasota Police Department in your prayers during this time. He died in the line of duty, protecting and serving the public and he will never be forgotten.” 

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, Butler was a United States Army veteran and had served with the Navasota Police Department almost four years.

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Stepheny Price is writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com

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LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – A man and a woman from Oregon were arrested over the weekend for reportedly impersonating firefighters as they attempted to enter a Palisades Fire evacuation zone in what appeared to be a legitimate fire engine, officials announced Sunday.  

In a news release, officials with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department said the suspects, identified as 31-year-old Dustin Nehl and 44-year-old Jennifer Nehl, were spotted by LAPD patrol officers on Jan. 18.  

Not believing the fire truck was legitimate, police relayed the information to sheriff’s deputies, who caught up to the suspects.  

LASD said that when they contacted the man and woman, the pair were both dressed in “turnout gear,” which is the protective clothing worn by firefighters responding to a fire, had Cal Fire shirts underneath the gear and were also in possession of helmets and radios.  

“The occupants claimed to be from the ‘Roaring River Fire Department’ in Oregon,” the release stated. “Upon further investigation, the deputies learned that the department name was not a legitimate agency, and the truck was purchased at an auction.”  

Investigators, who arrested the Oregon residents and impounded the firetruck, said the pair reportedly admitted to being in the evacuation zone a day earlier. 

The relationship between the Nehls is unknown at this time, but authorities added that Dustin has a “criminal mischief” history in Oregon. Neither of the suspects, however, have criminal histories in California. 

Authorities did not provide a motive for why the man and woman were attempting to enter the evacuation zone allegedly posing as firefighters or if they were facing any charges in addition “impersonating firefighters.”

LASD officials said the case will be presented to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday for filing consideration.  

Anyone with information about this investigation is urged to contact LASD’s Major Crime Bureau at 562-946-7893. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-222-8477 or leave tips online at www.lacrimestoppers.org.