Control of the massive wildfires in Los Angeles was improving on Friday, as strong winds that have made it difficult to fight the blazes continued to recede, bringing some relief to the city amid the ongoing disaster.

Cooler air will continue to bring much-needed humidity to the region over the weekend, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service. But dry winds could return late Monday or early Tuesday.

Two of the largest wildfires, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, have been further contained over the past week and remain active. As of Friday morning, the Palisades Fire was 31% contained and the Eaton Fire was 65% contained. The two fires have been burning since January 7.

Two more people died in the fires on Thursday afternoon, bringing the death toll to 27. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office, 10 people died in the Palisades Fire and 17 people died in the Eaton Fire. Officials said crews were still working in evacuated communities and the death toll was expected to rise.

Victims include a 95-year-old woman with Hollywood connections; a 55-year-old surfer who calls himself the "Malibu Mystery Man"; and a 68-year-old amputee and his son who were reportedly waiting as the fire spread ambulance.

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said officials are using "cadaver dogs to try to locate and recover the remains so that we can be accountable to the families of our missing loved ones and do it in the most respectful way possible." at this point". at a news conference Wednesday. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told the Los Angeles Times that 31 people are still missing.

Damage to homes and businesses in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena communities is still being assessed. So far, the Palisades Fire has destroyed more than 3,500 structures, while the Eaton Fire has destroyed more than 7,100 structures. The total is likely to rise. Total losses are estimated to be approximately $250 billion.

On Thursday, residents in some evacuated areas began returning to their homes for the first time since the fires began. Officials have not yet given others a timetable for when they can return, given that the fires are still burning and they are warning of hazardous debris and toxic waste in many areas. More than 80,000 people remain under evacuation orders, with some showing up at checkpoints pleading with officials to give them a chance to see if their homes have survived.

At a news conference Thursday, Los Angeles County Department of Public Works Director Mark Pestrella said some properties were "filled with sediment, debris, silt and hazardous materials" that would take officials some time to clean up.

Experts warn residents sifting through damaged or destroyed property without proper protection could inhale dangerous substances or absorb them through their skin. Hazards in homes and cars include lead, battery acid, arsenic and carcinogens found in plastics.

"The likelihood that items that were safe before a fire would contain toxic substances is very high," Chris Field, director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, told The Guardian. "These toxic substances are more toxic than if they were exposed to large amounts of ash and smoke." The risks already posed are more serious." He recommended that residents wear at least a properly-fitting N-95 mask, goggles and gloves, and preferably a professional-grade respirator and full-body Tyvek suit.

The city of Pasadena declared a public health emergency due to "ash and particulate matter in the air throughout the community."

Officials are also warning residents who can return to their homes to watch for signs of instability at the base of their properties. The fires appear to have destabilized the land, particularly in the Pacific Palisades community, which could lead to dangerous landslides. A house along Palisade Beach was split in half after being spared damage from this week's mudslides.

"No matter where you live in Los Angeles County, if you have slopes behind your home or you're on top of a slope, those slopes are going to be vulnerable," Pestrella said. "Even if it doesn't rain, the risk of mudslides is still there, so we want people to be very careful."

In Altadena, as residents began to cope with the scale of the damage, they organized hyperlocal mutual aid events to support each other. Families and educators are also beginning to deal with the impact of dozens of schools that were damaged or destroyed in the fires.

Meanwhile, nonprofits have been organizing to support undocumented immigrants affected by the fires, many of whom are ineligible for federal aid and struggling with the loss of jobs and housing while facing a return to office by Donald Trump threatened with deportation.

Some residents also lost wildfire insurance last year amid the Palisades fire, raising concerns about the long-term financial impact on families. The Los Angeles County Insurance Commissioner says companies will not be allowed to cancel or not renew home insurance coverage for wildfire victims next year in affected ZIP codes.

Contributed by Associated Press Report