From January 7 to 31, 2025, a series of 14 destructive

wildfires A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

affected the

Los Angeles metropolitan area Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the east, ...

and

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its border with Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634; it is the second-most populous ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States. The fires were exacerbated by

drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...

conditions, low humidity, a buildup of vegetation from the previous winter, and hurricane-force

Santa Ana winds The Santa Ana winds, occasionally referred to as the devil winds, are strong, extremely dry katabatic winds that originate inland and affect coastal Southern California and northern Baja California. They originate from cool, dry high-pressure ...

, which in some places reached . The wildfires killed at least 30 people, forced more than 200,000 to evacuate, destroyed more than 18,000 homes and structures, and burned over of land in total. Most of the damage was from the two largest fires: the

Eaton Fire The Eaton Fire was a highly destructive wildfire in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, in Southern California. The fire began on the evening of January 7, 2025, in Eaton Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains, and a powerful S ...

in Altadena and the

Palisades Fire The Palisades Fire was a highly destructive wildfire that began burning in the Santa Monica Mountains of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County on January 7, 2025, and grew to destroy large areas of Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, P ...

in Pacific Palisades, both of which were fully contained on January 31, 2025. Municipal fire departments and the

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, colloquially known as CAL FIRE, is the fire department of the California Natural Resources Agency in the U.S. state of California. It is responsible for fire protection in various area ...

(CAL FIRE) fought the property fires and wildfires, which were extinguished by tactical aircraft alongside ground firefighting teams. The deaths and damage to property from these two fires made them likely the second and third- most destructive fires in California's history, respectively.

Background

The windstorm and resulting fire danger were well forecast. On January 1, the Lachman Fire broke out. The Lachman Fire was contained at 4:46 a.m. local time and was limited to only eight acres and did not destroy any structures. The Palisades Fire was later reported to start from a similar spot as to where the Lachman Fire started. On January 2, the

National Interagency Fire Center The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho, is an American physical facility which is the home to the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) and the National Multi-Agency Coordination Group (NMAC or MAC). The center w ...

(NIFC) warned that conditions in Southern California fostered "above normal significant fire potential". That same day, local

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...

(NWS) forecasts noted the potential for intense fires and issued a Fire Weather Watch. On January 3, the

Storm Prediction Center The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) is a US government agency that is part of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), operating under the control of the National Weather Service (NWS), which in turn is part of the National Oceani ...

(SPC) forecast a critical risk of fire weather that would occur on January 8 and that of January 7 on January 5. By January 7, on the first day of critical fire weather in the area, the SPC forecasted an extremely critical risk for Fire Weather for January 8. Subsequent days since January 9 up to January 15 have had at least a critical fire weather risk issued for Southern California, with January 13–14 having back to back Extremely Critical Fire Risks. On January 17, they issued a Critical Fire Risk for January 20–21, with the former upgraded to Extremely Critical Risk by January 19, the latter also upgraded to Extremely Critical by January 20. Later on January 20, the SPC also forecasted Critical fire weather for January 22–23. The NWS issued a red flag warning, denoting the most extreme fire danger, for Los Angeles and Ventura counties, calling it a "

particularly dangerous situation A PDS tornado watch issued on December 14, 2022. In weather forecasting in the United States, "particularly dangerous situation" (PDS) is the wording used by the National Weather Service and the Storm Prediction Center to convey special urgency in ...

" that posed high risk to life and property. The warning emphasized that fires could rapidly grow due to powerful winds and low

humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...

. Southern California had become increasingly arid since late summer 2024, with storm systems predominantly affecting the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

and

Northern California Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...

instead, as a result of the

El Niño–Southern Oscillation El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a global climate phenomenon that emerges from variation in winds and sea surface temperatures over the tropical Pacific Ocean. Those variations have an irregular pattern but do have some semblance of cyc ...

(ENSO) shifting from El Niño to La Niña. La Niña conditions had emerged over the tropical Pacific Ocean by December 2024. By late December 2024, most of Los Angeles County had entered moderate drought status, creating heightened fire vulnerability due to desiccated vegetation in what was traditionally the region's wet season.

Severe drought

Dry vegetation exacerbated the dangerous conditions, with many parts of

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

experiencing severe drought, the driest start to the rainy season on record, and the driest nine-month period on record before the start of the wind event and subsequent fires. According to a study published in ''

Nature Reviews Earth & Environment ''Nature Reviews Earth & Environment'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Nature Portfolio. It was established in 2020. The editor-in-chief is Graham Simpkins. Abstracting and indexing The journal is abstracted and indexe ...

'', climate change in the region has both increased temperatures and created volatility in rainfall levels. Droughts punctuated by periods of heavy rain, such as the rainy seasons in 2022–23 and 2023–24, result in the sudden growth of grasses, shrubs, and trees that rapidly dry out and remain as fuel for wildfires. Climate change, according to research published in ''Environmental Research Letters'', has made the hot and dry weather more likely to overlap with the offshore wind season, creating favorable conditions for wildfires. Lengthy dry seasons also reduced local water supplies and the number of safe days to carry out

controlled burn A controlled burn or prescribed burn (Rx burn) is the practice of intentionally setting a fire to change the assemblage of vegetation and decaying material in a landscape. The purpose could be for forest management, ecological restoration, ...

s—which reduce fuel before fire season starts—creating additional challenges for firefighting. A study conducted by scientists at the Institut Pierre Simon Laplace attributed the intensified fire conditions primarily to anthropogenic climate change with natural climate variability playing a minor role, after determining that meteorological conditions in the impacted areas exhibited marked differences from similar events occurring between 1950 and 1986. These included warmer temperatures of up to 5 °C (9.0 °F), precipitation decreases of up to 15%, increases of wind speeds by up to 5 km/h (roughly 20%), and urban temperature increases of up to 3 °C (5.4 °F). Additionally, as climate change made the wildfire season in California longer, it further overlapped with the season of

(October–January). Analysis from

Climate Central Climate Central is a nonprofit news organization that analyzes and reports on climate science. Composed of scientists and science journalists, the organization conducts scientific research on climate change and energy issues, and produces multime ...

and

World Weather Attribution World Weather Attribution is an academic collaboration studying extreme event attribution, calculations of the impact of climate change on extreme weather, extreme meteorological events such as heat waves, droughts, and storms. When an extreme eve ...

also found that climate change strongly increased the likelihood of the wildfires by multiple ways.

Winds

The events included

of exceptional intensity, with forecasted gusts reaching in populated areas of the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and Ventura counties, including the

San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley (), sometimes referred to by its initials as SGV, is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, with the city of Los Angeles directly bordering it to the west and occupying the vast majority of the southeastern ...

and the

Los Angeles Basin The Los Angeles Basin is a sedimentary Structural basin, basin located in Southern California, in a region known as the Peninsular Ranges. The basin is also connected to an wikt:anomalous, anomalous group of east–west trending chains of mountai ...

which in prior wind events had been protected by their lower elevations. Higher elevations were predicted to experience even more extreme conditions, with wind speeds anticipated from . As the

jet stream Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow thermal wind, air currents in the Earth's Atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere. The main jet streams are located near the altitude of the tropopause and are westerly winds, flowing west to east around the gl ...

crossed mountain ranges in Southern California from north to south, mountain waves developed, accelerating wind speeds as air descended into the Los Angeles Basin and other nearby lowlands. The NWS Los Angeles office described the windstorm as potentially "life-threatening", predicting that winds would "accelerate to dangerous levels" beginning on the afternoon of January 7, and would last through early January 8 for Southern California. The NWS warned that the "destructive" winds would likely result in widespread power outages and downed trees. It predicted that it would be the region's "most destructive windstorm seen since 2011". By the morning of January 7, the NWS reported wind speeds of on Magic Mountain Truck Trail in Santa Clarita, in Escondido Canyon, and at the

Van Nuys Airport Van Nuys Airport is a public airport in the Van Nuys neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles. The airport is operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a branch of the Los Angeles city government, which also operates Los Angeles Internat ...

. The NWS reported at 6:19 p.m. that the windstorm could become Southern California's strongest wind event of 2025, especially in its valleys. US agency

NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, charting the seas, conducting deep-sea exploratio ...

anticipated that wind speeds would be between . Wind gusts were recorded at on Mount Lukens in the eastern

San Gabriel Mountains The San Gabriel Mountains () are a mountain range located in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, California, United States. The mountain range is part of the Transverse Ranges and lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert ...

and at in the

Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area encompasses this mountain range. Because of its p ...

. On January 11, at 1:06 p.m. PST, the NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard office issued a red flag warning for most Los Angeles and Ventura counties effective from 6 p.m. January 11 to 6 p.m. January 15, citing the re-intensification of Santa Ana winds and continued dry humidity. The office also issued a wind advisory from 7:04 p.m. PST to January 12 at 2 p.m., predicting sustained northeast winds with gusts and isolated gusts. On January 12, the NWS announced a Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning from 4 a.m. on January 14 to 12 noon on January 15 for several regions in the Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The PDS warning was issued for predicted damaging northeastern and eastern wind gusts between with continued low humidity conditions, which the report stated could lead to "extreme fire behavior" and "long range spotting".

Human contributing factors

Local firefighting budgets

The budget for the

Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides firefighting services and technical rescue services, hazardous materials services, and emergency medical services to the residents of the city of Los Angeles, California, United ...

(LAFD), one of several departments fighting the fires, was reduced by $17.6 million, or two percent, for the fiscal year 20242025. On December 4, 2024, LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said that the reduction has "adversely affected the Department's ability to maintain core operations" and that the $7 million reduction in overtime hours "severely limited the Department's capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies" and affected inspections of residences and brush clearance. After the budget was passed, another $111 million in pay raises and equipment was added, thereby increasing the operating budget from the previous year. Simultaneously, the price and length of delays for firefighting vehicles significantly increased in recent years due to corporate concentration. Multiple major fire departments across the United States are reporting difficulties with acquiring new fire trucks due to price increases.

Construction management

Fire scientists say the destructive power of wildfires multiplied because older homes ignited one after the other. The California building code requires all homes in high-risk areas to use materials that are less likely to burn. However, in the Palisades neighborhood, most homes didn't comply with the building code, because they were built in the 1950s and 1960s. Older homes are more likely to be constructed with wood, include more surrounding vegetation and be closer to other homes.

Electric grid

Robert McCullough, an electric utility consultant, has argued that the LA

electric grid An electrical grid (or electricity network) is an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers. Electrical grids consist of power stations, electrical substations to step voltage up or down, electric power tran ...

was designed to withstand wind speeds of up to , stating that it is "quite low in today's climate". McCullough further criticized the

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is the largest municipal Public utility, utility in the United States with 8,100 megawatts of electric generating capacity (2021–2022) and delivering an average of 435 million gallons of wat ...

(LADWP) for not having a system to shut off power in urban areas ahead of time when there is a high risk of wildfires.

Water supplies

According to the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', as wildfires roared into residential neighborhoods, the firefighters ran out of water. Officials say the storage tanks that hold water for high-elevation areas like the Highlands, and the pumping systems that feed them, could not keep pace with the demand. The pump-and-storage system was designed for a fire that might consume several homes, not one that would consume hundreds, said Marty Adams, former chief engineer at the LADWP. Professor Greg Pierce, a scientist at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

, further stated that most water systems were designed for fighting urban fires, not fast-moving wildfires. After flames leveled nearly 500 homes in Bel Air and Brentwood in the 1961 wildfire, they constructed the Santa Ynez Reservoir, a water reservoir located in the upper Pacific Palisades. However, on January 7, the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been completely emptied to repair a tear in its cover. The tear was first noticed by a Department of Water employee in January 2024, and the DWP was originally planning to have it repaired and back in use by April 2024. Former and current DWP officials said that if the reservoir had not been empty, the Palisades would have had higher water pressure. Former LADWP General Manager Martin Adams stated that the repair operations had been going on "for a while", and that officials typically maintained lower water levels in the reservoir during winter months to prevent

water stagnation Water stagnation occurs when water stops flowing for a long period of time. Stagnant water can be a significant environmental hazard. Dangers Malaria and dengue are among the main dangers of still water, which can become a breeding ground f ...

and associated issues with chemical concentrations and bacterial growth.

Preparations

On January 6,

California governor The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constitution of California, th ...

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom ( ; born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman serving since 2019 as the 40th governor of California. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served from 2011 to 201 ...

stated he would assign 65

fire engine A fire engine or fire truck (also spelled firetruck) is a vehicle, usually a specially designed or modified truck, that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to ...

s, 7

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

s, 7

water tender A water tender, sometimes known as a water tanker, is a type of firefighting apparatus that specializes in the transport of water from a water source to a fire scene.

Mayor of Los Angeles The mayor of Los Angeles is the head of the executive branch of the government of Los Angeles and the chief executive of Los Angeles. The office is officially Non-partisan democracy, nonpartisan, a change made in the 1909 charter; previously, ...

Karen Bass Karen Ruth Bass (; born October 3, 1953) is an American politician who has served as the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Bass previously served in the United States House ...

warned residents that the windstorm could become one of the harshest in more than a decade, and cautioned them to avoid wind-downed power lines. As Bass was out of the country for the inauguration of

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

ian president

John Mahama John Dramani Mahama (; born 29 November 1958) is a Ghanaian politician who has been the 14th president of Ghana since January 2025. A member of the National Democratic Congress (Ghana), National Democratic Congress (NDC), he served as the 12th p ...

, Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson filled in as acting mayor.

Southern California Edison Southern California Edison (SCE), the largest subsidiary of Edison International, is the primary electric utility company for much of Southern California. It provides 15 million people with electricity across a service territory of approximate ...

, the area's primary electricity provider, proposed to cut off power to some customers to prevent faulty equipment from starting fires; officials anticipated that up to 400,000 of its 5 million customers could see power disruptions. San Diego Gas & Electric also stated that it would cut power before the onset of extreme weather. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District said that it would close all its schools in Malibu for January 7 "due to worsening weather conditions and safety concerns".

Los Angeles Unified School District Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a State school, public school district in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the List ...

stated that it would temporarily move several Pacific Palisades schools and limit outdoor activities to protect against wind. Sections of Pacific Coast Highway were closed because severe winds threatened traffic. In advance of the potential wildfires, the 114 tanks making up Los Angeles's

water infrastructure A water supply network or water supply system is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components that provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes the following: # A drainage basin (see water purification – source ...

were filled. NIFC raised its National Preparedness Level to 2, allowing for the initial deployment of federal assets.

Lead-up

As the winds began to blow on January 7, the City of Los Angeles declared a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...

in anticipation of heightening winds. The

South Coast Air Quality Management District The South Coast Air Quality Management District, also using the acronym South Coast (AQMD), formed in 1976, is the air pollution agency responsible for regulating stationary sources of air pollution in the South Coast Air Basin and the Coachel ...

(AQMD) issued a dust storm warning for several counties in

, warning that the harsh winds could blow dust and soil into the air. A news conference held by United States President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

Coachella Valley The Coachella Valley ( ) is an arid rift valley in the Colorado Desert of Southern California in Riverside County. The valley has been referred to as Greater Palm Springs and occasionally the Palm Springs Area due to the historic promine ...

to sign proclamations for the Chuckwalla National Monument and the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument was canceled for excessive winds. Dozens of trees were downed throughout the

, including in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...

. At midday, the event left more than 20,000 customers without power. For the third time in three months,

shut off power to certain areas to reduce the chance that electrical equipment might ignite additional fires. These preventative measures left thousands more without power. Several flights were delayed by the intensity of the winds, with pilots being warned not to fly close to terrain. The

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

ordered a temporary stop to ground activities at the

Hollywood Burbank Airport Hollywood Burbank Airport is a public airport northwest of downtown Burbank, in Los Angeles County, California, United States.. Federal Aviation Administration. effective November 9, 2017 The airport serves Burbank, Hollywood, and the norther ...

, following strong wind gusts forcing multiple

go-around In aviation, a go-around is an aborted landing of an aircraft that is on Final_approach_(aeronautics), final approach or has already touched down. A go-around can either be initiated by the pilot flying or requested by air traffic control for var ...

Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines Co., or simply Southwest, is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States that formerly operated on a low-cost carrier model. It is headquartered in the Love Field, Dallas, Love Field neighborhood ...

diverted or canceled several flights for strong winds present at

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and

Burbank Burbank may refer to: Places Australia * Burbank, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane United States * Burbank, California, a city in Los Angeles County * Burbank, Santa Clara County, California, a census-designated place * Burbank, Illinois, ...

airports.

List of major wildfires

Wildfires

The extreme intensity of the windstorm (peak gusts were at the Mount Lukens Truck Trail in the eastern

) coupled with dry vegetation due to prolonged drought conditions caused fires to spread rapidly, and airborne

ember An ember, also called a hot coal, is a hot lump of smouldering solid fuel, typically glowing, composed of greatly heated wood, coal, or other carbon-based material. Embers (hot coals) can exist within, remain after, or sometimes precede, a ...

s set spot fires far away.

Palisades Fire

The

ignited on January 7 near the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, rapidly expanding to encompass . It was first reported at around 10:30 a.m. PST, covering about 10 acres (4.0 ha) of mountains north of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. It began to quickly spread. Officials ordered mandatory evacuations along sections of the Pacific Coast Highway and surrounding areas; the Westwood Recreation Center served as an emergency shelter. During midday, firefighters reported that strong winds were causing the fire to grow by "three football fields of land per minute". Immediate evacuation orders were issued for residents of

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

living north of San Vicente Boulevard. At 12:12 p.m. PST on January 8, the City of Malibu urged all remaining residents to evacuate in the face of the uncontrolled fire. Evacuation orders were given for the LA neighborhood of Brentwood. Human remains were found in a destroyed house in Malibu during a welfare check. On January 10, evacuation orders were extended into Tarzana and Encino in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...

. On January 24, 23,448 acres of land were destroyed by the fire; with 79 percent of the fire contained. As of January 28, the Palisades Fire has been confirmed to have destroyed 6,837 homes and other structures and burned a total of 23,448 acres. As of the latest reports from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), damage assessment teams are nearing completion of their inspections. The fire was then reported to be 100 percent contained on January 31 by CAL FIRE.

Eaton Fire

Shortly after January 7 at 6:15 p.m. PST, a brush fire in Eaton Canyon in the Altadena–

region, dubbed the

, was first reported with an area of . According to ''

Pasadena Now ''Pasadena Now'' is an online magazine first published in April 2004 by James Macpherson and co-publisher Candice Merrill. ''Pasadena Now'' was established to serve the Pasadena, California-area community as an online source of news, information, ...

'', residents next to the canyon told emergency services that a nearby electrical tower was on fire. By 7:12 p.m., the fire had grown to at least in size. Los Angeles County Fire Captain Sheila Kelliher said the winds would continue to cause the fire to grow rapidly. Within six hours, the Eaton Fire had grown to . The Terraces at Park Marino evacuated 95 senior citizens, with images showing many in wheelchairs and wearing only gowns. Evacuations were later expanded in Pasadena and in northern Sierra Madre and Arcadia. The AltaMed Medical Center and several residences in Hastings Ranch were "engulfed in flames". By January 8 at 10:36 a.m. PST, the fire had grown to . At midday, the fire began to advance into residential zones of Pasadena. All of La Cañada Flintridge was ordered to evacuate. At least five people had died in the fire. In the afternoon of January 9, the Eaton Fire began to approach Mount Wilson. On January 18, the fire was 65% contained, with 17 deaths reported from the fires. The Eaton Fire was reported to have been 100 percent contained on January 31.

Hurst Fire

The Hurst Fire started at around 10:10 p.m. PST on January 7 and spread to within 10 minutes, growing to in its first 30 minutes. It instituted immediate evacuation orders for all areas north of the Foothill Freeway between Roxford Street and the

Golden State Freeway Interstate 5 (I-5) is a major north–south route of the Interstate Highway System in the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific Coast between the Mexican border and the Canadian border. The segment of I-5 in California r ...

– Antelope Valley Freeway split. By 1:00 a.m. January 8, the fire was estimated to have spread to about , and by 1:49 a.m., the fire had spread to about , largely within the footprint of the 2019 Saddleridge Fire. The fire was fully contained on January 16 after burning . More than 44,000 people were given evacuation orders, with a further 27,000 receiving evacuation warnings.

Kenneth Fire

The Kenneth Fire was first reported on January 9 at 2:30 p.m. PST, igniting along a trailhead near Victory Boulevard in the West Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. The fire quickly grew to . Resources from both Los Angeles County and Ventura County were requested. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for the area from Vanowen Street south to

Burbank Boulevard Burbank Boulevard is a major east–west arterial road that runs for across the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles and Burbank, California, Burbank, California. Name Burbank Boulevard was named after David Burbank, a dentist and rancher whose ...

and from County Lane Road east to Valley Circle Boulevard. Additional evacuation warnings were ordered for areas east of Valley Circle and for parts of Oak Park. By 5:30 p.m. PST, the fire had grown to at least and was approaching suburbs in

Calabasas Calabasas may refer to: * Calabasas, Arizona, former populated place in what is now Rio Rico, Arizona * Calabasas, California, city in Los Angeles County, California See also * Calabaza Calabaza is the generic name in the Spanish langua ...

and

Hidden Hills ''Hidden Hills'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 24, 2002, to January 21, 2003, during the 2002 fall line-up. Based on the book ''Surviving Suburbia'', the series was created by Peter Segal and Ric Sw ...

. Soon after, governor Newsom announced the deployment of 900 additional firefighters to the area. The cause of the fire is being investigated. On January 10, civilians detained a man whom they believed was trying to start a fire, and he was arrested by the LAPD. Police finally decided they did not have probable cause to detain him on suspicion of arson. On the same day, an evacuation warning was mistakenly issued for the entirety of Los Angeles County rather than an area specific to the Kenneth fire and was subsequently sent out to cellphones across the county as a

wireless emergency alert Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), formerly known as the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) and, prior to that, as the Personal Localized Alerting Network (PLAN), is an alerting network in the United States designed to disseminate emergency a ...

message to nearly 10 million LA-area residents; County Supervisor

Janice Hahn Janice Kay Hahn (born March 30, 1952) is an American politician serving as a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from the 4th district since 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, she was a U.S. Representative from California ...

later confirmed that the alerts were accidental, with a follow-up correction alert being sent. On January 10,

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

suspended the use of Genasys in favor of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). The fire was 100 percent contained on January 12 after burning of land.

Kageff Fire

The Kageff Fire was first reported on January 9 at 4:18 p.m. PST in a neighborhood southwest of Woodland Hills. The fire had erupted in a clearing near the Corbin Canyon Trail hiking route. Due to personnel and resource shortages, firefighters were unable to arrive until about 5:00 p.m. PST. By 7:30 p.m. PST, the fire had grown to 4 acres (1.62 ha), and the

Los Angeles County Fire Department The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) provides firefighting and emergency medical services for the unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, California, as well as 59 cities through Contract city, contracting, including the city of ...

(LACFD) issued mandatory evacuation orders to a total of 29 residencies within 1000 feet of the fire, most of which were located on a stretch of Nomad Drive north to Hood Drive and south to Winnetka Avenue, while evacuation warnings were also issued to over 200 nearby residencies. At 11:02 p.m. PST, the fire was declared 60 percent contained, but winds caused it to spread southward towards the

. At 4:36 a.m. PST on January 10, the LACFD issued over 150 additional evacuation warnings to residencies located west of the Corbin Canyon Park. On January 13, the Kageff Fire was declared 100 percent contained after burning 17 acres (6.9 ha), damaging two recreational facilities, and prompting 29 evacuation orders and over 400 evacuation warnings.

Hughes Fire

The Hughes Fire was first reported on January 22 at 10:42 a.m. PST, to the east of

Castaic Lake Castaic Lake (Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''Kaštiq'') is a reservoir formed by Castaic Dam on Castaic Creek, in the Sierra Pelona Mountains of northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, near the town of Castaic, California, C ...

in northern Los Angeles County. By 12:30 p.m., the wildfire had grown to over with zero containment, and triggered mandatory evacuations for settlements near the lake including Castaic. By January 23, the fire was 36 percent contained. On January 30, the Hughes Fire was reported to be 100 percent contained after burning . At its height, over 30,000 people were under evacuation orders, with a further 20,000 under evacuation warnings.

Border 2 Fire

The Border 2 Fire started at 2:31 p.m. PST on January 23 and burned in the

Otay Mountain Wilderness The Otay Mountain Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area, U.S. wilderness area in San Diego County, California, 12 miles east of the community of Otay Mesa and just north of the Mexico–United States border. Some parts of the wilderness area rise ...

before it was contained on January 30. No damage or injuries were reported. Many schools were closed and numerous evacuation orders were issued.

Impact

Around 200,000 people have been put under evacuation orders. On January 21, around 88,000 people were put under evacuation orders, with another 84,800 in evacuation warning zones throughout Los Angeles County. According to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, around 470 inmates from a county jail in Castaic were evacuated.

Deaths and injuries

As of April 3, 30 deaths were attributed to the wildfires. Of those, 18 were attributed to the Eaton Fire and 12 to the Palisades Fire. The number made the Eaton Fire the deadliest and most destructive in terms of the number of destroyed or damaged buildings named wildfire in the incident out of the other recognized fires. These figures represent the 5th and 14th deadliest fires in the history of California, respectively. 67-year-old Anthony Mitchell and his son Justin Mitchell were both victims of the Eaton Fire in Altadena. Both were found by Justin's bed, possibly due to Anthony attempting to save him. Several burn injuries were reported, and a 25-year-old firefighter suffered a serious head injury. At about 9 p.m. PST, many burn victims walked towards Duke's Malibu restaurant, where they were then medically treated and transferred to hospitals. Rory Sykes, a 32-year-old British and Australian citizen with cerebral palsy, died of

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as " flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large ...

during the Palisades Fire, which destroyed his cottage on his mother's Malibu estate. He was not initially counted among the death toll pending the discovery of his remains. His mother, Shelley Sykes told the press that failed emergency calls and the need to leave the property to alert firefighters delayed the response, blaming local infrastructure issues for the death. LA County Sheriff Robert Luna reported on January 9 that the scale of the number of fatalities would be better determined once canine and forensic searches could be thoroughly implemented. Filmmaker

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

, who was already in poor health, died shortly after evacuating his home due to the Sunset Fire.

Structural damage

Wildfire Alliance statistics indicated that the Palisades fire alone was by far the most destructive in the Los Angeles region, with at least 1,000 structures destroyed, surpassing the Sayre Fire, which destroyed 604 structures in 2008, and the Bel Air Fire, which destroyed nearly 500 houses in 1961. The Reel Inn, a 36-year-old seafood restaurant, was confirmed by its owners to have been destroyed in the Palisades Fire. The Palisades Charter High School was engulfed by the fire after the wildfire reached the site at roughly 4 p.m. PST. No one was in the school due to it being out for winter break. Vegetation and trees near the

Getty Villa The Getty Villa is an educational center and an art museum located at the easterly end of the Malibu coast in the Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. One of two campuses of th ...

burned, with no structural damage being reported as of 5:20 p.m. PST, January 7. On January 8, more than 9,300 structures were reported destroyed. The fire later spread to the Palisades Charter Elementary School. Several beachfront properties in Malibu were destroyed by the wildfire. Dozens of cars abandoned on highways during evacuations were completely burnt, with bulldozers having to force several vehicles out of the way for firefighters to access burning areas. The fires destroyed the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, the Masjid Al-Taqwa, and the Altadena Community Church. The Belmont Music Publishers company, owned by Larry Schoenberg, son of 20th-century classical composer

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first Modernism (music), modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-centu ...

, was destroyed in the Palisades fire, resulting in the destruction of 100,000 Schoenberg-composed scores and letters, photographs, books, arrangements, and other Schoenberg memorabilia.

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...

journalist Jonathan Vigliotti reported that "most everything is gone" in downtown Pacific Palisades aside from the local mall, and described the damage as "beyond comprehension". He also reported that

s from existing fires were being "blown more than a mile" by the severe windstorm and creating spot fires. The Malibu Feed Bin and Theater Palisades' Pierson Playhouse were destroyed in the Palisades fire. The Eaton Canyon Nature Center was destroyed in the Eaton Fire, resulting in the deaths of about fifteen

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

s. On January 11, the

reported that more than 12,000 buildings was threatened by the fires and that "It is expected that more than 5,000 structures have been destroyed". On January 16, EPA has begun assessing burned properties in the Eaton and Palisades fires with

California Department of Toxic Substances Control The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (or DTSC) is an agency of the government of the state of California which protects public health and the environment from hazardous waste. DTSC is part of the California Environmental Protecti ...

. Multiple celebrities' houses burned down in the wildfires, including the homes of

Jhené Aiko Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (; born March 16, 1988) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer and rapper. Aiko embarked on her musical career in 2002, as a backing vocalist and music video performer for the R&B group B2K. She was signed by the ...

Tyra Banks Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973), also known as BanX, is an American model, television personality, producer, writer, and actress. Born in Inglewood, California, she began her career as a model at the age of 15 and was the first Black A ...

Eric Braeden Eric Braeden (born Hans-Jörg Gudegast; April 3, 1941) is a German-American film and television actor, known for his roles as Victor Newman (fictional character), Victor Newman (from 1980) on the CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', as H ...

Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He is known for his Leading actor, leading man roles in film and television. In a career spanning over seven decades, he has received List of awards and nominations received by ...

Adam Brody Adam Jared Brody (born December 15, 1979) is an American actor. His breakout role was as Seth Cohen on the Fox television series '' The O.C.'' (2003–2007). For his performance as Noah in the Netflix romantic comedy series '' Nobody Wants T ...

, Barbara Corcoran,

Billy Crystal William Edward Crystal (born March 14, 1948)On page 17 of his book ''700 Sundays'', Crystal displays his birth announcement, which gives his first two names as "William Edward", not "William Jacob" is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. ...

Cary Elwes Ivan Simon Cary Elwes (; born 26 October 1962) is an English actor. He starred as Westley in ''The Princess Bride (film), The Princess Bride'' (1987), and also had lead roles in films such as ''Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' (1993) and the Saw (fr ...

, Empress Of,

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...

, Dawes member Griffin Goldsmith,

John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He rose to prominence in television before becoming an acclaimed and popular film actor. Goodman has received List of awards and nominations received by John Goodman, various acc ...

, Bryan Greenburg, Harvey Guillén, Yolanda Hadid,

Ed Harris Edward Allen Harris (born November 28, 1950) is an American actor and filmmaker. His performances in '' Apollo 13'' (1995), '' The Truman Show'' (1998), '' Pollock'' (2000), and '' The Hours'' (2002) earned him critical acclaim and Academy Awa ...

, Fat Tony,

Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress, producer and singer. Hewitt began her career as a child actress and singer, appearing in national television commercials before joining the cast of the Disney Channel serie ...

Paris Hilton Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, and socialite. Hilton was born in New York City and raised there partially; shuttling between Los Angeles and New York City; she is a great-grandda ...

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

, Joe Lando, Taran Killam,

Ricki Lake Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American television host and actress. She is known for her lead role as Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film '' Hairspray'', for which she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for ...

, Sandra Lee,

Eugene Levy Eugene Levy (born December 17, 1946) is a Canadian actor and comedian. Known for portraying flustered and unconventional figures, Levy has won multiple accolades throughout his career including four Primetime Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and ...

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus ( ; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress and comedian. She has gained acclaim for starring in a string of successful comedy series as well as several comedy films. She has received List of awards ...

Cameron Mathison Cameron Arthur Mathison (born August 25, 1969) is a Canadians, Canadian-Americans, American actor and television host. From 1997 to 2011, he played Ryan Lavery in ''All My Children''. Since 2021, he has portrayed the role of Drew Cain on ''Gener ...

Leighton Meester Leighton Marissa Meester ( ; born April 9, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and model. She is known for her starring role as Blair Waldorf on the CW television series ''Gossip Girl'', which ran from 2007 to 2012. She has also appeared in fi ...

Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her 1999 debut single "Candy (Mandy Moore song), Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot ...

Brad Paisley Brad Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His first success came in 1997 as the writer of David Kersh's "Another You (David Kersh song), Another You". After this, he signed with ...

, Photay, John C. Reilly, Josh Ruben,

Zachary Cole Smith Zachary Cole Smith (born November 7, 1984) is an American musician best known for being the founder, frontman, and principal songwriter of the indie rock band DIIV. Previously, he played in the bands Soft Black and Beach Fossils. Initially called ...

Cobie Smulders Jacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders (born April 3, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her starring role as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS series ''How I Met Your Mother'' (2005–2014) and as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in th ...

, Candy Spelling, Carel Struycken,

Miles Teller Miles Teller (born February 20, 1987) is an American actor. He made his feature film debut with the independent drama '' Rabbit Hole'' (2010), and gained wider recognition for his roles in the coming-of-age film ''The Spectacular Now'' (2013) a ...

Milo Ventimiglia Milo Anthony Ventimiglia ( ; born July 8, 1977) is an American actor. Making his screen acting debut on '' The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' in 1995, he portrayed the lead role on the short-lived series '' Opposite Sex'' in 2000 before landing his br ...

, and

Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has won an Academy Honorary Award, Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and three consecutive ''Billboard'' Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year from 19 ...

Madlib Otis Lee Jackson Jr. (born October 24, 1973), known professionally as Madlib, is an American record producer, DJ, multi-instrumentalist, and rapper. Critically acclaimed for his eclectic, music sample, sample-heavy production style, he is rega ...

's home in Los Angeles was also reportedly burned down, with the producer losing "decades of music and equipment" in the process; a Donorbox crowdfunding campaign was subsequently started to help him and his family.

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Every ...

and

Chrissy Teigen Christine Diane Teigen (born November 30, 1985) is an American model, television personality, and author. She made her professional modeling debut in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue, in 2010, ...

Billy Corgan William Patrick Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the co-founder, lead guitarist, primary songwriter, singer, and only constant member of alter ...

and

Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to Rage) was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. It consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim ...

, and

Audioslave Audioslave was an American Rock music, rock supergroup (music), supergroup formed in Glendale, California, in 2001. The four-piece band consisted of Soundgarden's lead singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell with Rage Against the Machine memb ...

drummer

Brad Wilk Bradley Joseph Wilk (born September 5, 1968) is an American musician. He is best known as the drummer of the rock bands Rage Against the Machine (1991–2000, 2007–2011, 2019–2024), Audioslave (2001–2007, 2017), and Prophets of Rage (201 ...

were among those who were reportedly evacuated with their families. Former US swimmer Gary Hall Jr. said he lost his ten

Olympic medals An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold, silver, and bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respectively. The granting of awards is laid ou ...

(including five gold medals) in the fire,

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

head coach JJ Redick confirmed that he also lost his home, while a mansion in Malibu owned by South Korean baseball player Chan Ho Park since 1999 was also reportedly destroyed. The historic home and ranch of humorist

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...

was also destroyed. A home once belonging to Ryan O'Neal also burned down.

Economic impact

According to

JPMorgan JPMorgan Chase & Co. (stylized as JPMorganChase) is an American multinational finance corporation headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. It is the largest bank in the United States, and the world's largest bank by mar ...

estimates published on January 9, the insured losses from the fires were projected to exceed $20 billion, which would set a new record for wildfire-related insurance claims in US history. This figure would substantially surpass the previous record of $12.5 billion in insured damages set by the 2018 Camp Fire, as documented by Aon. A total economic loss of $50 billion was predicted by JPMorgan. JPMorgan noted that these figures could rise further due to the fires' continued spread and lack of containment. It was estimated that European reinsurance companies will also be impacted due to financial losses from wildfires, including

Swiss Re Swiss Re Ltd is a Swiss reinsurance company founded in 1863 and headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland. It is one of the world's largest reinsurers, as measured by gross premiums written. Swiss Re operates through around 80 offices in 29 countri ...

Hannover Re Hannover Re (in German ''Hannover Rück'') is a reinsurance company based in Hannover, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the n ...

, and Société Commerciale de Réassurance.

Housing

During the fires, LA-area landlords raised the cost of rent substantially by an average of 15–20%, with many rents almost doubling, causing many newly homeless to have difficulty finding somewhere to stay. This violated California price gouging laws, which prevented an increase of more than 10% during an emergency. Some hotels offered discounted rates for those displaced, while others increased their rates substantially even for those who had already booked. The destruction of a large number of homes is anticipated to further strain the housing supply in Southern California.

Power outages

By the night of January 7, nearly 50,000 customers suffered power outages, 28,300 under the

and 21,699 under

(SCE). The number in the Los Angeles metropolitan area alone increased to over 200,000 by around 9:30 p.m. PST, with outages reported in Los Angeles, Glendale,

, and

. SCE later stated that, at 4 p.m. PST on January 8, about 414,000 of its customers are without power and 454,000 customers are under a Public Safety Power Shutoff program watch. As of January 12, 2025, 35,000 customers were still left without electricity.

Air quality and health

8195001064568694401 2025 southern California wildfire smoke over Santa Monica beach 01

Wind Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...

s blew wildfire smoke across Los Angeles, leading to several "very unhealthy"

air quality index An air quality index (AQI) is an indicator developed by government agencies to communicate to the public how polluted the air currently is or how polluted it is forecast to become. As air pollution levels rise, so does the AQI, along with the a ...

readings of over 200, with the PM2.5 of the Harrison ES station reaching 184.1 μg/m³, or 36.8 times the annual

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

guideline value. Air quality degraded to 569 μg/m³ in the region, representing the most hazardous category and necessitating avoidance of all outdoor activity.

UCLA Health UCLA Health is the public healthcare system affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles, located in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. It comprises a number of hospitals, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, UCLA School of M ...

pulmonologist Pulmonology (, , from Latin ''pulmō, -ōnis'' "lung" and the Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language fam ...

May-Lin Wilgus expected LA residents to suffer from burning eyes and irritation due to the concentrated smoke, and urged residents with underlying health conditions such as

COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. GOLD defines COPD as a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory s ...

and

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

to avoid all outdoor activity and to close all doors and windows while running

air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the Legislature, lawmaking body for the Government of Los Angeles, city government of Los Angeles, California, the second largest city in the United States. It has 15 members who each represent the 15 city council ...

president Marqueece Harris-Dawson reported that visibility had fallen below one block in Southern Los Angeles, and urged residents to avoid driving when possible. Additional monitoring data from the

California Air Resources Board The California Air Resources Board (CARB or ARB) is an agency of the government of California that aims to reduce air pollution. Established in 1967 when then-governor Ronald Reagan signed the Mulford-Carrell Act, combining the Bureau of Air S ...

(CARB) recorded PM2.5 levels in hazardous ranges at multiple sites across Los Angeles County. The Los Angeles-North Main Street monitoring station registered a one-hour peak of 483.7 μg/m³, while daily averages at several sites, including Compton (51.7 μg/m³), North Hollywood (50.1 μg/m³), and Reseda (47.0 μg/m³), remained well above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safety threshold of 35 μg/m³. These readings highlight both the acute pollution spikes during the fires and the prolonged air quality deterioration in the days that followed. The

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

and the Los Angeles Department of Public Health warned that the wildfires can render some food in the nearby area unsafe to be eaten due to the smoke fumes and other chemicals.

Carcinogen A carcinogen () is any agent that promotes the development of cancer. Carcinogens can include synthetic chemicals, naturally occurring substances, physical agents such as ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and biologic agents such as viruse ...

s are common in smoke from urban fires and pose long-term health risks to those who inhale it, particularly firefighters without respiratory protection.

Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency may refer to the following government organizations: * Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland), Australia * Environmental Protection Agency (Ghana) * Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) * Environmenta ...

air quality data indicated that millions of Los Angeles area residents experienced severe air quality deterioration, with conditions reaching the "Unhealthy" category on EPA scales and escalating to "Hazardous" levels near the fire zones. The combustion of urban structures was estimated to have released numerous harmful substances that are not accounted for in PM2.5 readings, including heavy metals such as lead or

zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

. Co-founder and chief meteorologist of

Weather Underground The Weather Underground was a far-left Marxist militant organization first active in 1969, founded on the Ann Arbor campus of the University of Michigan. Originally known as the Weathermen, or simply Weatherman, the group was organized as a f ...

Jeff Masters predicted that up to thousands of individuals could die prematurely due to even short-term exposure to the wildfires' smoke. Based on a 2024 study on long-term wildfire smoke exposure in the US, he also predicted that smoke exposure could cause several long-term effects in Californians, including reproductive, cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, endocrine, and

neurodevelopmental disorder Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of mental conditions negatively affecting the development of the nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord. According to the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manu ...

s. In February, CDC reported that a 110-fold increase in air

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

levels during the 2025 LA fires was recorded. The

built environment The term built environment refers to human-made conditions and is often used in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, public health, sociology, and anthropology, among others. These curated spaces provide the setting for human ac ...

with painted surfaces, pipes, vehicles, plastics, electronic equipment, and buildings combusted, of which a large proportion had been built before 1978.

Wind damage

Hundreds of trees were reported to have fallen due to strong wind gusts during the accompanying windstorm. Roughly ten semi-trucks were blown over on a section of Route 210 close to Fontana. Multiple flights at

were delayed or canceled due to strong winds.

School and other closures

At least 19 Los Angeles school districts announced school closures.

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private university, private Christianity, Christian research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pepperdine's main campus consists ...

closed its

and Malibu campuses. All schools in the

were closed on January 9 as a result of fire conditions and the destruction of two elementary schools. Later in the day on January 9, District Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho informed the media that schools would be closed January 10 and "would not resume until conditions improve". Las Virgenes Unified School District schools were closed January 8–10 due to dangerous conditions and some of their schools being in voluntary or mandatory evacuation zones.

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

announced that all classes would be online through January 17. On January 7,

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

closed the

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) in La Cañada Flintridge, California, Crescenta Valley, United States. Founded in 1936 by Cali ...

in nearby

La Cañada Flintridge, California La Cañada Flintridge, commonly known as just , is a city in the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located in the Crescenta Valley, in the western edge of the San Gabriel Valley, it is the l ...

, through at least January 13 due to high winds and the encroaching Eaton Fire, forcing the evacuation of all non-emergency personnel at the site. The operations of the

NASA Deep Space Network The NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) is a worldwide Telecommunications network, network of spacecraft communication ground segment facilities, located in the United States (California), Spain (Madrid), and Australia (Canberra), that supports NASA' ...

were relocated from the main facility to an off-site location and all employees were instructed to work from home. As of January 10, JPL director Laurie Leshin reported there has been minor wind damage and no wildfire damage at the site, but over 150 staff had lost their homes. Following the Eaton Fire, the entire

Angeles National Forest The Angeles National Forest (ANF) of the United States Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains and Sierra Pelona Mountains, primarily within Los Angeles County in Southern California. The ANF manages a majority of the San Gabri ...

, which accounts for 27 percent of the area of

, was closed from January 14 to 15, and later extended to the 19th, citing public safety and "critical fire danger".

Entertainment and sports industries

Due to severe winds and fire danger,

Amazon MGM Studios Amazon MGM Studios is an American film and television production and distribution company owned by Amazon, and headquartered at the Culver Studios complex in Culver City, California. Launched on November 16, 2010, it took its current name on O ...

TriStar Pictures TriStar Pictures, Inc. (spelled as Tri-Star until 1991) is an American film studio and production company that is part of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, which is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The compan ...

, and

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

canceled the Hollywood premieres of '' Wolf Man'', ''

Unstoppable Unstoppable may refer to: Film and television * Unstoppable (2004 film), ''Unstoppable'' (2004 film), an American film directed by David Carson * ''Unstoppable: Conversation with Melvin Van Peebles, Gordon Parks, and Ossie Davis'', a 2005 America ...

'', and '' One of Them Days''. Universal Studios closed its

Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood is a film studio and Amusement park, theme park located in Universal City, California, near Hollywood, Los Angeles. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood film studios still in use. Its official marketin ...

theme park and Universal CityWalk. The 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards canceled a live announcement of its nominees, instead issuing the list in a press release. The 30th Annual Critics' Choice Awards, intended to be held on January 12 in Santa Monica, were postponed twice due to the fires. The ceremony was presented on February 7. The deadline for Oscar nominations voting was extended to January 17 due to the fire. The nominations announcement, originally scheduled to be announced on January 17, was delayed to January 23. The premiere of the '' Under Ninja'' movie was cancelled due to the state of emergency, as was that of '' The Last Showgirl''. Several Hollywood entertainment headquarters and production centers were shut down, postponing production of several shows and movies such as ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...

'', ''

NCIS NCIS or N.C.I.S. may refer to: Law enforcement * National Criminal Intelligence Service, the predecessor to the Serious Organised Crime Agency of the United Kingdom * Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a United States law enforcement and intelli ...

'', '' NCIS: Origins'', '' Hacks'', ''

Ted Lasso ''Ted Lasso'' ( ) is an American sports film, sports comedy-drama television series developed by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence (TV producer), Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly. It is based on a character Sudeikis portrayed in a series ...

'', ''

Fallout Nuclear fallout is residual radioactive material that is created by the reactions producing a nuclear explosion. It is initially present in the radioactive cloud created by the explosion, and "falls out" of the cloud as it is moved by the ...

'', '' On Call'', '' Doctor Odyssey'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

The Pitt ''The Pitt'' is an American medical procedural drama television series created by R. Scott Gemmill, and executive produced by John Wells and Noah Wyle. It is Gemmill, Wells and Wyle's second collaboration, having previously worked together o ...

'',''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...

'', '' After Midnight'', and ''

The Price Is Right ''The Price Is Right'' is an American television game show where contestants compete by guessing the prices of merchandise to win cash and prizes. A 1972 revival by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman of their The Price Is Right (1956 American game ...

''. The Filipino-organized 2025 Manila International Film Festival was postponed. The

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

postponed a January 8 game at the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles between the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

and

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...

due to the wildfires. The

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

postponed a January 9 game between the

and the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

also at Crypto.com Arena as well as two January 11 games between the Lakers and

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

at Crypto.com Arena and between the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

and Hornets at Intuit Dome. The

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

moved the January 13 playoff game between the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

and the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

from

SoFi Stadium SoFi Stadium ( ) is a domed multi-purpose stadium in Inglewood, California, U.S., a suburb of Los Angeles. SoFi occupies the former site of the Hollywood Park Racetrack and neighbors the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome. Opened in September 2020, the ...

State Farm Stadium State Farm Stadium is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in Glendale, Arizona, United States, west of Phoenix. It is the home of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) and the annual Fiesta Bowl. It replaced Sun Devi ...

Glendale, Arizona Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Located about nine miles northwest of the state capital Phoenix, Glendale is known for State Farm Stadium, which is the home of the Arizona Cardinals football team. The city al ...

. The

United States women's national soccer team The United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) represents the United States in international women's soccer. The team is governed by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF (the Confederation of North, Central Ameri ...

moved their training camp from

Dignity Health Sports Park Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dignit ...

to Florida Blue Training Center in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious race ...

postponed races originally scheduled for January 10 to January 16 due to poor air quality caused by the wildfires. The track management also announced that it would offer to pay for relocating horses if the owners wish to move them due to the situation. The

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

relocated the Genesis Invitational from Riviera Country Club, which was not damaged in the Palisades Fire despite its proximity, to

Torrey Pines Golf Course Torrey Pines Golf Course is a 36-hole municipal golf facility in University City, a community of San Diego, California. The course sits on the coastal cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, just south of Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. Opened ...

, retaining the dates of February 13–16.

The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for adding Pop music, pop, electronic music, electronic and hip-hop stylings ...

postponed the release of his sixth album, '' Hurry Up Tomorrow'', which has as its

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

the song " Dancing in the Flames", and canceled an accompanying concert at the Rose Bowl out of "respect and concern" for the residents of Los Angeles County.

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

postponed a major announcement that was set for January 14, 2025, and donated $2.5 million to wildfire relief efforts through her non-profit organization, BeyGood.

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

postponed official announcements regarding their Peel it Back Tour for 2025 out of respect for the situation.

Alessia Cara Alessia Caracciolo (born July 11, 1996), known professionally as Alessia Cara (), is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She began posting covers of songs on YouTube at age 13. After uploading acoustic covers of songs such as " Love Yourself" and ...

substituted the release of the single "Fire" from her upcoming album, '' Love & Hyperbole'', originally due for release on January 17, 2025, with a different song due to the wildfires.

Transportation

Los Angeles County Supervisor and LA Metro Board Chair

authorized the suspension of fare collection on January 8 because of intermittent power outages that made it difficult for users to buy and load fare cards. The suspension was later extended further "while the wildfire crisis continues". Some Los Angeles bus lines were suspended while some were detoured as a result of the wind and wildfire damage to the city. The

Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its Greater Los Angeles, surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of California. LAX is located in the Westchester, Los Angeles, Westcheste ...

remained operational throughout the wildfires. Though several airlines have waived change fees for flights to LA and Orange County. Some flights to Burbank were also diverted. As of 10:45 a.m. PST on January 8, FlightAware indicated that around 18% of flights in Burbank were canceled and 11% were delayed.

Water supply

Although the three water tanks in the Pacific Palisades area had been filled to their capacity of about each, those supplies were exhausted by the early morning of January 8. Dozens of hydrants in the Pacific Palisades were reported by firefighting personnel to have little to no water flow during initial efforts to control the Palisades Fire. The chief executive officer of the LADWP, Janisse Quiñones, reported that all fire hydrants in the area "went dry" by around 3 a.m. PST on January 8. The emptying of water tanks worsened the lack of pressure in the city's trunk lines to transport water to higher areas, with firefighters being unable to reach pump stations to aid transport due to the fire spreading out of control. Additionally, the Santa Ynez Reservoir, which has a capacity of , had been emptied for repairs in February 2024; had it been available, the water pressure may have lasted for longer. The department stated that high winds made it impossible to fight the fire from the air, putting inordinate pressure on the fire hydrant system. Quiñones reported that the response to the fires caused "tremendous demand on our atersystem", with "the public water system faced four times its usual demand". Supplies for firefighting were "being emptied three times in less than 24 hours". The Fire Department was forced to add per second on its water lines in order to maintain enough water pressure. Firefighters resorted to delegating construction personnel to transport water tanks to areas requiring them. LA County Public Works director Mark Pestrella requested that evacuating residents turn off their water and gas lines so more water could go to firefighting efforts. It was reported that firefighters had begun using pools for water. The Pasadena Water and Power department released a "Water Alert" on January 8 due to debris and elevated

turbidity Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of both water clarity and wa ...

in the water supply to not drink the water untreated in the area and to not drink tap water. The LADWP issued boil-water notices in multiple areas of the Pacific Palisades on the same day, including for the 90272 and 90402 ZIP Code areas and their adjacent areas. They said that

benzene Benzene is an Organic compound, organic chemical compound with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar hexagonal Ring (chemistry), ring with one hyd ...

and other

volatile organic compound Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic compounds that have a high vapor pressure at room temperature. They are common and exist in a variety of settings and products, not limited to Indoor mold, house mold, Upholstery, upholstered furnitur ...

s have the potential to enter the local water system. A County Public Works director, Mark Pestrella, reported "significant damage" to Los Angeles county's sewer systems in addition to its power and transportation systems, each due to massive amounts of debris and thousands of felled trees caused by the fires and corresponding windstorm. Various sources, such as

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

Turning Point USA Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is an American nonprofit organization that advocates for Conservatism in the United States, conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses. It was founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk and Bill Montgo ...

, and RT, falsely attributed the water shortage to the destruction of 4 hydroelectric dams along the

Klamath River The Klamath River (Karuk language, Karuk: ''Ishkêesh'', Klamath language, Klamath: ''Koke'', Yurok language, Yurok: ''Hehlkeek 'We-Roy'') is a long river in southern Oregon and northern California. Beginning near Klamath Falls, Oregon, Klama ...

in 2023/24. Fox News host Jesse Watters linked the crises to the removal of the dams, while RT said their dismantling "is now being blamed for the shortage of water available to fight LA fires". President-elect Donald Trump posted on social media that Governor Newsom had "refused to sign the water restoration declaration" that would have brought water from the North to the South of California. However, Southern California has never received water from those dams, which are over 500 miles north of Los Angeles County, with claims that the removal of the dams affected the South's supply being incorrect as the

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a regional wholesaler and the largest supplier of treated water in the United States. The name is usually shortened to "Met," "Metropolitan," or "MWD." It is a cooperative of fourteen cit ...

does not take water from the Klamath River area.

Looting

There have been several reports of individuals looting evacuated houses amidst the chaos. As of January 13, at least 29 people had been arrested for

looting Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

. Two people were caught posing as firefighters in order to steal from evacuees. Twenty five people were arrested in the area surrounding the Eaton Fire evacuation zone; another four were arrested in the Palisades region. Officials condemned the looting including Los Angeles County Supervisor

Kathryn Barger Kathryn Ann Barger-Leibrich (born in 1960) is an American politician who is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the 5th District since 2016 and is the Chair of Los Angeles County. A member of the Republican Party (United ...

, who elaborated that the looters were "targeting vulnerable communities". National Guard troops were deployed to some burn areas to provide protection against looting. On January 18, a man and woman were arrested for trespassing in the Palisades Fire zone in a

purchased at auction in

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

and for posing as firefighters. The male suspect reportedly has prior arrests for arson and criminal mischief. Several people have also been accused of

arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...

Response

urgently called for firefighters from Ventura, Orange,

San Luis Obispo ; ; ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfway betwee ...

, and Santa Barbara counties to aid in firefighting efforts. Chief Anthony Marrone said the county's 29 fire departments lacked enough personnel to combat the wildfires. Intensifying wind gusts at 7 p.m. PST on January 7 resulted in the mass grounding of firefighting aircraft. Sudden changes in wind direction put different areas at risk and complicated firefighting. Some wealthy citizens, including high-net-worth individuals and celebrities, were able to hire private-sector firefighters to prevent damage to their property. At midday on January 8, California Governor

deployed the California National Guard. On January 8, Cal OES reported that more than 7,500 emergency personnel were deployed to fight the fires. On January 7, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) deployed 783 incarcerated firefighters to assist in fighting the blazes. Later, on January 11, the figure had risen to 939 incarcerated firefighters. These individuals were trained through the California Conservation Camp Program and worked alongside professional firefighters. On January 10, The Pentagon, the headquarter of the United States Department of Defense, US Department of Defense, deployed 500 marines from the Travis Air Force Base to assist with firefighting efforts in Los Angeles. While the fires were still burning, incoming President Trump redirected these units to the Southern Border Region (California), Southern Border to assist with deportation flights. Evacuation shelters for animals were also designated: the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for large animals, and the Pasadena Humane Society for small ones. A DJI Mini, DJI Mini 3 drone illegally operating in restricted airspace collided with a Canadair CL-415 "Super Scooper" firefighting aircraft working to contain the Palisades Fire, damaging the aircraft and forcing it to land on January 9. LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone stated that the drone "put a hole in the wing" of the aircraft and put it out of commission. The collision was reported to the

(FAA) by fire officials, resulting in the FAA pursuing an investigation and considering "swift enforcement action" against the drone operator(s). The United States Forest Service Chief Randy Moore (forester), Randy Moore reported that multiple private drones flying in unauthorized airspace were interfering with firefighting efforts and causing danger to the firefighting crew. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) initiated a search for the responsible drone operator, and requested that the public provide possible leads, eventually arresting the operator of the drone, Peter Tripp Akemann, 56 of Culver City, California, which he pled guilty to. After several looting arrests, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department began work on implementing a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, intended to begin the night of January 9. The punishment for looting during the event can be a $1,000 fine and even potential jail time. The curfew was then put in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fire areas. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said that the curfew has been established to prevent looting in the mandatory evacuated areas, stating that "we do not want anyone taking advantage of our residents that have already been victimized". In total, more than 54 people were arrested in the areas affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires, with half being charged with arson. Los Angeles County released a website containing a Database search engine, searchable database of addresses within the perimeters of the Palisades and Eaton Fires with information on whether they are destroyed or damaged. An executive order was signed by the Mayor of Los Angeles

to rebuild the city affected by the wildfires; this includes the availability of 1,200 homes for displaced individuals. On January 23, US response agency Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA has announced that more than $35 million has been distributed by them to people in LA.

Out-of-state assistance

On January 8, US President Joe Biden ordered the United States Department of Defense, Department of Defense to provide firefighting personnel and equipment. United States Navy, US Navy helicopters were sent from San Diego, and the Nevada National Guard and United States Forest Service sent fire engines. In a press conference that same afternoon, LA County Fire Department chief Marrone said firefighters were arriving from other states: 60 teams from Oregon, 45 from Washington State, 15 from Utah, 10 from New Mexico, and an unspecified amount from Arizona. Montana also sent 10 fire engines and 40 firefighters from different counties, including: Columbus, Red Lodge, Missoula, Big Sky, Central Valley, Big Fork, Corvallis, Whitefish, Plains, Paradise, and Butte. Texas governor Greg Abbott also sent several firefighters and emergency personnel to combat the wildfires, including the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department and from Southeast Texas. The Red Cross from Texas Region also sent four volunteers: three from Austin, Texas, Austin and one from San Antonio. On January 14, 2025, the Federal Emergency Management Agency opened two disaster recovery centers to help wildfire victims apply for financial assistance: one in West Los Angeles at the UCLA Research Park (the former Westside Pavilion) and the other in Pasadena at the Community Education Center of Pasadena City College. According to CNN, representatives for Department of Government Efficiency in late January 2025 instructed the United States Bureau of Reclamation to release water through the Jones Pumping Plant despite the water being unable to reach fire-affected Los Angeles, but the Jones Pumping Plant had been temporarily shut down for maintenance, and one DOGE representative was not granted water pump access as he was not employed by the government. From January 31 to February 2, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, under the Second presidency of Donald Trump, Trump administration which had taken office a few days before, 2025 water release from Lake Kaweah and Lake Success, released 2.2 billion gallons of water (per local authorities) from federal reservoirs in Lake Success (California), California's Lake Success and Lake Kaweah via the Schafer Dam and Terminus Dam respectively. Trump commented on social media on January 31 on "beautiful water flow that I just opened in California … Everybody should be happy about this long fought Victory! I only wish they listened to me six years ago — There would have been no fire!" Within a week of the water release, the Army Corps of Engineers commented that the released water "could not be delivered to Southern California directly", that the California Department of Water Resources and the United States Bureau of Reclamation said they "likely could not utilize the additional water with such short notice", and that the Army Corps of Engineers stopped the water release after "elected officials expressed concerns from their constituents about potential flooding of downstream lands".

International assistance

On January 8, the Canadian government was already preparing for a possible aid response. The following day, Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan offered to "deploy 250 firefighters, aircraft equipment, and other resources as early as tonight" as part of a coordinated effort with Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec. On January 9, NIFC requested two Canadair CL-415 Aerial firefighting, water bomber aircraft through Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, CIFFC, their Canadian counterpart, which worked with provincial agencies to fulfill the request. Multiple provincial governments pledged their support as well; the British Columbian and Albertan governments offered water bombers, night-vision helicopters, and incident command teams. Two CL-415 water bombers from Quebec were already in California as per a long-term contract with the LA County Fire Department; they have been involved since January 7. On January 10, it was announced that two additional CL-415s would be sent. The Canadian government announced on January 12 that 60 firefighters would be deployed to join the firefighting efforts; the province of Ontario promised two water bombers, 165 urban firefighters, and an incident management team. Mexican firefighters arrived at

on January 12, 2025, to help battle the fires. They included firefighters from the National Forestry Commission and the Secretariat of National Defense, National Secretary of Defense. The Iranian Red Crescent Society, Iranian Red Crescent offered to dispatch rapid deployment units to combat wildfires. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered to deploy State Emergency Service of Ukraine, State Emergency Service firefighters to California to help deal with the fires. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command's "Agamim" technology branch provided data analysis support during the California fires. The unit created fire zone maps and a dedicated information portal for American firefighters. Israeli analysts worked during their daytime (US nighttime) to prepare situational assessments for American teams each morning. On January 15, 2025, the Japanese government pledged to provide $2 million through the Red Cross to "establish evacuation sites and offer food and psychological support to those affected by the fires".

Reactions

Domestic

Los Angeles councilwoman Traci Park stated that the wildfires were "a devastating loss, for all of Los Angeles". Governor of California

urged residents to follow evacuation orders and stated to the incoming Second presidency of Donald Trump, Trump administration that "I'm not here to play any politics" after he contacted President Joe Biden to receive federal fire assistance with "No politics, no handwringing, no kissing of the feet." He later canceled his trip to Washington, D.C., where he had planned to attend President Jimmy Carter's Death and state funeral of Jimmy Carter, memorial service. President Joe Biden also canceled his trip to Italy in order to focus on tracking the wildfires across the Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles area. He also offered any federal assistance needed to suppress the Palisades Fire. In addition, Vice President Kamala Harris urged people to heed the guidance of local officials and also canceled her own trip to Singapore, Bahrain, and Germany. President-elect Donald Trump placed blame on Governor Gavin Newsom for refusing to sign a "water restoration declaration", citing a desire for the governor to protect "an essentially worthless fish called the Smelt (fish), smelt." Newsom's press office responded, stating that such a declaration does not exist and is "pure fiction". On January 10, 2025, Newsom told Joe Biden that the country needed to address "hurricane-force winds of mis- and disinformation" about the fires. On January 11, Newsom launched the CaliforniaFireFacts.com webpage on his website, intended to correct misinformation and disinformation regarding California's policies and management before and during the wildfires. He accused "so-called leaders and partisan media outlets" of spreading misinformation, whom he stated was dividing the country "for their own political gain" and causing distress to the fire's victims. On January 12, while being interviewed on the Pod Save America podcast, Newsom stated that he was ordering an inquiry to determine why several fire hydrants ran out of water during the firefighting response, elaborating that he kept "getting different answers" from Los Angeles officials. Newsom also criticized Elon Musk for politicization and disinformation on wildfires. On January 15, 2025, US Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) argued for the imposition of conditions on the release of federal aid to California wildfire victims. He criticized the moral hazard inherent in California's "laws where they 1988 California Proposition 103, made it very unattractive for private insurers to come in and actually insure their properties and assess the risk properly" and thereby "encouraged people to build multimillion ... homes and complexes in very vulnerable areas". He further argued that such increased exposure to wildfire risk was then compounded by incompetent mitigation of that risk. Kelsey Piper, a journalist writing for ''Vox (website), Vox'', criticized Newsom and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara's impulse to respond "to a problem that was substantially caused by price controls with more price controls" by banning policy nonrenewals and fire sales of homes at less than pre-fire values. Mayor of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' absence during President Biden's visit to Santa Monica to assess fire damage drew criticism, including from former Presidency of Barack Obama, Obama administration spokesperson Tommy Vietor. At the time the fires broke out, Bass was in Ghana as part of a delegation attending the inauguration of President

. She later ended her trip early, returning to the city on January 8. A ''

'' article characterized Bass's international visit occurring when the NWS had warned of "extreme fire weather conditions" as having "set off a political crisis". The article reported that during her 2021 mayoral campaign, Bass explicitly stated to ''The New York Times'' that she would restrict her travel as mayor to domestic locations after she expressed initial reluctance about leaving her international work, particularly her involvement in United States-Africa relations, United States–Africa relations. Despite this campaign pledge, the article stated that Bass undertook several international trips after assuming office in December 2022, including multiple visits to France regarding the 2024 Summer Olympics, 2024 Summer Olympic Games and a diplomatic visit to Mexico for President of Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum's inauguration. The article reported that Bass claimed that the visit was conducted at the Presidency of Joe Biden, Biden administration's request, that she maintained "constant contact" with officials as the wildfires grew, and that she took a Military aircraft, military plane back to Los Angeles as the quickest possible trip. Bass's spokesperson Zach Seidl stated that her 2021 pledge about only conducting domestic travel as a mayor was "a miscommunication". ''Los Angeles Times'' owner Patrick Soon-Shiong criticized Bass for cutting $17.6 million from the annual budget to the fire department, noting that severe fire hazard conditions had been known well in advance and that fire hydrants in Pacific Palisades lacked pressure. ''Politico'' stated that Soon-Shiong's assertions were wrong, and that the city was in the process of drafting a new contract with the fire department as the budget was being crafted, and that additional funding was set aside in a separate fund until the deal was finalized in December. It also stated that Bass "did not push back on the record to inquiries about Soon-Shiong's post, allowing the incorrect information to circulate widely online for most of Wednesday". Bob Blumenfield, a member of the

, said that the fire department's budget had increased by more than $50 million. The city's financial analysts stated that the fire department's operating budget increased more than 7% compared to the prior fiscal year. When reporters asked Mayor Bass about the budget cuts on January 9, she said that "There were no reductions that were made that would have impacted the situation". Several drone operators were targeted with harsh criticism for flying in unauthorized airspace to take pictures and videos of the wildfires and neighborhoods damaged by the fires. Critics included other drone operators and photographers, with many posting comments under drone pictures chastising the operator for causing danger to and hindering firefighting efforts. Several people who used drones to take pictures or videos during the outbreak subsequently deleted their Social media, social media accounts. The Los Angeles Rams wore hats and shirts inscribed with "LAFD" in solidarity with the fire department and wildfire victims during the NFL Wild Card 2024–25 NFL playoffs, playoff game (their home game but played in another venue) against the Minnesota Vikings in

, on January 13. Former Rams Tackle (gridiron football position), tackle and Super Bowl LVI, Super Bowl winner Andrew Whitworth spoke to the

crowd at the beginning of the contest talking about the impact of the wildfires, the bravery of first responders and firefighters, and the resiliency of LA's residents in uniting and rebuilding. After a 27–9 upset victory, Rams head coach Sean McVay described the team as having "epitomized and represented the city the right way" amid its struggle and resilience during the fires. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said: The Los Angeles Kings, during their five-game road trip, wore patches and stickers honoring the LAFD as well as their opponents they played against: Winnipeg Jets,

, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, and Seattle Kraken. A special moment was held in Winnipeg dedicated to the firefighters. During their first home game on January 21 against the Pittsburgh Penguins since the fires, the Kings repainted center ice with the logo of the LAFD and honored both firefighters and first responders. The Los Angeles Lakers during their home game against the

held a moment of silence and dedicated the game to the firefighters. Despite the fact Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul were playing for the Spurs, the two gave the children of Lakers coach JJ Redick their game jerseys, as the two boys lost their basketball collection in the Palisades Fire. The Los Angeles Clippers gave away rally towels during their home game against the Miami Heat featuring the words "LA Strong" and a blue image of the state of California. The Anaheim Ducks honored Orange County firefighters who battle the Palisades and Eaton fire at their home game on January 21 against the Florida Panthers. All Sports in Los Angeles, twelve teams in the Los Angeles area donated more than $8 million to the American Red Cross, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, California Fire Foundation, Eaton Canyon Fire Relief and Recovery Fund, World Central Kitchen, California Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund, Team Rubicon, and various local animal rescue organizations. Several celebrities including Taylor Swift, Leonardo DiCaprio, Eva Longoria,

, Jamie Lee Curtis, Selena Gomez, Kylie Jenner, and Halle Berry donated money to various organizations in order to help the victims affected by the wildfires. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry also aided the victims by volunteering their time alongside workers from the World Central Kitchen by distributing meals to those in need at a meal distribution center. On January 28, governor Gavin Newsom launched "LA Rises", a fundraising initiative in collaboration with the private sector to help rebuild areas affected by the fires in addition to $2.5 billion in state relief. The Los Angeles Dodgers made a $100 million donation to LA Rises. On January 30, 2025, the benefit concert FireAid was held, and other similar concerts followed. Compilation benefit albums, such as ''Los Angeles Rising'' and ''Super Bloom: A Benefit for Los Angeles Fire Relief'', were also released. During Los Angeles FC's home opener against Minnesota United FC on February 22, 2025, LAFC fans unveiled a tifo honoring the LAFD and other firefighters. A day later, the LA Galaxy honored Los Angeles County firefighters at their home opener against San Diego FC. During the Los Angeles Dodgers's home opener against the Detroit Tigers on March 27, 2025, firefighters from across the Los Angeles area were brought in for the flag salute ceremony before the game started. The Los Angeles Angels started wearing a firefighter helmet during the 2025 season whenever they hit home runs. The Rams held their 2025 NFL draft at the LAFD's Air Operations facility in Van Nuys, California, Van Nuys to honor the firefighters who fought in the fires. In January, along with other celebrities, Taylor Swift donated to Santa Barbara based relief organization, Direct Relief, to help California communities rebuild after the devastating wildfires that overran parts of L.A.

International

Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese said the footage from Los Angeles would be shocking for Australians facing Bushfires in Australia, wildfires and showed the impact of climate change on fire seasons. The government also offered help to the United States to fight the wildfires. Chilean President Gabriel Boric called on his people to prevent fires in the country.

Criticism towards the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

Social media users have criticized Los Angeles city officials and the Department of Water and Power (DWP) for not maintaining adequate water supplies and flow across the city during the fire. Rick Caruso, a Real estate development, real estate developer, former DWP Commissioner and runner-up in the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election, criticized Mayor Bass and Los Angeles's inadequate firefighting infrastructure, stating, "The firefighters are there [in the neighborhood], and there's nothing they can do." State and local officials have denied that state water distribution choices or supply problems caused the issues, instead citing demand that surpassed the water system's designed capacity. Around 40 percent of Los Angeles city water comes from state-controlled projects connected to northern California, and the southern California reservoirs have been reported to be at above-average levels. Altadena residents whose residences were destroyed in the fire also criticized the lack of coordination regarding recovery assistance, communication, and reconstruction leadership, in part due to Altadena's Unincorporated area, unincorporated status giving it no Town hall, city hall or clear centralized command. In response to criticism levied against the department regarding the empty Santa Ynez Reservoir prior to the fires, the DWP released a statement targeting misinformation in accusations against their role in the fires' spread. It stated that the reservoir was taken offline to comply with Los Angeles's drinking water regulations, and that the repair process was subject to the Los Angeles city charter's competitive bidding requirements, delaying the timeline for its return to use. The statement also reported that its fire hydrants were fully operational and in full compliance with LAFD inspections prior to the disaster, and that its water infrastructure met all requirements from established state and federal fire codes.

Litigation

Over a dozen residents of Los Angeles County filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles County Superior Court against the Los Angeles city government and the LADWP, accusing the latter of failing to repair the Santa Ynez Reservoir at an appropriate pace and for not preparing its water infrastructure in advance of the well-predicted windstorm and red flag alerts. The plaintiffs accused the Los Angeles city government of not properly preparing for the wildfires, and demanded compensation for loss of property, lost wages, and lost business profits. Several residents of Altadena filed four lawsuits against

, alleging that the Eaton Fire was started by faulty power infrastructure owned by the company.

Development in High-Risk Areas

Criticism has emerged regarding continued real estate development in fire-prone regions. A report by ''Jacobin'' highlighted how real estate lobbying efforts have historically opposed restrictions on building in designated high-risk wildfire zones, contributing to the increased destruction caused by fires. The article cited past legislative efforts, such as California Senate Bill 55, which aimed to limit development in "very high risk" zones but was ultimately blocked by industry lobbying efforts. Environmental advocates argue that unchecked urban expansion into fire-prone areas has exacerbated wildfire damage and put more residents at risk.

Gallery of maps

File:2025 Palisades Fire map.png, The extent of the Palisades Fire File:2025 Eaton Fire map.png, The extent of the Eaton Fire File:2025 Eaton Fire Altadena closeup.png, alt=, The footprint of the Eaton Fire in the community of Altadena

References

External links

CAL FIRE – list of active wildfires

Watch Duty – map of active fires
{{Deadliest meteorological events in 2025 January 2025 Southern California wildfires, 2025 California wildfires 2025 in Los Angeles 2025 meteorology 2025 natural disasters in the United States January 2025 in the United States, Southern California wildfires Urban fires in the United States Wildfires in Los Angeles County, California Wildfires in Orange County, California Wildfires in Riverside County, California Wildfires in San Bernardino County, California Wildfires in San Diego County, California Wildfires in Ventura County, California