One Year After Twin Wildfires, Los Angeles County Still Scarred
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A year after twin infernos tore across opposite ends of Los Angeles County, the scars are still visible. Thousands of homes were reduced to rubble, rebuilding has been slow, and the death toll underscored how a wildfire under extreme weather conditions can turn catastrophic.
The Fires and Their Rapid Spread
The Palisades and Eaton fires exploded in size within hours of each other on January 7, 2025. Here are some key figures that illustrate how quickly the disaster unfolded and the devastating toll it left behind:
- 90 miles per hour: The speed of predicted wind gusts in mountain areas, equivalent to 145 kilometers per hour. Red Flag warnings were issued on January 6 for severe wildfire danger as Southern California was buffeted by the region’s notorious Santa Ana winds. Grass and brush were tinder dry after months with little or no rain. The National Weather Service warned that it could be a life-threatening wind event. As a precaution, firefighting assets were pre-positioned in areas deemed to be at especially high risk for fires.
- 4 hours: How long it took for a small wildfire to explode in size. At 10:30 a.m., reports began coming in about a small blaze on a ridge in LA’s upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, in the same area where crews had responded to a fire on New Year’s Day. Soon, a large plume of dark smoke was visible from miles away. By shortly after 11 a.m. on January 7, the revived fire grew to about 10 acres (4 hectares), located near Palisades Drive on the coastal neighborhood’s western edge.
Over the next two hours, roads jammed with motorists trying to flee as flames roared down streets and decimated homes. Officials issued an evacuation order for the Palisades while warning residents in surrounding areas to prepare to leave. Within hours, the blaze had rapidly grown.
As firefighting resources focused on the Palisades, another blaze was sparked about 30 miles to the east in Altadena, on the opposite end of Los Angeles County. The Eaton Fire started at 6:17 p.m., and all firefighting aircraft in the county were soon grounded due to high winds. By 8 p.m., the fire had doubled in size.
The Scope and Impact
- 59 square miles: The amount of land charred by the two infernos, equivalent to 155 square kilometers—roughly the size of the entire city of San Francisco.
- 31 lives: The number of people who died—19 in the Eaton Fire and 12 in the Palisades Fire.
- 31 days: How long the Palisades Fire burned before it was extinguished. Investigators determined that the 37-square-mile blaze had actually grown out of the earlier fire that started on January 1.
- 25 days: The length of time it took for the Eaton Fire to be fully extinguished. It burned 22 square miles.
- 16,246 structures: The number of structures destroyed in both blazes, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). In Altadena alone, 9,413 homes, businesses, and other buildings were razed. In Pacific Palisades and neighboring areas, including Malibu, 6,833 buildings—mostly homes—were lost.
Rebuilding, Relief, and Legal Proceedings
Rebuilding efforts have been slow. So far, only 10 homes have been rebuilt according to city and county data, most in the Altadena area, with one in Pasadena and two in Pacific Palisades. Malibu has yet to see any completed homes, though hundreds more are under construction across the region.
$33.9 billion in federal disaster aid has been requested by Governor Gavin Newsom. However, the Trump administration and Congress have yet to approve the funding.
$860 million to $970 million is the estimated total charitable commitments to Los Angeles fire relief, according to a study by the Milken Institute. Most of the funds were raised in the first month after the fires, with individual donations through GoFundMe bringing in $265 million alone.
In legal developments, a 29-year-old man faces up to 45 years in prison after being charged with sparking the Palisades Fire. He has pleaded not guilty. Meanwhile, the cause of the Eaton Fire remains under investigation.
Looking Ahead
The twin wildfires of January 7, 2025, serve as a grim reminder of the destructive potential of wildfires under extreme weather conditions. As Los Angeles County continues to rebuild and recover, officials and residents alike hope for improved preparation and prevention measures to mitigate future disasters.
Note: This story has been updated to correct the date the two fires erupted to January 7, 2025, not January 6, 2024.