Pacific Palisades Fires Cause Record Breaking Destruction for Los Angeles

Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

The city of Los Angeles is in a state of emergency following massive wildfires which started on Jan. 7, 2025. Winds are predicted to reach speeds between 80 to 100 mph in Southern California. The City of  Los Angeles’ Emergency Management Department posted a red flag warning on X earlier this week for these extreme winds: “National Weather Service has upgraded earlier fire weather warnings (starting THIS Tuesday) from ‘Critical’ to ‘Extreme’ for much of LA County. Northern areas of @LACity are included, with most others within high-wind & fire-weather watch area,” via @ReadyLA. 

The first fire broke out in the Palisades area of Los Angeles County and is ongoing with 0% contamination. What started as a brush fire rapidly spread to over 20,000 acres of burning land in nearly 48 hours. Soon after the fire erupted, residents were ordered to evacuate nearby neighboorhoods. Multiple other fires were reported in the area, according to CAL FIRE, with the Eaton fire being another significant blaze burning 13,000 acres, as of Thursday night. 

According to the Los Angeles County medical examiner and fire officials, ten lives have already been taken by the fires, over 9,000 structres and building have been damaged or destroyed, and 130,000 residents have been mandated to evacuate.

The Los Angeles Fire Department is quickly responding to control and contain the fires with the help of the American Red Cross to provide emergency shelters and evacuation assistance to neighborhoods in need across the county. Already, over a thousand buildings, businesses and houses combined have burned down, leaving many residents of Los Angeles unhoused with limited resources. 

The Santa Clara University Office of Student Life recently sent out an email regarding the circumstances: “We are sending this email given the rapid nature of the fire expanding in the greater Los Angeles area and we want to make certain that we contact all students from this region,” they stated. “If your family is impacted by the wildfires in the Los Angeles County region please complete this form to let us know.” The attached form is a resource that students can access to be provided with assistance from the university during this time of hardship. 

A major issue the city is facing in this event is the scarce water supply. The Los Angeles Times reported that fire hydrants in the Palisades’ neighborhoods have already been strained due to high water demand as of 3 a.m. Wednesday. City Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the Palisades district, expressed concern over the situation, noting that water consumption was outpacing supply in some areas. Park told the LA Times: “Those [water] tanks help with the pressure on the fire hydrants in the hills in the Palisades, and because we were pushing so much water in our trunk line, and so much water was being used. ... we were not able to fill the tanks fast enough,” she said. “So the consumption of water was faster than we can provide water in a trunk line.”

As of the latest reports, more than 30,000 people have been evacuated due to the wildfires. The fires have resulted in at least two fatalities and destroyed more than 1,000 structures, making it the most destructive fire in LA county history. 

California Governor Gavin Newsom said Monday in a statement to NBC that he has proactively deployed state resources to address the storm, including fire engines, helicopters, and specialized personnel.

The National Weather Service expects the strong winds to continue through the week, with gusts up to 80 mph. However, winds began to taper off Wednesday afternoon as an ocean breeze blew onto the coast. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s map indicated that smoke is expected to be pushed by the Santa Ana winds towards the Pacific Ocean and south towards Long Beach. 

If you or someone you know is directly affected by the LA fires, find emergency centers and assistance can be found at lacounty.gov/emergency.