Firefighters struggled to control a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area early Thursday that claimed five lives, devastated communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and forced thousands of people to frantically flee their homes.
The strong winds that fueled the fire and led to somewhat chaotic evacuations have subsided, and were not expected to be this strong during the day. That could provide an opportunity for firefighters to make progress in suppressing blazes that have spread throughout the sprawling region, including the massive blazes in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
The latest fire broke out Wednesday evening in the Hollywood Hills, approaching the heart of the city and the roots of its entertainment industry, putting densely populated neighborhoods on edge during exceptionally windy and dry conditions.
Within a few hours, firefighters made significant progress on the Sunset Fire. Captain Eric Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department said they were able to control the fire because “we hit it hard and fast and Mother Nature was nicer to us today than she was yesterday.”
The day before, hurricane-force winds blew embers into the air, igniting block after block in the coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades as well as in Altadena, a community near Pasadena located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east. The planes had to stop for some time due to the wind, which hampered firefighting efforts.
Nearly 2,000 homes, businesses and other buildings were destroyed in those fires — called the Palisades and Eaton fires — and the number is expected to rise. The five deaths recorded so far were caused by the Eaton fire.
About 130,000 people were placed under evacuation orders, as the fires burned a total of about 42 square miles (108 square kilometers) — nearly the size of the entire city of San Francisco. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles history.
More than a half-dozen schools in the area were either damaged or destroyed, including Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in numerous Hollywood productions, including the 1976 horror film “Carrie” and the TV series “Teen Wolf,” officials said. UCLA has canceled classes for this week.
In Pasadena, Fire Chief Chad Augustin said the city’s water system was strained and further hindered by power outages, but even without those issues, firefighters were unable to stop the blaze due to high winds fanning the flames.
“Those erratic winds were blowing embers for several miles before the fire,” he said.
A firefighter walks past a burning building as the Palisades Fire continues to burn in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, January 8, 2025.
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrell
As the flames moved through his neighborhood, Jose Velasquez doused his family home in Altadena with water while embers rained on the roof. He managed to save their house, which also houses their family business that sells churros, a Mexican pastry. Others were not so lucky. Many of his neighbors were at work when they lost their homes.
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“So we had to call a few people and then send a few people to ask if their house was still standing,” he said. “We had to tell them that wasn’t the case.”
And in Pacific Palisades, an area along the coast dotted with celebrity homes, the scope of the devastation is just becoming clear.
Block after block of California Mission Style homes and bungalows was reduced to charred remains. Ornate iron railings wrapped around the burning frame of a house, swimming pools turned black with soot, and sports cars tumbled onto melting tires.
As the sunset fire broke out on Wednesday evening, the Hollywood Walk of Fame was noisy and the streets around the TCL Chinese Theater and Madame Tussauds were packed with stalled traffic as sirens blared and low-flying helicopters flew overhead to dump water on people. The fire was only about a mile away.
Another fire broke out in Sylmar, a middle- and working-class area on the northern edge of the San Fernando Valley that has been the site of several devastating fires.
The fast-moving flames allowed little time to escape
The main fires grew quickly in distinctly different areas and had two things in common: streets packed with homes in places choked with vegetation and primed to burn in dry conditions.
The flames moved so quickly that many did not have time to escape. Police resorted to their patrol cars, and residents of the elderly care center in wheelchairs and hospital beds were pushed into the street to safety.
In the race to escape in the Pacific Palisades area, roads became impassable as dozens of people abandoned their cars and took off on foot.
The flames headed toward affluent and densely populated neighborhoods, including Calabasas and Santa Monica, home to California’s rich and famous.
Mandy Moore, Cary Elwes and Paris Hilton were among the stars who lost their homes. Billy Crystal and his wife, Janice, lost their home of 45 years in the Palisades Fire.
“We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our home was filled with love. Beautiful memories that cannot be taken away,” Crystals wrote in the statement.
In the village of Palisades, the public library, two large grocery stores, a couple of banks, and several shops were destroyed.
“It’s really weird coming back to a place that doesn’t really exist anymore,” said Dylan Vincent, who returned to the neighborhood to retrieve some items and saw that his elementary school had burned and entire buildings had been leveled.
A firefighter works from the deck of a ship as the Palisades Fire burns a beachfront property Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Malibu, California.
AP Photos/Etienne Laurent
Higher temperatures and less rain mean a longer fire season
California’s wildfire season is starting earlier and ending later due to higher temperatures and lower precipitation linked to climate change, according to recent data. The rains that usually end the fire season are often delayed, meaning fires can burn during the winter months, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association.
Dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anse, contributed to above-average temperatures in Southern California, which has not seen more than 0.1 inch (2.5 mm) of rain since early May.
Wind speeds increased to 80 mph (129 kph) on Wednesday, according to reports received by the National Weather Service. Fire conditions could continue into Friday, but wind speeds are expected to be lower on Thursday.
An infrared satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows burning structures and active fire burning from the Palisades Fire in Tuna Canyon Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Maxar Technologies via AP
Landmarks burn down and studios stop production
President Joe Biden signed a federal emergency declaration after arriving at a Santa Monica Fire Station to meet with Gov. Gavin Newsom, who sent National Guard troops to help.
Several Hollywood studios have halted production, and Universal Studios has closed its theme park between Pasadena and Pacific Palisades.
As of Wednesday evening, more than 330,000 people were without power in Southern California, according to tracking site PowerOutage.us.
Several Southern California landmarks were severely damaged, including the Reel Inn in Malibu, a seafood restaurant. Owner Teddy Leonard and her husband hope to rebuild.
“When you look at the grand scheme of things, as long as your family is okay and everyone is alive, you still win, right?” she said.
Golden reported from Seattle and Watson reported from San Diego. Associated Press journalists Christopher Weber and Eugene Garcia in Los Angeles; Ethan Swope in Pasadena, California; John Sewer in Toledo, Ohio; Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas; Jeff Martin in Atlanta; Janie Haar in San Francisco; Brian Mealy in London; Cathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland; Tammy Weber in Detroit contributed to this report.
