Pacific Palisades is a neighborhood in the Westside region of the city of Los Angeles, California, situated about 20 miles (32 km) west of downtown Los Angeles. Starting on January 7, 2025, the majority of Pacific Palisades was severely affected and destroyed by the Palisades Fire, a part of the wider, and ongoing, Southern California wildfires.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection 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 areas under state responsibility totaling 31 million acres, as well as the administration of the state's private and public forests. In addition, the department provides varied emergency services in 36 of the state's 58 counties via contracts with local governments. The department's current director is Joe Tyler, who was appointed March 4, 2022, by Governor of California Gavin Newsom.
By the end of 2019, according to Cal Fire and the US Forest Service, 7,860 wildfires were recorded across the U.S. state of California, totaling an estimated of 259,823 acres of burned land. These fires caused 22 injuries, 3 fatalities, and damaged or destroyed 732 structures. The 2019 California fire season was less active than that of the two previous years, which set records for acreage, destructiveness, and deaths.
According to statistics published by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, a total of 7,127 wildfires burned a total of 324,917 acres in the U.S. state of California in 2023. This was below the state's five-year average of 1,722,059 acres (696,893 ha) burned during the same period. The 2023 fire season followed the 2022 season, during which the number of fires and the resulting burned acreage were both below average. Four fatalities were reported during the 2023 fire season.
By the end of 2024, a total of 8,024 wildfires burned a cumulative 1,050,012 acres (424,925 ha) throughout the U.S. state of California. The total number of wildfires was slightly higher than the five-year average, while the total number of acres burned was lower. Wildfires destroyed a total of 1,716 structures and killed one person in the state in 2024. This season had the most burned acres since the 2021 wildfire season.
The 2024 Oregon wildfire season was a series of wildfires that burned throughout the U.S. state of Oregon.
The Park Fire was an extremely large wildfire in Northern California's Butte and Tehama counties. It ignited on July 24, 2024 in an alleged act of arson in the city of Chico's Bidwell Park in Butte County. Defying initial fire suppression efforts, the Park Fire grew rapidly over the following days, burning into the Ishi Wilderness and the Lassen National Forest. Thousands of people in foothill communities evacuated, Lassen Volcanic National Park closed to the public, and hundreds of buildings were destroyed. The fire burned a total of 429,603 acres before being fully contained on September 26, 2024. Fire suppression operations cost $351 million.
The Nixon Fire was a sizable wildfire that burned in Riverside county in Southern California. It ignited on July 29, 2024, in the census-designated place of Aguanga in Riverside County. As of August 7, 2024, it has burned 5,222 acres and is 100 percent contained.
A series of active major and non-major wildfires have been burning in Kern County, California since 2024. The fires began in the month of April and remain active. So far, in the year 2024, California saw one of its worse fire seasons in California compared to recent years. Due to the high amount of precipitation that had fallen the previous winter, there was an overabundance of dry fuels that make it easier for large fires to start. High winds were also present during the summer when fire season is mostly active in the state. This led to the wildfires in Kern County to be destructive and costly.
There is an ongoing series of wildfires in the U.S. state of California. A series of fires in Southern California, specifically in the Greater Los Angeles area, have caused at least 27 deaths, thousands of destroyed structures, evacuations and widespread power outages in January 2025.
The Palisades Fire is a wildfire burning in the Santa Monica Mountains of Los Angeles County in Southern California which has killed at least 10 people. As of January 17, 2025, at 5:53 p.m. PST, the fire had spread to 23,713 acres, destroying large areas of Pacific Palisades, Topanga and Malibu. It is the first and largest of a series of wildfires in and around the city of Los Angeles being driven by an extreme Santa Ana wind event. On January 8, Wildfire Alliance statistics indicated that the fire is the most destructive fire to ever occur in the Los Angeles city limits, surpassing the Sayre Fire in Sylmar in 2008 which destroyed 604 structures. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Since January 7, 2025, a series of 31 wildfires have affected the Los Angeles metropolitan area and surrounding regions. As of January 22, 2025, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire remain active, both being the largest of the 31.
The 2025 wildfire season involves wildfires on multiple continents.
The Eaton Fire is an active wildfire burning in the Altadena area of Los Angeles County in Southern California. It began on the evening of January 7, 2025, in Eaton Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains. As of January 8, 2025, at 10:36 a.m. PST. The fire had spread to approximately 14,117 acres (5,713 ha). It is one of several fires being driven by the extremely powerful Santa Ana winds, along with the larger Palisades Fire. As of January 14, 2025, it is the fifth deadliest fire in California history, having killed 17 people.
The Hurst Fire was a wildfire that burned in the Sylmar area of the city of Los Angeles in Southern California. It was one of several fires driven by an extremely powerful Santa Ana wind event.
Chronology of the 2025 Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California, and Los Angeles County. Times are PST. "~" denotes "approximately".
Watch Duty is a volunteer-contributed mobile app and web platform that provides real-time wildfire information and alerts to the public. It utilizes a combination of official data sources and human monitoring by experienced volunteers, including active and retired firefighters, dispatchers, and first responders. The service is operated by Sherwood Forestry Service, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
The Hughes Fire is an active wildfire burning in Los Angeles County and Ventura County in Southern California. As of January 22, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. PST, the fire has burned 8,096 acres. The fire began near Lake Hughes Road near Castaic Lake and its cause is under investigation. It has prompted evacuation orders in the region around Castaic Lake.
