At least five dead and more than 2000 homes destroyed as a series of wildfires sweep across Los Angeles County.

Five people have been confirmed dead and others may have lost their lives as more than 2000 homes have been destroyed in a series of wildfires which have swept across Los Angeles County in Southern California since Tuesday 7 January 2025. Around 180 000 further people have been ordered to evacuate their homes, with another 200 000 warned this may be necessary, amid concerns that these will also be lost, many of them in Los Angeles's wealthiest suburbs. Around 400 000 people have had their electricity supplies either disrupted or cut off completely.

A fire at the intersection of Temescal Canyon and Pacific Coast Highway in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles on 7 January 2025. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images.

The second fire reported, now named the Palisades Fire, was reported at about 10.30 am on 7 January in the Palisades Hills to the northwest of Santa Monica. This has subsequently spread to cover an area of about 55 km², affecting the communities of Santa Monica, Malibu, and Calabasas, with initial efforts to contain it hampered by high winds, which both helped the fire to spread quickly and prevented fire fighting aircraft from approaching the area. The problems faced by firefighters worsened as the area's fire hydrant system became exhausted by the demand being placed upon it, causing pressure to fall and fire hoses to run dry.

Firefighters attempting to control the Palisades Fire in western Los Angeles County on 7 January 2025. Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg.

At about 6.20 pm the Eaton Fire was reported in the Eaton Canyon Falls area to the northeast of Pasadena. This fire has now spread to cover an area of about 40 km², again with high winds and an over-used fire hydrant system severely hampering efforts to contain the fire. All five known fatalities have been caused by the Eaton Fire in the Altadena neighbourhood, although local officials are warning that there are probably many more dead around the county.

A burning home in the Altadena neighbourhood of Pasadena on 8 January 2024. Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images.

At about the 10.30 the Hurst Fire was reported in the San Fernando Valley to the north of Los Angeles. This has spread to cover almost 3 km² of land and is only partially controlled, leading to a large area being evacuated. Some witnesses have reported seeing an explosion at an electrical distribution centre, possibly caused by high winds blowing power cables loose, but this is still under investigation,

Westward view of the Hurst Fire as seen from the Oakridge Manufactured Home Park. P Rivas/Wikimedia Commons.

The Lidia Fire was reported slightly after 6.00 am on Wednesday 8 January, close to the town of Ravenna to the north of the Angeles National Forest. This fire has spread to cover about 1.5 km² of land,  and is only partially under control, provoking some evacuations. The Woodley Fire was reported at 6.15 am on Wednesday 8 January in the Woodley Recreation Area,  to the north of Encino. This eventually burned about 121 400 m² of wood-  and parkland before being brought under control. The Sunset Fire was reported slightly before 6.00 pm on Wednesday 8 January, and has spread to cover 170 m² of land, provoking further evacuations and threatening some of Holywood's  most iconic landmarks. 

The fires affecting Los Angeles (and other parts of California) are largely a result of several years of unusually hot and dry weather, which in turn have been driven by rising global temperatures. However, they have also been driven by extremely strong Santa Ana winds, a form of katabaric (downhill) wind driven by the Californian landscape. The interior of California is elevated, and has a dry climate compared to coastal areas. During periods of cool weather high pressure zones can form in these dry highlands, and if these coincide with a low pressure system in coastal areas, then the winds flow downhill, gaining heat (and, typically, quite a bit of dust) before reaching lowland coastal areas.

Air from areas of high pressure inland flows toward sea level in Southern California. Paul Duginski/Los Angeles Times.

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Magnitude 3.7 Earthquake hits Los Angeles.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 3.7 Earthquake at a depth of about 11.9 km beneath the western part of the Greater Los Angeles urban area, California, slightly before 0.05 am local time (slightly before 7.05 am GMT) on Wednesday 22 April  2020 (slightly before 3.00 am on Monday 9 March GMT). There are no reports of any damage or injuries relating to this quake, but people have reported feeling it across much of southern California.

The approximate location of the 22 April 202 Los Angeles Earthquake. USGS.

California is extremely prone to Earthquakes due to the presence of the San Andreas Fault, a tectonic plate margin that effectively bisects the state. The west of California, including Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, is located on the Pacific Plate, and is moving to the northwest. The east of California, including Fresno and Bakersfield is on the North American Plate, and is moving to the southeast. The plates do not move smoothly past one-another, but constantly stick together then break apart as the pressure builds up. This has led to a network of smaller faults that criss-cross the state, so that Earthquakes can effectively occur anywhere.

 Tectonic boundaries and faults in California and the surrounding area. USGS.

Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events and the underlying structures that cause them. If you felt this quake (or if you were in the area but did not, which is also useful information) then you can report it to the United States Geological Survey here.

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Sinkhole swallows two cars in Studio City, Los Angeles.

A sinkhole that opened up in the Studio City distrct of Los Angelese, California, swallowed two cars on Friday 17 February 2017. The hole, which is described as being about six meters across, engulphed a car and its female driver as it opened. The driver of this vehicle was able to escape from the hole with the help of firefighters, but shortely after the hole expanded, swallowing a second vehicle.

Arial view of the 17 February 2017 Studio City sinkhole. ABC7News.

Sinkholes are generally caused by water eroding soft limestone or unconsolidated deposits from beneath, causing a hole that works its way upwards and eventually opening spectacularly at the surface. Where there are unconsolidated deposits at the surface they can infill from the sides, apparently swallowing objects at the surface, including people, without trace.

The approximate location of the 2017 February 2017 Studio City sinkhole. Google Maps.

On this occassion the sinkhole has been linked to the exceptional rainfall falling across California this week, which is thought to have burst a sewer beneath the road, then washed away the sediment around it until the road collapsed.

California has been battered by a succession of Pacific storms this year, bringing widespread flooding and triggering a number of landslip and subsidence events. This is due to exceptionally high temperatures over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the state this year caused by a La Niña weather system over the southern Pacific. This meant that the dam was already filled to capacity and regularly using the spillways to remove water when the damage was discovered, with another major series of storms due to start ariving later this week.

The La Niña weather system is the opposite of the El Niño weather system, in which unusually cold surface temperatures spread across the equatorial Pacific from the upwelling zone on the South American coast. This traps warm water from the western Pacific, preventing it from spreading east and warming the central Pacific. This leads to lower evaporation over the (cooler) east Pacific, leading to low rainfall on the west coast of South America, and higher evaporation over the (warmer) west Pacific, leading to higher rainfall over East and Southeast Asia and northern Australia.

 

The effects of a La Niña weather system in December-February. NOAA.

 

This also leads to a breakdown in surface circulation in the North Pacific, which generally rotates clockwise, so that the same body of water stays off the coast of California, where it is constantly warmed by the Sun, leading to high levels of evaporation and onshore winds that bring high rainfall and flood events to the state.

 

The effect of the La Niña weather system on the weather of North America. NOAA.

 

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Magnitude 3.5 £qrthquake beneath northern Los Angeles.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 3.5 Earthquake at a depth of about 3 km beneath the Pacoima district of Los Angeles, California, slightly before 3.00 am local time (slightly before 11.00 am GMT) on Thursday 5 November 2015. There are no reports of any damage or injuries relating to this quake, but people have reported feeling it across much of the Los Angeles area.

The approximate location of the 5 November 2015 Los Angeles Earthquake. Google Maps.

California is extremely prone to Earthquakes due to the presence of the San Andreas Fault, a tectonic plate margin that effectively bisects the state. The west of California, including Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, is located on the Pacific Plate, and is moving to the northwest. The east of California, including Fresno and Bakersfield is on the North American Plate, and is moving to the southeast. The plates do not move smoothly past one-another, but constantly stick together then break apart as the pressure builds up. This has led to a network of smaller faults that criss-cross the state, so that Earthquakes can effectively occur anywhere.

The extent of and movement on the San Andreas Fault. Geology.

Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events, and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit organization Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.

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Magnitude 3.4 Earthquake hits Los Angeles. The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 3.4 Earthquake at a depth of about 12 km beneath the Gardena district of Los Angeles, California, slightly before 10.00 pm local time on Saturday 6...

Magnitude 3.9 Earthquake off the coast of Long Beach, California.                              The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 3.9 Earthquake at a depth of about 1.1 km roughly 20 km off the coast of Long Beach...

Los Angeles shaken by Magnitude 4.4 Earthquake.                                                                The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 4.4 Earthquake at a depth of 9.9 km, roughly 9 km to the northwest of Westwood, at about 6.25 am...

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Magnitude 3.4 Earthquake hits Los Angeles.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 3.4 Earthquake at a depth of about 12 km beneath the Gardena district of Los Angeles, California, slightly before 10.00 pm local time on Saturday 6 June 2015 (slightly before 5.00 am on Sunday 7 June,GMT). There are no reports of any damage or injuries relating to this quake, but people have reported feeling it across much of the Los Angeles area.

The approximate location of the 6 June 2015 Los Angeles Earthquake. Google Maps.

California is extremely prone to Earthquakes due to the presence of the San Andreas Fault, a tectonic plate margin that effectively bisects the state. The west of California, including Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, is located on the Pacific Plate, and is moving to the northwest. The east of California, including Fresno and Bakersfield is on the North American Plate, and is moving to the southeast. The plates do not move smoothly past one-another, but constantly stick together then break apart as the pressure builds up. This has led to a network of smaller faults that criss-cross the state, so that Earthquakes can effectively occur anywhere.

The extent of and movement on the San Andreas Fault. Geology.

Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events, and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit organization Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.

See also...

Magnitude 3.9 Earthquake off the coast of Long Beach, California.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 3.9 Earthquake at a depth of about 1.1 km roughly 20 km off the coast of Long Beach...

Los Angeles shaken by Magnitude 4.4 Earthquake.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 4.4 Earthquake at a depth of 9.9 km, roughly 9 km to the northwest of Westwood, at about...

Los Angeles shaken by Earthquake.

Los Angeles was shaken by a Magnitude 3.2 Earthquake at a depth of 12.8 km, slightly to the north of Los Angeles International Airport, slightly after 7.50 pm on Friday 26 April 2013 local time (slightly after...

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Magnitude 3.9 Earthquake off the coast of Long Beach, California.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 3.9 Earthquake at a depth of about 1.1 km roughly 20 km off the coast of Long Beach, California, slightly before 3.30 pm local time (slightly before 11.30 pm GMT) on Tuesday 30 December 2014. There are no reports of any damage or injuries relating to this quake, but people have reported feeling it across much of the Los Angeles area.

The approximate location of the 30 December 2014 Long Beach Earthquake. Google Maps.

California is extremely prone to Earthquakes due to the presence of the San Andreas Fault, a tectonic plate margin that effectively bisects the state. The west of California, including Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, is located on the Pacific Plate, and is moving to the northwest. The east of California, including Fresno and Bakersfield is on the North American Plate, and is moving to the southeast. The plates do not move smoothly past one-another, but constantly stick together then break apart as the pressure builds up. This has led to a network of smaller faults that criss-cross the state, so that Earthquakes can effectively occur anywhere.

The extent of and movement on the San Andreas Fault. Geology.

Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events and the underlying structures that cause them. If you felt this quake (or if you were in the area but did not, which is also useful information) then you can report it to the United States Geological Survey here.

See also...

Los Angeles shaken by Magnitude 4.4 Earthquake.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 4.4 Earthquake at a depth of 9.9 km, roughly 9 km to the northwest of Westwood, at about 6.25 am local time (about 1.25 pm GMT) on...

Magnitude 3.0 Earthquake in Orange County, California.

The United States Geological Survey recoded a Magnitude 3.0 Earthquake at a depth of 6.7 km in Orange County, California, roughly 40 km east of Los Angeles, at about 1.55 pm local time...

Los Angeles shaken by Earthquake.

Los Angeles was shaken by a Magnitude 3.2 Earthquake at a depth of 12.8 km, slightly to the north of Los Angeles International Airport, slightly after 7.50 pm on Friday 26 April 2013 local time (slightly after 2.50 am on Saturday 27 April, GMT), according to the United...

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Cleanup operation underway after crude oil pipeline bursts in Los Angeles.

A cleanup operation is under way after a pipeline carrying crude oil from Bakersfield to Texas burst in the Atwater Village area of northeast Los Angeles at about 0.15 am local time on Thursday 15 May 2014. Witnesses reported seeing oil spurting 5 m into the air, before raining down on the streets, where in places it was 'knee deep'. The spill caused the closure and evacuation of five local businesses, including a pharmaceutical plant opperated by Baxter Healthcare, from where two workers were treated for inhalation of fumes, and a nearby stripclub.

An oil slick in the Attwater Village area of Los Angelese following the 15 May 2014 pipeline failure. NBC Los Angeles.

The US has suffered a number of oil spills from its transportation network in recent months, which oil industry representatives cite as evidence for a need to expand and renew the country's aging network of oil pipelines. Pipelines are undoubtably safer than moving oil by other methods (such as trucks, trains or barges), however a number of large spills from aging pipes have damped public enthusiasm for such projects, and environmental groups frequently express concerns that new pipeline networks will tie the country into dependence on oil for the foreseeable future, at a time when they believe it ought to be diversifying its energy sources, and embracing more renewable technologies such as solar and wind generated electricity.

The approximate location of the 15 May 2014 Attwater Village pipeline failure. Google Maps.

See also...

 Cleanup operation underway in Salt Lake County, Utah, after truck spills 17 000 liters of oil on Interstate 80.

A cleanup operation is underway at Parleys Canyon in Salt Lake...



 Secret fracking off the coast of California.

It emerged this week that hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has been in regular use in the oil fields of the Santa Barbara Channel off the coast of California since the late 1990s. There has been a moratorium on...



 Willard Bay State Park, Utah, closed by oil spill.

Willard Bay is a freshwater reservior seperated off from Great Salt Lake in 1964. It suplies freshwater to much of northern Utah...



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