The sky is painted a bright orange as the winds rage upward of 100 mph. The streets are filled with cars trying to reach safety. A wildfire is on the way. The California wildfires began on January 7th, 2025. These fires were fueled by dry conditions and strong wild weather likely due to climate change. Thousands of homes and other various structures were destroyed, and a total of 29 people lost their lives. A city official described the first night of the fires as “one of the most devastating and terrifying” that she had ever seen.
The Fires
The Palisade fire began in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood just east of Malibu. The fire was a brush fire that quickly grew to 23,713 acres. Winds of up to 100 mph prevented firefighters from making much progress in containment. Thousands upon thousands of residents were forced to evacuate everything they owned. After two weeks of endless fighting, the raging fire was finally 100% containment on Friday, January 31. The Cal Fire department believed over 5,316 structures were destroyed.
The Easton fire began just days after the Palisades fire, near a canyon in the national forest lands north of downtown LA. This fire was smaller, but still grew to 14,117 acres and further escalated the crisis. Similar to the Palisade fire, the Easton fire was 100% contained as of Friday January 31. The Cal Fire estimated that 7,800 structures were damaged from this fire.
California received much needed rain in early February, which assisted with the complete extinguishing of the fires. An estimated $250 billion has been lost from damage. There is a long road of rebuilding ahead for the many that lost everything in the fires.
Help is on the way
People across the country pitched in to help fight these raging fires. The state of Pennsylvania sent 40 firefighters to help. Governor Shapiro said. “Pennsylvania stands ready to help any state facing these unprecedented challenges” Shapiro posted on social media. Multiple celebrities from across the country have offered their support too, including Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Meghan and Prince Harry. Taylor Swift donated $10 million to almost a dozen different organizations including 221 LA, Direct, California Community Foundation Fund to name a few. Swift posted the full list on her Instagram account and encouraged others to donate. Beyoncé donated $2.5 million to the LA Fire Relief Fund and similarly wrote on social media urging people to donate and thanking those who are helping with relief efforts. Meghan and Harry visited an evacuation center and food bank in Pasadena. They spent the day serving food and speaking with locals along with emergency workers. At the Grammy’s another $7 million was donated to LA Fire Relief throughout the 3.5 hour event. Along with commercials highlighting local businesses with the hopes of rebuilding.
Why
California wildfire season typically begins in June and ends in October. In the winter months the cool temperatures and rainfall usually keep the wildfire activity low. The increased frequency is due to both natural and human factors, like climate change. According to The World Resources Institute climate change increased LA’s possibility for wildfires in January by 35%. The fate of California wildfires for the rest of 2025 is unknown, the long-term trends are evident. For live updates on the recovery take a look at FOX 11.
