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California fires

What happened during the first weekend of the Eaton, Palisades fires in Southern California

Coverage of the fires ravaging Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Pasadena, including stories about the devastation, issues firefighters faced and the weather.

An aerial view of the Palisades fire.
The Palisades fire burns Saturday above homes on Mandeville Canyon Road in Brentwood.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

As of 5:00 a.m. Monday, Jan. 13, this blog is no longer being updated in real-time. For the latest updates on the Eaton, Palisades and other fires ravaging Southern California, here is where to find continuing coverage.

Containment continues to improve for fires

BRENTWOOD, CA - JANUARY 11, 2025 - - An aircraft drops fosscheck on the the Palisades Fire as it tears through Mandeville Canyon in Brentwood on Saturday. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Firefighters continued to make progress on the Eaton Palisades fires.

The Eaton fire was now 27% contained; the Palisades fire 13%.

Officials are expected to push for more containment before new winds arrive Tuesday.

Palisades, Eaton fires among the worst ever

The fires are also among the most destructive in California’s modern history.

According to Cal-FIRE, the Palisades fire has burned more than 5,300 structures, and the Eaton fire, more than 5,000, ranking as the third and fourth most destructive fires on record.

They are only eclipsed by the Tubbs fire, which burned more than 5,600 structures in 2017 in Napa and Sonoma counties, and the Camp fire, which burned nearly 19,000 structures as it leveled the town of Paradise in Butte County in 2018.

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They lost their Altadena church in the Eaton fire. They still gathered to worship

Altadena Community Church member Michael Okamura, right, embraces a member of the Montebello Plymouth Congregational Church.
Altadena Community Church member Michael Okamura, right, embraces a member of the Montebello Plymouth Congregational Church during a joint Sunday service with them on Sunday in Montebello.
(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

On Sunday, Jan. 5, the Rev. Paul Tellström announced his retirement from the pulpit at Altadena Community Church.

The 69-year-old pastor is in the throes of Parkinson’s disease. He is getting slower. His physical strength is fading.

Death toll from Palisades and Eaton fires climbs to 25. What we know about those killed

The Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center burns during the Eaton fire.
The Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center burns during the Eaton fire in Pasadena on Tuesday.
(Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images)

The number of confirmed deaths from the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires climbed to 25 as of Tuesday night.

Nine of the victims died in the Palisades fire and 16 in the Eaton fire in Altadena, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner and L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna.

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Private firefighters in place to help Rick Caruso’s home and neighborhood: ‘He’s smart, he wants to be ready’

Firefighters stand on and alongside tow fire trucks and another first responder vehicle amid smoky air.
L.A. firefighters battle the Palisades fire along Radcliffe Avenue on Wednesday. Meanwhile, members of private fire crews have gathered at L.A. developer Rick Caruso’s home to guard it against flames.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

A firetruck, non-potable-water trucks and about a dozen private firefighters were stationed outside Rick Caruso’s home in Brentwood on Sunday afternoon.

The firefighters said they represented five different private firefighting outfits and were hired by the Los Angeles real estate developer to protect his property and the surrounding neighborhood.

Nearly all of LAUSD will reopen on Monday. Several Eaton fire-area districts remain closed

Four people stand in front of a school that has been inspected for damage.
L.A. schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho, center, tours Brentwood Science Magnet on Sunday with school board member Nick Melvoin, second from right. Students from Palisades Charter Elementary, which was destroyed by fire last week, will continue their schooling at the Brentwood campus.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Nearly all Los Angeles Unified campuses and offices will reopen on Monday after wind-fueled fires led to a districtwide shutdown, officials announced late Sunday afternoon.

The decision was reached after consideration of school readiness, weather forecasts, current outdoor conditions and cautiously encouraging levels of fire containment, said L.A. Unified schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho.

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Power lines? Old embers? Arson? Investigators, experts, amateurs look for cause of L.A. fires

The Palisades fire spreads through Mandeville Canyon toward Encino on Friday.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

As Los Angeles reels from the astonishing losses of the firestorms, one question holds profound economic, financial and political consequences: What sparked the fires?

The Palisades and Eaton fires have burned more than 12,000 structures and are expected to be the most costly fires in American history, with estimates ranging from $50 billion to $150 billion.

‘This is your Hurricane Katrina’: Assessing the long road ahead for L.A.

Neighborhoods ruined by the Palisades fire.
Neighborhoods ruined by the Palisades fire.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Craig Fugate, who led the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the Obama administration, has seen a lot of natural disasters. He knows the difference between destruction and utter devastation, and puts the nation’s truly cataclysmic events — those that erase entire communities in a blink — in a category all their own.

The wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles in recent days fit into that group, he said.

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Investigators study Eaton Canyon electrical tower area as possible origin of Altadena fire

Electrical lines and towers are seen on Sunday along North Altadena Drive.
Electrical lines and towers are seen on Sunday along North Altadena Drive to the northwest of where the fire may have been sparked.
(John McCoy/For The Times)

As officials try to determine the cause of a wildfire that has burned an estimated 7,000 structures in and around Altadena, investigators keep returning to one place: an electrical transmission tower in Eaton Canyon.

The once-lush hillside has been charred by flames spread by intense winds from the open space into the heart of suburban communities.

Fire victims compete to find new homes as real estate market rages in Pacific Palisades, Altadena

A home is fully engulfed during the Palisades fire in Pacific Palisades.
A home is fully engulfed during the Palisades fire this week in Pacific Palisades.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Thousands of families were displaced on Tuesday when fires torched homes throughout Pacific Palisades and Altadena, kicking off a regionwide house hunt as victims scoured a tight market looking for homes to rent — or even buy.

People are desperate, local agents said. Their homes are in ashes, and they’re looking for stability — somewhere for their family to go that’s not a shelter, a friend’s house or a hotel room. Some landlords are now sharply raising rent, even beyond what temporary price gouging protections allow. And some would-be renters are offering a year’s rent upfront in cash and engaging in bidding wars.

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Newsom to deploy an additional 1,000 National Guard members to L.A.

California National Guard and LAPD officers
California National Guard members and LAPD officers staff a roadblock Saturday on Sunset Boulevard and Mandeville Canyon in Brentwood.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Gov. Gavin Newsom is deploying an additional 1,000 members of the California National Guard to fire-ravaged Los Angeles, Newsom said Sunday.

The new additions will bring the total number of CalGuard service members in the region to about 2,500 by Monday, according to the governor’s office. CalGuard personnel are supporting wildfire suppression efforts, stationed at traffic control points and providing protection in some burn zones.

“The men and women of the California National Guard have been on the ground since day one — not only fighting fires, but also assisting with public safety efforts in communities devastated by these fires,” Newsom said Sunday in a statement.

Displaced Palisades students will relocate to nearby neighborhoods, LAUSD announces

A play area smolders at Palisades Elementary Charter School in Pacific Palisades on Wednesday.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

The Los Angeles Unified School District has announced which campuses will receive students from the two Pacific Palisades elementary schools that were substantially destroyed by fire last week.

Students who were attending Palisades Elementary will shift to the Brentwood Elementary Science Magnet in Brentwood, a neighborhood adjacent to Pacific Palisades. Students who had been at Marquez Elementary will report for class at Nora Sterry Elementary in the Sawtelle neighborhood, which is south of Brentwood.

The plan is to keep the two relocated school communities intact, with the same teachers instructing the same students, said L.A. schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho.

All four of the schools opened for the spring semester on Jan. 6. L.A. public schools have been closed since last Thursday. A decision on whether to reopen them on Monday was pending as of 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The other school with major damage was Palisades High School, where about 40% of the structures were either damaged or destroyed.

Pali High, an independent charter school, will not open for the spring semester on Jan. 13, as previously scheduled.

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Increasing winds bring potential for ‘explosive fire growth’ across L.A. County this week

A red plume falls from a firefighting aircraft.
An aircraft drops retardant on the Palisades fire as the blaze tears through Mandeville Canyon in Brentwood on Saturday.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

A day after making some progress containing the Eaton fires and protecting Brentwood and Encino from the Palisades fire, firefighters across Los Angeles County were bracing for another round of powerful winds that could threaten new communities and hamper efforts to contain the firestorms.

“There will be the potential — especially late Monday night through Wednesday — for explosive fire growth as those winds pick back up,” said Ariel Cohen, the meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service office in Oxnard. “In the case of an evacuation order being issued, you have to follow that immediately. Seconds could save your life.”

Coverage of the fires ravaging Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Pasadena, including stories about the devastation, issues firefighters faced and the weather.

Gusts of 50 to 65 mph are expected Monday, with the strongest winds arriving before dawn Tuesday and peaking through Wednesday. Areas north of the fire line from Point Dume to Glendale will be particularly at risk, Cohen said. The brewing wind conditions are generally expected to push existing fires at a south and westward angle.

Religious institutions hit hard by L.A. fires look to rebuild. Here’s how you can help

Saint Mark's Church in Altadena on Thursday, left, and in 2022, right.
St. Mark’s Church in Altadena on Thursday, left, and in 2022.
(Isabella Bonfante; Matthew Wright)

The text message lighted up the Rev. Carri Patterson Grindon’s cellphone at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.

A congregant of Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Altadena, where Patterson Grindon serves as rector, had forwarded an image of the sanctuary. It was ablaze — a victim of the raging Eaton fire.

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Hundreds of Palisades residents turned away from retrieving belongings

A California National Guardsman and an LAPD officer stand in front of a line of cars.
A California National Guardsman and an LAPD officer stand in front of cars at Sunset Boulevard and Mandeville Canyon roads in Brentwood on Sunday.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

After allowing some residents to bypass the barricades with a police escort last week, hundreds of residents were turned away at multiple checkpoints on Sunset Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard leading into the Palisades on Sunday morning.

To access their burned-down home one last time, 30-year-old roommates Noah Martin, Chetan Munugala and J.J. Amis parked in Santa Monica at 6:30 a.m. and hiked more than four miles to what remained of the property on Northfield Street.

They retrieved any belongings that were still intact, including Amis’ slightly charred basketball and a small tile for sentimental value. The main purpose was to take a photo of the roommates, who had rented the three-bedroom house from Martin’s parents for the last five years, together.

“Find some closure,” said Amis, a swim coach at Palisades Charter High School, which burned down; he said he will file for unemployment.

“It’s our last trip as roommates,” Martin, a software engineer who grew up in the Palisades, said.

They also walked over to a friend’s home nearby, opening a safe and retrieving passports and other valuables.

Since they evacuated Tuesday, Martin and his parents, whose home on Temecula Street a few blocks away is still standing, have been staying with his younger sister in Venice. The plan is to rebuild the Northfield home, he said.

“I’ve always felt like this is the only place in the world I’d ever want to live,” Martin said. “I’ve never found anywhere better.”

Officials investigating whether Southern California Edison equipment ignited Hurst fire

The Hurst fire burns in the hills above Sylmar on Wednesday.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

Fire agencies are investigating whether downed Southern California Edison utility equipment played a role in igniting the Hurst fire near Sylmar, company officials said.

The company issued a report Friday saying that a downed conductor was discovered at a tower in the vicinity of the fire, but that it “does not know whether the damage observed occurred before or after the start of the fire.”

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Do you have a tip or a question about the California fires? Contact the L.A. Times here

Journalists from The Times are working to make sense of the origins, devastation and aftermath of the fires that have ravaged Altadena and Pacific Palisades.

If you have an idea for a story or a question you’d like our reporters to answer, please fill out the form below.

Where to volunteer to help

The havoc caused by the blazes — more than 28,000 acres have been scorched — necessitates immediate and long-term relief.

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Burglary suspects dressed as firefighters arrested in L.A. fire zone, officials say

A California National Guard Military Police member stands guard in Altadena.
A California National Guard military police member stands guard at a closed intersection near the Eaton fire in Altadena on Saturday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles authorities said they arrested 29 more people overnight in the fire zones, including one burglary suspect who was allegedly dressed as a firefighter.

Of the arrests, 25 people were apprehended in the Eaton fire zone, four in the Palisades fire zone, authorities said.

First, they lost their home insurance. Then, L.A. fires consumed their homes

The charred remains of a home
The charred remains of a home on Tonia Avenue in Altadena burned by the Eaton fire.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Last year, Francis Bischetti said he learned that the annual cost of the homeowners policy he buys from Farmers Insurance for his Pacific Palisades home was going to soar from $4,500 to $18,000 — an amount he could not possibly afford.

Neither could he get onto the California FAIR Plan, which provides fewer benefits, because he said he would have to cut down 10 trees around his roof line to lower the fire risk — something else the 55-year-old personal assistant found too costly to manage.

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Kenneth fire is 100% contained

The Kenneth fire is seen near West Hills on Thursday, shortly after it started.
The Kenneth fire is seen near West Hills on Thursday, shortly after it started.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

The Kenneth fire, which started earlier this week near Calabasas, is now 100% contained.

It burned 1,052 acres, but no property damage was reported.

Newsom suspends landmark environmental laws to ease rebuilding in wildfire zones

Gov. Gavin Newsom greets firefighters on a tarmac
Gov. Gavin Newsom greets Mexican firefighters arriving Saturday at Los Angeles International Airport.
(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)

Landmark California environmental laws will be suspended for wildfire victims seeking to rebuild their homes and businesses, according to an executive order signed Sunday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Requirements for building permits and reviews in the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Coastal Act — often considered onerous by developers — will be eased for victims of the fires in Pacific Palisades, Altadena and other communities, according to the order.

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Mexican firefighters arrive in L.A. to help

Mexican firefighters and emergency personnel have arrived in Los Angeles to help with the fire fight.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said 72 firefighters arrived Saturday.

They are joining thousands of other battling fires.

Trump complains: ‘They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?’

President-elect Donald Trump blasted Los Angeles officials over the the fires.

On Truth Social, he called politicians “incompetent.” adding: “They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?”

Faced with intense winds, firefighters have been battling the fire for days. A flare-up of the Palisades fire prompted more evacuations this weekend.

This is not the first time Trump has gone on the attack during the firestorm.

A few days ago, Trump said Gov. Gavin Newsom “refused to sign a water restoration declaration,” which he alleged would have allowed millions of gallons of rain and snowmelt to flow south to the areas on fire.

Newsom sent a letter on Friday inviting the incoming president to California to meet with fire victims, survey the devastation in Los Angeles County and join him in thanking first responders. He said Saturday Trump didn’t respond.

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Amid ruins, this Altadena resident is firm: ‘We will rebuild. That’s 100% the goal’

Kathryn Barger stands on a street of destroyed homes
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger surveys the ruins of homes from the Eaton fire in Altadena on Saturday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Rob Orlandini, 38, evacuated from Altadena with his family Tuesday night. His house survived the Eaton fire, but the hardware store that his family has operated since 2010 burned.

Altadena Hardware has been a fixture for more than 80 years on North Lake Avenue, the area’s first main business district that was ravaged by the Eaton fire.

Orlandini said he tried to drive to the store early Wednesday morning but couldn’t get past the fire and winds.

“It was like the apocalypse,” he said.

His family has lived in Altadena for decades. His parents’ home was also under threat but survived. So did the house belonging to his brother Jimmy, who fought off flames with a hose from the roof.

“It’s my livelihood, it’s my brother’s livelihood,” he said about the loss of the store. “You pour every part of yourself into your business, and then for it to just disappear one morning is just crazy.”

As residents and business owners consider how — or whether — to rebuild in a community that has been upended, Orlandini said he and his b