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California has had a busy and scary start to 2025, with five fire incidents across different counties: Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino.
LA County has been the most affected by three of these fires. The three LA Fires (Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, and Hurst Fire) started on Tuesday, Jan 7, 2025, at different times of the day. They happened in three locations: Southeast of Palisades Drive and Pacific Palisades, near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive, Altadena/Pasadena, and near Diamond Road, Sylmar—Hurst Fire.
Amidst this unfortunate incident, different claims, theories, and narratives about the cause of the fire, how it started, the areas affected so far, etc., continue to spread.
This article highlights the key facts about the fire to help readers understand the development and avoid being misinformed.
When did the fire start?
The three fires burning in LA all started on Jan. 7, 2025. The Palisades fire started around 10:30 am, the Eaton fire started around 6:18 pm, and the Hurst fire started at 10:29 pm.
How did the fire start?
The cause of the LA has not yet been determined, as authorities are still investigating the devastating fires. However, possible causes suggested so far include a rekindled New Year fire, human activity, which experts suggest accounts for approximately 95% of wildfires in California, arson, utility equipment, and environmental factors like the Santa Ana winds.
What is the total area covered by the fire?
According to statistics from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL Fire), the LA fire has burnt approximately 38,629 acres. Out of this total, the Palisades fire has covered 23,713 acres of land with 22% containment, the Eaton fire, 14,117 acres with 55% containment, and the Hurst fire, 799 acres with 98% containment.
What is the level of damage?
The fires have displaced up to 200,000 people, with 150,000 residents in Los Angeles County being placed under evacuation orders. This number includes around 37,000 residents specifically instructed to evacuate from areas affected by the Palisades fire, while an additional 100,000 individuals were ordered to evacuate due to the Eaton fire.
Another 100,000 residents were advised they might need to leave their homes as they live in high-risk areas.
So far, the Eaton fire has destroyed 5,718 structures and damaged 679. The Palisades fire has destroyed 2,869 structures and damaged 508. However, the Hurst fire has no data on the extent of structures destroyed or damaged.
However, the fire is reported to have destroyed the houses of 25 celebrities, including Paris Hilton, Mel Gibson, Tina Knowles, and Billy Crystal.
Death Toll
News reports as of Jan 16, 2025, reveal the death toll from the wildfires in Los Angeles is now 25. According to these reports, these figures include nine fatalities from the Palisades fire and 16 from the Eaton fire in Altadena. However, the latest report on the CAL website as of 6:42 of Jan 16, 2025, noted that there are eight fatalities from the Palisades fire and 16 from the Eaton fire. This leaves the total at 24.
Some of the victims of the fire have been identified here and here.