With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Map: How big are the LA fires? Use this tool to overlay them atop where you live
Firefighters work to put out a fire in the rubble of a home that burned down on Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu, as a result of the Palisades Fire. Jan. 9, 2025.
(
Ted Soqui
/
CalMatters
)
The fires sweeping across Los Angeles County for the past week have burned more than 40,000 acres, an area roughly equivalent to 1,800 Alcatraz Islands or 400 Disneylands, or slightly larger than Washington, D.C.
An arid fall and winter have dried out vegetation after two wetter-than-average years, providing fuel as a windstorm, with hurricane-force gusts topping 100 mph, swept across the region. Wind-whipped flames spread rapidly throughout much of the county.
The Palisades Fire, which burned through Pacific Palisades and parts of Malibu, and the Eaton Fire, which burned Altadena and other foothill communities, have damaged or destroyed an estimated 12,000 houses and other structures. At least 24 people have died, making 2025 one of the deadliest and most destructive years on record less than two weeks after the year started.
-
A slightly warmer day on tap, with highs in the mid 70s and blustery conditions. -
Researchers found that in drier years, larger animals are more likely to head closer and closer to where people live. -
The report concludes that the water supply was too slow, not too low, and even a functioning reservoir likely wouldn’t have stopped the Palisades Fire.
Sponsored message
Two other fires in the area — the Kenneth Fire near Hidden Hills and the Hurst Fire in the San Fernando Valley — have largely been contained, according to CalFire.
It’s difficult to visualize how dramatically Los Angeles — California’s largest city in both physical size and population — has been affected. But to get a sense of the scope, you can enter a California address into the tool below to compare the fire perimeters to any area statewide.
For Apple News readers, you can explore the tool here.
Check out the map
Do you have a question about the wildfires or fire recovery?
Check out LAist.com/FireFAQs to see if your question has already been answered. If not, submit your questions here, and we’ll do our best to get you an answer.
_
Fire resources and tips
If you have to evacuate:
- Why fire officials don't want you to stay and defend your home
- How to get packed up
- How to leave your house
- What evacuation terms mean and how to sign up for alerts
Navigating fire conditions:
- How to drive in high winds and fire danger
- How to prep for power outages
- How to navigate poor air quality
How to help yourself and others:
- Resources for fire victims, evacuees and first responders
- If you want to help fire victims, resist the urge to volunteer
- How to help find lost pets
How to start the recovery process:
- What to do — and not do — when you get home after a wildfire
- How to make an insurance claim
- How to safely clean up wildfire ash
What to do for your kids:
- How to talk to children about wildfires and losing a home
- What parents should know about wildfire air quality
Prepare for the next disaster:
Trending on LAist
-
Families can get notified when services reach their area and whether they qualify. -
Down south, a group of bagel makers is quietly generating excitement in the bagel-verse. -
The spending plan would gut prevention, outreach and supportive services to maintain temporary shelter beds and absorb rate increases previously covered by other funding sources. -
Earlier mergers, like Disney's 2019 acquisition of Fox, cut the number of films studios released theatrically — a troubling trend for theater owners already coping with consolidation and streaming. -
Public documents reviewed by LAist reveal an ongoing dispute between the city and its contractors. -
The project runs on an approximately four-mile stretch of the street between North Mission Road near LAC+USC Medical Center and Alhambra/South Pasadena.
Best of LAist
