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
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.
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
_
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:
-
Grassroots groups are working to retrofit existing trusted community spaces with solar panels and battery power to become climate "resilience hubs."
-
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers rejected the SAG-AFTRA union's request for a separate type of residual payment that actors would get once their programs hit streaming services.
-
Sarah Ramos says she actually likes self-taped auditions, but without regulations: “This is a strain on our resources, a strain on our community and it's untenable.”
-
Cooler pavement, however, is far from a silver bullet when it comes to reducing the impact of heat.
-
The ticket was drawn Wednesday night.
-
On the 50th anniversary of Lee’s death, a look back at the icon’s pre-fame years in L.A., in pictures.