Starting on January 7, 2025, Los Angeles was hit with multiple wildfires including the Palisades fire and the Eaton fire. These fires demolished not only infrastructures and homes, but also businesses and the general well being of the civilians.
The Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Topanga, Pasadena, Altadena, Sierra Madre, La Cañada Flintridge, Sylmar and Granada Hills were the hardest hit. To date, the Palisades fire burned more than 23,000 acres, including more than 6,800 structures, including both homes and businesses, and the Eaton fire hit 14,000 acres, as well as more than 9,400 structures. These fires were some of the most destructive in California’s history, trumped only by a few including the 2018 Camp Fire of Butte County, which burned approximately 153,000 acres, destroyed 20,000 structures and killed 85 people.
According to the BBC, the spread of a wildfire needs three things: some kind of ignition, something to burn, and oxygen from the air. One of the main reasons for the rapid spread of these particular fires, however, was the speed of the winds called the Santa Ana winds. The Santa Ana winds are dry and move very quickly. Mike Wofford, a senior forecaster for the National Weather Service, spoke on the NPR podcast “All Things Considered” on January 8th. He said that the Santa Ana winds this year, “was not a typical Santa Ana wind event. It was a Santa Ana wind event but kind of on steroids.” The Santa Ana winds this January were reported to have been as fast as 90 mph.
To date, at least 29 people have died because of these fires and 205,000 people were evacuated. Not only does this disrupt daily life, but also disrupts education, businesses and civilian jobs. If people can’t work because they’ve been evacuated, then they can’t receive any money
Jessica Kirschenbaum, a resident of the affected areas of California said that even though the fires have been contained, life is still very chaotic, and people aren’t able to go back to how they were before. Children have been transferred to schools that are already full, post offices have burned down and people may have to wait hours in line for mail at the post office.
Even the people whose homes were unaffected aren’t able to return because the ash around is toxic, making it dangerous to live there. The state is required to hire restoration companies to come in deep clean homes of the ash, but these companies are overwhelmed by the amount of people in need. It’s likely that it’s going to take years for a feeling of normality to appear again.
On January 30, 2025, LA based celebrities held the “FireAid Benefit Concert” to help raise money for those impacted by the fires. Popular singers including Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Gracie Abrams, Green Day, Stevie Wonder and Katy Perry performed at either the Intuit Dome or Kia Forum. The benefit concert raised an estimated $100 million. According to the FireAid website, they have partnered with more than 100 organizations in LA and established a FireAid Community Grants Program where community-based organizations can apply for grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.
LA has a long road to recovery, but it also has a strong support network. Although the damage is severe, the support from the community and fundraising efforts will help LA rebuild and recover over time.
