FSJA Red

A state under siege: How the January 2025 wildfires decimated California

February 4, 2025

FSJA examines the scale and impact of California’s January 2025 wildfires, including damages, evacuations and community responses

The wildfires that began on January 7, 2025, in Southern California had already caused major damage across Los Angeles County by mid-January.

Reports indicated that the most destructive incidents, known as the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, both started on the same day and rapidly consumed thousands of acres, destroying homes, forcing mass evacuations, and causing injuries and fatalities.

Authorities confirmed that the Palisades Fire had burned through about 23,713 acres and had been 19 percent contained as of January 16, 2025.

At least 3,328 structures had been destroyed in that area, with eight fatalities and three injuries confirmed by local emergency teams.

Evacuations affected about 37,000 residents who were required to leave their homes for their own safety.

Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire, which spanned areas near Altadena and Pasadena, had burned approximately 14,117 acres.

By mid-January, it had reached 45 percent containment, while destroying at least 6,782 structures.

Sixteen people had died in that blaze, and five injuries were confirmed.

More than 82,000 residents had evacuated from their communities in response to official orders.

These two fires, alongside the smaller Hurst Fire north of San Fernando, defined the early stage of the January 2025 wildfire crisis.

The Hurst Fire covered about 799 acres, reached 97 percent containment, and had triggered some evacuations.

Altogether, the three main fires had resulted in the loss of 27 lives, damaged or destroyed over 12,401 structures, and caused around 205,000 people to evacuate.

Additional fires and community strain

Beyond the three main incidents, smaller wildfires had also erupted.

The Kenneth Fire, Lidia Fire, Sunset Fire, Taft Fire, Creek Fire, Studio City Fire, Anaheim Fire, and Big Tujunga Creek Fire each added to the strain on resources.

Although each covered fewer acres, collectively they challenged firefighting efforts and stretched available personnel and equipment.

Mandatory evacuations and official advisories had been in place for many of these fires, and authorities pointed out that even small fires could threaten residential neighborhoods if they were not contained immediately.

Local governments indicated that the total financial losses could reach around 250 billion dollars, including property damage, the cost of firefighting operations, and broader economic impacts such as lost income, disrupted supply chains, and added burdens on insurance systems.

Officials emphasized that it would take months to fully quantify the effects on businesses, families, and infrastructure.

Responses from federal leadership

Former President Joe Biden repeatedly addressed the emergency through statements and official briefings.

He said: “Our hearts ache for the 24 innocent souls we have lost in the wildfires across Los Angeles. Jill and I pray for them and their loved ones.

“We are deeply saddened by the devastation caused by the unprecedented ongoing wildfires across Southern California.”

During a joint appearance with Vice President Kamala Harris, the President approved a major disaster declaration that allowed for Fire Management Assistance Grants to cover firefighting expenses.

He also stated: “We owe you, we’re with you, and we’re going to make sure you get every resource you need.”

Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass both publicly thanked the former President for the added support.

The governor stated: “The major disaster declaration, Mr. President, was a game changer.” He also said, “We have 150,000 people still under mandatory evacuation orders. These fires are not out.”

Mayor Bass urged residents to be mindful of false rumors about evacuation zones, advising them to rely on verified government channels for updates.

Federal agencies on the ground

FEMA deployed specialized teams to the affected regions to support those experiencing immediate and long-term needs.

In an interview with NPR, U.S. Fire Administrator Lori Moore-Merrell said: “You know, I think that the local departments and all of the mutual aid partners are ready for this.

“They are continuously fighting these fires. We’ve got large numbers – thousands – of firefighters that have descended – not just from U.S. firefighters, but now Mexico and Canada are on the ground, as well.

“And so the numbers of firefighters are allowing them to have a little bit of respite in shifts.”

She added: “They are prepared. They know what’s coming. And they’re using the window they have even now to get these fires contained so that when the winds come up, that they can hopefully suppress any new ignitions.”

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell also visited the devastated neighborhoods, noting that the agency planned to send more personnel into affected areas so people could register for assistance.

She said FEMA was committed to staying in California to help residents obtain resources for recovery, explaining, “We are going to send more people into the community to make sure that they register. They’re going to be able to get things to help support that recovery.”

Union perspectives and assistance

Local firefighter unions, such as the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), aided members who lost their homes.

IAFF General President Edward Kelly stated: “Our members are working around the clock under unrelenting conditions to protect the lives of Californians.

The IAFF will be with them every step of the way, providing the resources and support they and their families need while working the frontlines of these devastating fires.”

The union reported that at least 180 of its members lived in the area of impact, and several of them had confirmed total losses of their homes.

The IAFF said it was receiving multiple disaster relief applications, while peer support counseling remained available.

Companies such as Nationwide and Tesla made donations of money and technology to support firefighters, and a command center was set up at the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112 headquarters to coordinate distribution of resources.

IAFC leadership addresses challenges

Chief Josh Waldo, President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), toured several California wildfire sites and provided a candid reflection on what he saw.

He said: “The amount of devastation [is] really hard to grasp when you see it on TV or on your phone.

“To be boots on the ground yesterday and see it firsthand…it’s a really sad moment to see this area [and witness] all these communities, neighborhoods that are just completely gone.

“This is not, ‘we lost a couple houses here or a couple houses there.’ Entire neighborhoods are just gone.”

He explained the IAFC’s role in legislative discussions: “As we come out of these fires and we start talking to legislators, whether it’s at the local level, the state level, or the federal level, we’ve got to have a shared voice, a common message of what needs to happen to prevent and mitigate these kinds of events.

“And that’s where the IAFC comes in. Obviously, we’re going to be very active in Washington DC talking to Congress about what needs to happen – not only during but post-fire for these kinds of events.”

Waldo also underlined the need for faster mobilization of resources: “From the operational standpoint, and we’ve talked about this within the IAFC a lot, we’ve got to figure out how to get resources moving a little faster.

“We’ve talked about a national mutual aid system, how we can identify where resources are and get ’em on the road a little bit sooner so that we’re prepared to help [with] the operational [demands] of these kinds of fires.”

Observations from the NFPA

Michele Steinberg, director of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Wildfire division, answered many questions about how embers contributed to house-to-house ignitions.

In an NFPA discussion, she said, “One of the myths we often hear is that a wildfire behaves like a wave in a tsunami, destroying everything in its path.

That’s simply not true.” She also explained that embers often blew ahead of the fire front and ignited combustible materials, stating, “They also loft embers for a mile or more ahead of the fire front.”

Steinberg noted that post-fire photos frequently showed pockets of unburned vegetation near destroyed homes, highlighting the role that wind-driven embers played in starting structure fires.

She encouraged residents to adopt ignition-resistant materials, clear away flammable debris, and understand that “if homes don’t ignite, they can’t burn.”

Firefighters’ exhaustion and resource demands

The pace of the fires, driven by gusts, placed enormous stress on firefighting operations.

Some aerial units were briefly grounded when wind speeds became too strong, forcing ground crews to rely on firebreaks and building defense lines.

Reinforcements arrived from various states and from Mexico and Canada, but local officials said the effort remained grueling.

Chief Brian Fennessy of the Orange County Fire Authority commented on the severity, saying: “This is destruction on a level I have not witnessed in my fire service career.” He added that more proactive approaches—like modern building codes, public education, and coordinated planning—could reduce future wildfire dangers but would require a long-term commitment.

Looking ahead

By January 17, 2025, authorities had stated that the fires were among the worst in Southern California’s recent history. Rebuilding efforts had begun.

Governor Newsom emphasized the need for long-term mitigation, often referencing the idea of rebuilding better.

He said, “Los Angeles, the region, we are going to recover. We’re going to recover, and we’re going to rebuild, and we’re going to rebuild better.”

Policymakers had been debating how to implement stricter codes that demanded the removal of combustible materials within a certain distance of structures.

Researchers and public safety officials argued that consistent standards could help communities in high-risk areas avoid devastating outcomes in the face of strong winds and severe drought conditions.

Chief Waldo, speaking again from an IAFC perspective, noted that “the topic of wildfire had been on the forefront for the IAFC for many years.” He added that recent events underscored the importance of “push[ing] on it because this won’t be the last event. History proves that to us.”

Officials expected that ongoing weather changes, improved resource coordination, and sustained containment efforts would help bring an end to the crisis in subsequent weeks.

They also emphasized that long-term recovery and community resilience initiatives would be key to preventing similar levels of devastation in the future.

Editor’s note: This article was originally written on January 17th 2025, for developments following this date please refer to FSJA’s news feed.

This article was originally published in the February 2025 issue of Fire & Safety Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.

Read Next

Subscribe Now

Subscribe