California Wildfire Live Updates: New Fire Breaks Out—Sparking More Evacuations
Topline
A brush fire in Granada Hills dubbed the Archer Fire was reported just before 10:30 a.m. local time Friday and prompted more evacuations as five other fires continue burning in Los Angeles County, which President Joe Biden dubbed a “war zone” at an Oval Office press briefing.
Fire destruction as seen in Pacific Palisades Friday, Jan. 10, 2025.
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Timeline
The Archer Fire, which was covering about 32 acres as of 11:50 a.m. PST on Friday, was described as covering an area of “light to medium brush, with erratic winds reported” and prompted a mandatory evacuation order and several evacuation warnings about 40 minutes after it was first reported. The fire is close to the Hurst Fire, which has burned about 800 acres since Tuesday, and is located northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
Biden, who described Los Angeles as a “war zone,” said the death toll for the fires is still expected to rise, though it’s not clear how significantly: “There are still a lot of people who are unaccounted for. We don’t know where they are,” he said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said FEMA has pledged to reimburse disaster relief expenses; the Palisades Fire has expanded to more than 20,000 acres, with about 8% contained, and the Eaton Fire increased to nearly 14,000 acres with 3% contained.
Kevin McGowan, director of Los Angeles County’s Office of Emergency Management, apologized during a press conference for an evacuation alert mistakenly sent to millions of county residents at about 4 a.m. local time, saying the error was “not human driven” while acknowledging “an extreme amount of frustration, fear and anger.”
Satellite images released by Maxar on Thursday night showed the scale of devastation caused by fires so far as Cal Fire’s latest update says the blazes have destroyed more than 10,000 structures, including homes and businesses.
Biden announced he has approved California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration, adding that it will allow “folks impacted by the Southern California wildfires to get cash assistance to cover things like groceries and medicine.”
The Kenneth Fire has grown in size to cover nearly 1,000 acres, according to Cal Fire’s latest update, but firefighters have managed to contain 35% of the blaze.
Nearly 100,000 homes and businesses in Los Angeles County and around 20,000 in neighboring Ventura County still remain without power early on Friday, according to PowerOutage.US.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department said the fire fighting plane struck by a civilian drone was the SuperScooper—an amphibious plane which can scoop up water from a river or lake and aerially dump it on a fire—and has been grounded.
A firefighting aircraft flying over the Palisades fire was struck by a drone on Thursday but managed to land safely, the Federal Aviation Administration said, adding that it was investigating the incident.
The death toll from all the fires has risen to 10, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office announced on Thursday night.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said his department has requested support from the California National Guard and is trying to implement a curfew between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. in the areas affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires.
The Ventura County Fire Department said, “forward progress of the Kenneth fire has been stopped,” and the fire continues to hold at 960 acres with 0% containment.
The LAPD told local outlets that they received a call informing them that a “suspect was ‘attempting to light a fire’ in the area of the Kenneth Fire,” and while the suspect is now in custody the department added: “We are continuing our investigation and we CANNOT confirm any connection to any fire.”
Los Angeles Police have arrested a man suspected of arson in the Woodland Hills area, and the department told NewsNation they are now investigating if the Kenneth Fire was intentionally set.
The Kenneth Fire grew to 960 acres with 0% containment.
The Palisades Fire spread to 19,978 acres, damaging or destroying 5,316 structures in the impacted areas, according to officials, who noted the death toll from all fires in Los Angeles County reached seven.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a request from Los Angeles County to deploy 8,000 National Guard members to the region to help combat fires and prevent looting (the sheriff’s department arrested 20 people for looting as of Thursday afternoon).
The NFL announced the Jan. 13 wild card playoff matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings will be moved from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, citing concerns for public safety.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna and county supervisor Kathryn Barger announced the county requested support from the National Guard, which is expected to deploy as early as Thursday evening as curfews from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. are put in place to combat looting in evacuation areas linked to the Palisades and Eaton fires.
The Kenneth Fire began in the neighborhood of West Hills and spread to 50 acres, triggering evacuation orders for some residents in the Hidden Hills community.
The death toll from the fires reached six, according to multiple outlets, with the city of Malibu reporting its first death of a resident killed in the Palisades fire.
Biden said the federal government will pay the full cost of the disaster response for 180 days, covering the costs of things like “debris and hazard removal, temporary shelters, first responders’ salaries and all necessary measures to protect life and property” (the federal funding initially covered 75% of eligible firefighting costs).
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the Sunset fire in the Hollywood Hills was “fully contained” after the fire began Wednesday evening and spread to 43 acres.
Los Angeles Unified School District announced its schools and offices will remain closed through Friday, adding students will continue to have access to digital academic resources, meal distribution and mental health support services.
The NBA postponed a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Charlotte Hornets scheduled to take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena, the NBA announced, with ESPN insider Shams Charania noting Lakers head coach JJ Redick lost his home in the fires.
Luna said he was “not satisfied” with some of the preliminary numbers he was getting regarding the death toll from the fires and he asked for patience on the subject, saying “right now, frankly, we don’t know” how many people have died, but they will eventually.
The Los Angeles Fire Department lifted the last evacuation order related to the Sunset Fire, providing some relief to residents, though it said there are still “LAFD companies working in the area” and asked people “to be careful while returning” to their homes.
Pasadena urged residents in a portion of the city to not use tap water for drinking or cooking “until further notice,” citing the Eaton Fire’s damage to reservoirs and pump stations that potentially impacted water quality in certain areas.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said 95,203 of its customers are without power and that the estimated time to respond to outages remains at 24 to 48 hours, noting within a statement its boil water notice remains in effect for residents in Pacific Palisades’ 90272 zip code and the adjacent area.
Biden said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he was again briefed on the fires and would make remarks to the nation after the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter, which began at 10 a.m. EST.
The wildfires have severely impacted the air quality in the Los Angeles area with levels of PM 2.5 pollutants—airborne particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter— hitting 165, which is labeled “unhealthy” by the EPA’s AirNow tracker and 11 times above the World Health Organization’s recommended safe limit of 15.
At least 2,000 homes, businesses and other buildings have been destroyed by the fire so far, and more than 130,000 people have been forced to evacuate—some even multiple times as the fires spread to other parts of Los Angeles county.
According to the National Weather Service, the dry Santa Ana winds moving in from the northeast will “continue over Eaton Fire through the next few days, with somewhat weaker winds Thursday morning followed by increasing winds Thursday afternoon…into early Friday.”
The NWS also noted that the red flag warnings across Los Angeles and nearby Ventura County will remain in effect until 6 p.m. on Friday.
At least 250,000 homes and businesses across Los Angeles County and neighboring Ventura County remained without power on Wednesday night, according to PowerOutage.us, as the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power said its crews had managed to restore power to “more than 152,000” since the start of the fires.
After lifting the most of the evacuation zone around the Hollywood Hills fire, the LAFD urged residents to be “cautious when returning to their homes because firefighters are continuing to work in their neighborhoods,” and said areas where the evacuation order has not been lifted will remain closed until Thursday morning.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said “the majority of the Evacuation Zone for the Sunset Fire is LIFTED” in an update shortly after midnight as Cal Fire’s tracker showed the size of the blaze in the Hollywood Hills shrinking from its previous size of 60 acres to 43 acres at 12:17 a.m. PST.
City of Pasadena officials warned that the tap water in the areas that have been evacuated due to the Eaton Fire is not safe to drink and said the residents should “not try to treat the water” themselves but use bottled water instead.
Cal Fire’s latest update at 9:40 p.m. PST showed that at least 10% of the Hurst Fire has been brought under control although the blaze still continues to cover around 855 acres.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the the “most intense fire activity” in the Hollywood hills fire is occurring on the southwestern side, while the perimeter on the eastern side is “holding well thanks to a fire road and ground crews in place.”
Cal Fire has deployed several helicopters and tankers to douse the Hollywood Hills fire, with flight tracker data showing at least six aircraft flying over the area—aerial operations had been impacted on Tuesday night and early Wednesday due to the strong winds.
The city of Santa Monica instituted a mandatory curfew from sunset to sunrise on Wednesday night “to support law enforcement efforts in these zones, and other measures to facilitate an effective response,” the Palisades Fire.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the Los Angeles Police Department’s officers are being deployed to Hollywood “to help alleviate evacuation traffic,” as the city moves to “urgently to close roads, redirect traffic and expand access for LAFD vehicles to respond to the growing fire.”
The mandatory evacuation order triggered by the Hollywood Hills fire covers areas between the 101 Freeway on the east, Laurel Canyon on the west, Mulholland Drive on the north and Hollywood Boulevard on the south—an evacuation warning is also in effect covering remaining areas of Hollywood Boulevard and parts of Sunset Boulevard.
Another fire, called the Sunset Fire, broke out around 6 p.m. PST in the Hollywood Hills which has rapidly grown in recent hours to engulf more than 50 acres or area, prompting mandatory evacuations.
Biden canceled the final overseas trip of his presidency on Wednesday—shortly before he was set to travel to Italy and the Vatican—to stay in Washington D.C. and monitor the emergency in California.
Biden approves a Major Disaster Declaration for California, making federal funding available to those impacted by the fires in Los Angeles County.
Officials told The New York Times the death toll in the Eaton Fire rose to five after saying earlier in the day two people had died, and the Los Angeles Times reported all five deaths “occurred in and around Altadena and Pasadena.”
Santa Monica expanded its evacuation order, advising residents for all areas north of Montana Avenue from the beach to 11th Street to leave immediately, and areas to the south and east remain under evacuation warnings.
Nearly 1 million customers of electricity providers in Los Angeles County were without power, PowerOutage.us reported before it said the outage management system of Southern California Edison—the main electricity provider in the county— went offline.
The Palisades Fire in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades—an affluent coastal neighborhood—exploded to 15,832 acres, according to Cal Fire, making it the largest fire of the four burning in Los Angeles County as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Eaton Fire in Altadena, a small city directly north of Pasadena, grew to 10,600 acres with 0% containment, according to the Cal Fire.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Los Angeles Fire Department air operations resumed after a lengthy suspension of air support began Tuesday due to high winds.
County of Los Angeles Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at least two civilians died in the Eaton Fire, though the cause of their deaths were not disclosed.
Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said FEMA is “closely monitoring” the wildfires and has authorized additional assistance from the agency to support firefighting efforts.
The Woodley Fire began in the Sepulveda Basin neighborhood, expanding to 30 acres before being brought under control, according to The New York Times.
The Hurst Fire ignited in the suburban area of Sylmar.
Newsom declared a state of emergency, urging residents to heed evacuation orders and saying, “This is a highly dangerous windstorm creating extreme fire risk, and we’re not out of the woods.”
The Palisades Fire started in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood and resulted in about 30,000 people receiving evacuation orders as it initially spread to about 2,000 acres.
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How Big Is The Palisades Fire?
The Palisades Fire began around 10:30 a.m. local time Tuesday and burned 20,438 acres as of Friday morning, with about 8% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which issued evacuation orders for residents of the Palisades and for those living along a long stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway. Los Angeles Fire Department chief Kristin M. Crowley said Thursday “it is safe to say that the Palisades fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles,” noting preliminary reports estimate thousands of structures have been damaged or destroyed, The New York Times reported.
How Big Is The Eaton Fire?
The second blaze, called the Eaton Fire, began Tuesday evening in Eaton Canyon near the San Gabriel Mountains and grew rapidly Wednesday to cover 13,956 acres acres, with 3% contained as of Friday morning. The Eaton Fire also triggered a round of mandatory evacuations in the nearby areas of Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre. City officials said Thursday more than 1,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed in the greater Pasadena area.
How Big Is The Kenneth Fire?
The Kenneth Fire began at 3:34 p.m. on Thursday and has spread to 1,000 acres as of Friday morning, with about 35% contained. Authorities urged residents of Hidden Hills to act quickly and evacuate as evacuation warnings spread further west into the city of Agoura Hills. Authorities also warned Malibu residents to keep a close eye on new evacuation orders or warnings that may be prompted by the Kenneth fire.
How Big Is The Hurst Fire?
The Hurst Fire was reported later Tuesday night after it broke out near the Los Angeles-area suburban neighborhood of Sylmar, north of the rest of the city. Shortly after it was reported, the Los Angeles Fire Department issued evacuation orders in the area, warning of a “rapid rate of spread.” As of Friday morning, the Hurst Fire covered 771 acres, as authorities contained 37% of the blaze.
How Big Is The Lidia Fire?
The Lidia Fire was first reported Wednesday afternoon, burned 395 acres and was 75% contained as of Friday morning, according to Cal Fire. Anthony Marrone, fire chief for Los Angeles County, said Thursday forward progress on the fire had been stopped. LAist reported the fire, which began in the Angeles National Forest, posed such an extreme threat that the forest will remain closed for at least one week.
How Big Is The Archer Fire?
The Archer Fire was first reported late Friday morning and had expanded to 32 acres as of 11:50 a.m. PST. It is 0% contained.
How Big Was The Sunset Fire In The Hollywood Hills?
The Sunset Fire, which broke out Wednesday evening, grew to engulf around 43 acres. Bass said Thursday the fire was fully contained. Evacuation orders in the area were lifted at 7:30 a.m., and LAFD advised residents returning to their homes to use caution as workers were still in the area. The fire burned near a number of Hollywood landmarks, including the popular urban hiking trail Runyon Canyon, Hollywood Boulevard and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
How Big Was The Woodley Fire?
The Woodley Fire was first reported Wednesday morning, and fire crews were able to hold the fire to 30 acres, LAist reported. It was reported as 100% contained Thursday and officials said there were no current threats tied to it.
Ranking California’s Most Destructive Wildfires
Preliminary data from Cal Fire indicates the Palisades and Eaton fires rank among California’s most destructive wildfires in state history:
- Camp Fire, November 2018: 18,804 structures destroyed
- Tubbs Fire, October 2017: 5,636 structures
- Palisades Fire, January 2025: 5,316 structures
- Eaton Fire, January 2025: More than 4,000 structures
- Tunnel-Oakland Hills Fire, October 1991: 2,900 structures
- Cedar Fire, October 2003: 2,820 structures
- North Complex Fire, August 2020: 2,352 structures
- Valley Fire, September 2015: 1,955 structures
- Witch Fire, October 2007: 1,650 structures
- Woolsey Fire, November 2018: 1,643 structures
How Much Will The Wildfires Cost?
JPMorgan analysts led by Jimmy Bhullar estimated in a note Thursday there could be $50 billion in total damages, including $20 billion in insured losses, though they noted “estimates of potential economic and insured losses are likely to increase.” Those estimates would place the fires as the costliest in U.S. history. Jasper Cooper, vice president-senior credit officer at Moody’s Ratings, said the credit rating business expects “insured losses to run in the billions of dollars given the high value of homes and businesses in the impacted areas,” adding “commercial property losses could be significant.”
How Did The California Fires Start—and Why Are They Spreading?
A mix of extremely gusty winds, drought conditions and low humidity created conditions conducive for fires to quickly spread. The appearance of weather conditions suggestive of La Niña, a climate phenomenon linked to drier conditions and drought in southern parts of the U.S., likely played a large part in priming southern California for extreme fire conditions this week. Los Angeles in particular has seen an underwhelming amount of rain in the last eight months alongside a dry winter. The last time the city recorded over a tenth of an inch of rainfall was last May, according to the Los Angeles Times, contributing to drought. The dry conditions paired with historically strong winds gave way to this week’s fires. Wind gusts of up to 99 mph were reported near Altadena and other nearby areas early Wednesday. The National Weather service forecast wind gusts of 50 to 80 mph in parts of southern California and up to 100 mph gusts in mountains and foothills into Wednesday night. The conditions are the result of a wind pattern called the Santa Ana winds or “devil winds,” which are often fast-moving, dry and warm winds that originate inland, around Nevada and Utah, and blow toward the coastal regions of Southern California. Cal Fire is still investigating the specific causes for each of the fires blazing in Los Angeles County.
What Do We Know About The Fire Victims?
The Los Angeles County medical examiner confirmed 10 people had died as of Friday, with that number expected to climb. The majority of the deaths were in Altadena and Pasadena, where the Eaton fire has burned since Tuesday. Not all of the victims have been identified but those that have include 83-year-old grandfather Rodney Nickerson, 66-year-old Victor Shaw, grandmother Erliene Kelly and father and son Anthony and Justin Mitchell.
What Celebrities Are Affected By The Fires—like James Woods And Mark Hamill?
See a full list here. Paris Hilton, who wrote she had evacuated her home, reportedly lost her Malibu home to the fire. Billy Crystal and his wife Janice said they lost their Pacific Palisades home to the fire, after first moving to the location in 1979. Jamie Lee Curtis, who appeared on “The Tonight Show” on Wednesday, said she likely lost her home to the fire and wrote on Instagram calling for people to “reach out to anyone who lives in Los Angeles” to offer assistance. Eugene Levy, the Pacific Palisades’ honorary mayor, told the Los Angeles Times he fled his home and said the “smoke looked pretty black and intense over Temescal Canyon.” Meanwhile, actor Mark Hamill wrote on Instagram on Tuesday that he evacuated his Malibu home, while Vice President Kamala Harris’ home in Los Angeles was put under an evacuation order, though no one was in the home at the time the order was placed, spokesperson Ernesto Apreza said.
Which Celebrities Have Donated To Relief Efforts?
Curtis, who advocated in a “Tonight Show” appearance Wednesday for people to donate to relief efforts, said she was donating $1 million to start a support fund for the city and people impacted by the fire. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly made monetary donations to relief efforts, and donated clothing, children’s items and other supplies. Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, the third-wealthiest person in the world, said he and his wife Priscilla are personally donating to relief efforts, and Jared Isaacman, the billionaire businessman tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as the next administrator of NASA, has said he will match the first $1 million donated to his company’s relief campaign. The NFL is donating $5 million to relief efforts.
Is The Hollywood Sign On Fire?
No—despite social media rumors and AI-generated images. Read more here.
Which Schools Are Closed Due To The Wildfires?
All Los Angeles Unified Schools will remain closed Friday after being shut down Thursday. Al schools under the Pasadena Unified School District will remain closed throughout the week. Several other school districts in the region also canceled classes Wednesday through Friday, including the Glendale Unified School District and Burbank Unified School District, and two other area districts—Alhambra Unified School District and South Pasadena Unified School District—closed through Thursday. Pepperdine University announced Thursday morning its undergraduate classes and the “ vast majority” of its graduate classes on the Malibu campus will take place online through Jan. 19. The university’s Calabasas campus closed Wednesday, with administrators noting students with classes scheduled for Calabasas, West Los Angeles or the Irvine campuses “will receive further guidance from their deans and/or supervisors.”
Which Events And Tv Shows Are Cancelled Due To The Wildfires?
The Critics Choice Awards—slated for Sunday—were postponed due to the fires, the organization told Variety. Several other TV shows—from “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to “NCIS”—paused production ( see here for a list). The Screen Actors Guild canceled it in-person awards nomination ceremony on Wednesday because of the wildfires “in an abundance of caution.” The nominations were announced on the SAG Awards website. Universal Studios temporarily closed but had reopened as of Friday. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences extended its voting deadline for the 97th Academy Awards by two days, according to multiple outlets. The voting period, which is now open, is set to conclude Tuesday due to the delay. The announcement of this year’s Oscar nominees will also be pushed back two days, and is now scheduled for Jan. 19.
What Other Sports Events Were Impacted By Wildfires?
The Thursday matchup between the Lakers and Hornets was postponed with no indication of a make-up date. A Wednesday night NHL game between the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames at Crypto.com Arena was also postponed and has yet to be rescheduled. A women’s college basketball game featuring Pepperdine University and the University of Portland scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday was postponed, according to the West Coast Conference. The city’s SoFi Stadium was the initial venue for the Jan. 13 NFL wild-card playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings, but was switched to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, in the interest of public safety. The NFL did not provide any information on ticket refunds at the time of the announced change of venues. The Rams secured 750 spots on 15 buses to take fans from Los Angeles to Phoenix and back.
Has The Fire Impacted Flights From Lax And Other Airports?
Los Angeles International Airport, located about 19 miles south of the Pacific Palisades, has not experienced significant flight cancellations as of Friday morning, according to FlightAware. Just 1% of departures were canceled and 6% were delayed as of 10:30 a.m. PST.
What Other Areas Face Fire Risks In Southern California?
The NWS issued an extreme fire weather alert—its highest designation for fire potential—from Wednesday to Thursday for a 2,356-square mile stretch of land that includes areas such as Glendale, Oxnard, Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks and Pasadena. That alert had been de-escalated as of Friday.
Chief Critic
President-elect Donald Trump and one of his key advisers, Elon Musk, have been critical of the local government’s response to the fire since they broke out. In a Thursday post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Musk claimed “the immense loss of homes in LA is primarily due to” bad governance leading to a shortage of water and “nonsensical overregulation that prevented creating fire breaks and doing brush clearing.” Trump has also taken aim at Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying on Truth Social Thursday “nobody has ever seen such failed numbers before!” (referring to the Palisades Fire’s zero containment) and blamed it on “gross incompetence” by Newsom and Bass.
Further Reading
