On January 7th, the Pacific Palisades fire began in Southern California. As of Jan. 15th, it had burned 23,713 acres. This, along with the many other fires, put California in chaos.
The major fires, the Palisades and Eaton fires started on the 7th, but the Oak and Border fires started as early as the 1st. Most fires have burned anywhere from 2 acres to 800 acres. With massive fires like Palisades and Eaton both burning over 14,000 acres (Palisades burning over 23,000). In total, there have been 153 wildfires, and 40,660 acres have been burned (as of 1/15/25).
The last two winters, (2022 and 2023) were unusually wet for California. This resulted in lots of new trees and bushes growing. This winter (2024) was extremely dry, creating literal kindling for the flames. With this, Santa Ana has had exceptionally strong winds. Thus, when the fire started, the winds made the fire bigger and spread faster.
Many homes have been lost, with 12,300+ structures being destroyed, 12,000 of these have been homes, and 150,000+ have been forced to evacuate (as of 1/15/25). Along with this, there are about 20,000 missing person cases open, with a confirmed 2,133 people missing and 24 deaths (as of 1/15/25).
With 4 active fires, it is unknown when this will end, especially if more start. For now, people can hope no more lives are lost, and that victims will be able to rebuild their lives with help from organizations, like the American Red Cross, Heart to Heart International, Save the Children, Project Hope, and many more.
Sources:
Trusted Charities Supporting Southern California Wildfire Relief | Give.org
California Wildfires Destroyed These Celebrity Homes And Local Landmarks
Southern California wildfires 2025 explained: 3 reasons why the blaze is so bad
