Timeline of events around the LA wildfires
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At least 25 people have been killed and more than 40,000 acres burned as the wildfires race through southern California for a ninth day. For a ninth consecutive day, thousands of firefighters are still battling the wildfires that are ravaging Los Angeles County.
![[A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire around a structure in the Pacific Palisades on January 7]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/13/03/APTOPIX_California_Wildfires_34123.jpg)
The Palisades and Eaton fires, along with other smaller blazes, have spread more than 40,000 acres (larger than the land area of Washington, DC), with the flames being fanned by a fierce windstorm known as the Santa Ana winds. As of Wednesday morning, at least 25 lives had been lost, more than 12,000 homes and structures destroyed and hundreds of thousands of residents still placed under evacuation orders. The economic losses from the fires may reach $275 billion, according to estimates.
![[A firefighter works to extinguish flames as the Eaton Fire burns in Pasadena, California, on January 8]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/08/15/2025-01-08T085335Z_1526680211_RC2K5CADXO9L_RTRMADP_3_CALIFORNIA-WILDFIRES.jpg)
With slowing wind speeds earlier this week offering some respite, later on Tuesday, the National Weather Service warned that Angelenos are “not out of the woods yet”. Firefighters are bracing for the return of bruising winds as the agency again declared a “particularly dangerous situation” – the most extreme advance warning – with local gusts expected to reach 65mph before sunrise up until noon on Wednesday.
![[Water is dropped by helicopter on the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles on January 9]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/14/19/California_Wildfires_Photo_Gallery_72416.jpg)
Below is a timeline of key events from before the first blaze broke out. With the luxury of hindsight, the warning signs seem clear: a fire broke out northeast of the Pacific Palisades on January 1; the National Weather Service warned of potential “rapid fire spread and extreme fire behavior” in parts of Los Angeles if ignition occurred.
![[California Wildfires Photo Gallery]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/14/05/California_Wildfires_Photo_Gallery_08338.jpg)
