Strong Winds, Deadly Fires Devastate Southern California

Los Angeles County firefighters spray water on a burning home as the Eaton Fire moves through the area in Altadena, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2025. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Wind gusts of up to 100 miles per hour, with sustained winds as high as 83 miles per hour in some places, are endangering communities in Los Angeles County as four fires are burning in the area and the death toll continues to rise.

Five people have been reported killed in the fast-moving Eaton Fire that has burned 10,600 acres in Pasadena and Altadena, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.

The National Weather Service database shows strong Santa Ana winds—dry, warm winds formed by high pressure over the Great Basin, which forces air down toward lower pressures over the Pacific Ocean—impacting cities across Southern California.

Santa Ana winds are especially dangerous because humidity drops precipitously and temperatures rise, increasing the risk of fire.

High winds further complicate firefighting efforts, according to Cal Fire, as aircraft are intermittently grounded because of dangerous conditions and limited visibility.

Meteorologists with the National Weather Service are forecasting more strong winds for several highly populated counties—including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Ventura, San Bernardino, and San Diego—with gusts reaching as high as 100 miles per hour through 6 p.m. local time on Jan. 8.

“This is a dynamic situation. We’ve got fires throughout the entire county, which is spreading our resources very short,” Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said in a morning news conference on Jan. 8.

Palisades Fire

A blaze known as the Palisades Fire erupted at 10:30 a.m. local time on Jan. 7 in the mountain areas of the Pacific Palisades in northern Los Angeles County.

As of early afternoon on Jan. 8, at least 1,000 structures were reportedly destroyed, and more than 30,000 residents were under mandatory evacuation orders.

The fire is completely unconfined and is spreading toward the west in the Santa Monica Mountains, according to the Cal Fire incident map, with more than 15,800 acres consumed.

Eaton Fire

Nearly 100,000 people are under either evacuation orders or warnings—split about evenly—for the Eaton Fire, which started at 6:23 p.m. local time on Jan. 7 in the Altadena/Pasadena area north of Los Angeles.

Originally reported at about 400 acres, the blaze grew exponentially overnight to encompass more than 10,600 acres.

A person turns on a garden hose in an effort to save a neighboring home from catching fire during the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2025. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Two fatalities have been reported, with dozens of injuries and at least 100 structures destroyed, and with no containment as of the latest report on Jan. 8.

Hurst Fire

More than 44,000 people are under evacuation orders because of the fire, which started at 10:25 p.m. local time on Jan. 7 near Diamond Road and the Interstate 210 freeway in Sylmar.

Approximately 40,000 structures are threatened by the inferno, which, at more than 500 acres and zero percent containment, is threatening Sylmar, the San Fernando Valley, and Santa Clarita.

Local fire officials said their resources are spread thin.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone noted that all residents are currently in danger and advised following orders to relocate as firefighters have encountered a “high number of significant injuries to those who did not evacuate.”

“Please prioritize your safety,” Marrone said.

Los Angeles City Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said the fires are “stretching the capacity of emergency services to their limits.”

She reported more than 3,600 calls to 911 over the past 24 hours, which is more than double the normal amount.

Help is on the way from neighboring counties and nearby states, including Washington, Nevada, and Oregon.

A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire as it burns a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 7, 2025. Ethan Swope/AP Photo

State and Federal Assistance

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency soon after the first fire took hold, and Federal Emergency Management Agency aid was secured for the fires.

“This is a highly dangerous windstorm that’s creating extreme fire risk, and we’re not out of the woods,” the governor said in a statement. “We’re already seeing the destructive impacts with this fire in Pacific Palisades that grew rapidly in a matter of minutes.”

Newsom expressed gratitude to those rushing to keep communities safe and urged all potentially in the path of danger to listen for announcements from local officials.

“Our deepest thanks go to our expert firefighters and first responders who jumped quickly into fighting this dangerous fire,” he said. “If you’re in Southern California, please pay attention to weather reports and follow any guidance from emergency officials.”

Sheriff’s deputies are working around the clock to help evacuate residents and have already arrested multiple people looting in evacuated areas.

“If you’re thinking about coming into any of these areas to steal from our residents, you’re going to be caught, you’re going to be arrested, and you’re going to be prosecuted.” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said during the morning news conference.

Five Los Angeles County schools inside areas under mandatory evacuation orders—including Palisades High School, which officials said was damaged—are closed, along with about 100 other schools because of air quality concerns.

All schools in the Pasadena Unified School District are closed.

Road closures are affecting many areas throughout the county, and travelers are advised to check local conditions before making plans.

Emergency Preparedness

Weather forecasts from earlier this week predicted a potentially dangerous fire event with high winds expected, and the state pre-positioned assets to prepare for any emergencies.

Equipment—including 65 fire engines, nine bulldozers, seven helicopters, and seven water tenders—were deployed along with more than 105 personnel to Southern California counties.

Additionally, Cal Fire moved 45 fire engines and six hand crews from Northern California—where rain has diminished the fire risk—to the southern part of the state.

California operates one of the largest aerial firefighting fleets in the world, with more than 60 aircraft. Recent upgrades include 13 helicopters known as “Fire Hawks” that can safely fly at night, have a 1,000-gallon water tank, and can travel faster than the Black Hawk helicopters that they resemble.

The state has also prioritized wildfire resilience in forests—with all of the planned projects either completed or in progress—and will invest $2.6 billion over the next four years to implement the plan.

Technology is also helping firefighters strategize operations. Artificial intelligence software, satellite data, and more than 1,000 infrared cameras are helping detect fire activity.

Legislators also established in 2009 a Wildfire Forecast and Threat Intelligence Center that offers fire data, forecasting, and analyses.

Political Tension

With the blazes growing rapidly, President-elect Donald Trump suggested in a Jan. 8 Truth Social post that the state’s water policies are potentially to blame.

He said the governor “refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way.”

The incoming president said certain environmental protection laws are deprioritizing human activities and vowed to see “beautiful, clean freshwater flow into California.”

“He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt ... but didn’t care about the people of California,” Trump wrote. “Now the ultimate price is being paid.”

Trump’s team told The Epoch Times by email that a memorandum signed by the president during his first term in 2020 to increase water flows to California was challenged in court by the state.

The governor’s office pushed back on the claims and questioned the existence of the document that Trump referenced.

“There is no such document as the water restoration declaration. That is pure fiction,” Izzy Gardon, director of communications for Newsom’s office, told The Epoch Times by email on Jan. 8.

“The Governor is focused on protecting people, not playing politics, and making sure firefighters have all the resources they need.”