Firefighters Gain Upper Hand In Los Angeles Wildfires

Extremely dry weather and strong Santa Ana winds fueled extreme fire conditions across southern California through earlier this week. Now, winds are expected to lighten up over the next few days.

Here is the latest information with the ongoing fires:

Eaton Fire

• The Eaton Fire started near Altadena last Tuesday evening and rapidly expanded across the northern foothills of the San Gabriel Valley suburbs.
• As of Thursday afternoon, more than 5,700 structures have been destroyed across an area of more than 14,000 acres.
• While humidity will remain low, winds will be lighter than previous days, which will allow firefighters to make good progress in securing containment line.
• Crews remain focused on tactical patrols, mop-up, and addressing smoke and heat sources within the fire’s interior, particularly along the northern perimeter. Air support will also continue to be used to extinguish inaccessible hot spots, aiding containment efforts. 
• The entire Angeles National Forest remains closed.
• Evacuation orders and warnings stretch from La Canada Flintridge to Pasadena to Duarte.
• Sixteen people have been killed and six firefighters injured.
• As of Thursday afternoon, the fire was 55% contained.

Palisades Fire 

• The Palisades Fire started northwest of Santa Monica last Tuesday morning and rapidly expanded to the west towards Topanga and Calabasas.
• As of Thursday afternoon, more than 3,300 structures have been destroyed across an area of more than 23,700 acres.
• Weather conditions return to seasonally normal, and fire is expected to remain within the current perimeter with no additional growth anticipated.
• Crews continue to establish and improve the fire line, seek out and extinguish hot spots and construct containment lines to limit further structural damage within the areas still at risk.
• Off-ramps of Interstate 405 has been closed across Sepulveda Pass, separating Los Angeles from the San Fernando Valley.
• Evacuation orders and warnings stretch from Santa Monica to Calabasas.
• Eight people have been killed.
• As of Thursday afternoon, the fire was 27% contained.

Auto Fire 

• The Auto Fire started Monday evening near Auto Center Drive in Ventura.
• It has burned around 61 acres as of Wednesday evening.
• As of Wednesday evening, the fire was 85% contained.

Hurst Fire

• The Hurst Fire started near Stetson Ranch Park north of San Fernando last Tuesday night, and has expanded across the foothills north of Sylmar.
• As of Wednesday evening, about 800 acres have burned.
• The fire is currently 98% contained, with firefighting efforts keeping the fire east of the I-5 Freeway and north of the I-210 Freeway.
• An evacuation shelter remains open in Pacoima, although all orders have been lifted.

Winds will be much lighter across the greater Los Angeles region through this weekend as the wildfires in the area get under control.

Source: CAL FIRE
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Image: Palisades Fire that started in the City of Los Angeles in January 2025. (CAL FIRE_Official via Wikipedia Commons)