Summary

Media caption,

Watch: Sun rises over a charred and burning LA on day three of fires

  1. Maps show rapid intensification of Palisades firepublished at 13:08 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    Three wildfires are surging in the north and west of Los Angeles.

    The biggest of these, known as the Palisades fire, has so far burnt through more than 2,900 acres - fanned by gusty winds and dry conditions. The map below shows how rapidly the blaze spread, intensifying in a matter of hours.

    Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate, as more than 1,400 firefighters try to tackle the blaze.

    Three maps show the spread of LA's largest fire across the suburban Pacific Palisades region.
  2. Evacuation orders expand as Pasadena Jewish Temple destroyed by blazepublished at 12:53 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    Further evacuation orders have been issued in the Pasadena area due to the spread of the Eaton fire, which now covers 1,000 acres.

    An evacuation area has also been set up at Pasadena Convention Center.

    Among the buildings that have been destroyed by the flames is the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which sits on land that has been used by its congregation since 1941, according to its website.

    Alex Fernandez, who was a worshipper at the temple, told NBC News that he felt "numb" as he watched it burn. "It’s like a bad, bad horrific dream to see that it’s not going to be here tomorrow," he said.

    Updates on the Palisades and Eaton fires can be accessed on the LA County website. , external

    The Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center burns during the Eaton fire in Pasadena, California. A before and after composite shows what the site looked like before the blaze.
  3. 25-year-old firefighter injured, fire department sayspublished at 12:43 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department has said a 25 year-old female firefighter sustained a serious head injury and was transported to a local hospital last night.

    Erik Scott also said in a post on X, external multiple burn victims were reported walking toward a nearby restaurant elsewhere in the city and fire officials intervened to get them needed treatment.

    We're expecting to hear official totals of injuries from officials later today.

  4. What to know about the three fires burning in the LA areapublished at 12:20 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    • The Palisades fire: First reported at 10:30 local time (18:30 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire grew in just 20 minutes from a blaze of 20 acres to more than 200 acres. Now, at least 30,000 people have been ordered to be evacuated from their homes and it covers nearly 3,000 acres
    • The Eaton fire: Within the first six hours of breaking out in Altadena, the Eaton fire had already grown to cover 1,000 acres. The fire started Tuesday evening in the hills above Pasadena (18:30 local time, 02:30 GMT)
    • The Hurst fire: Located just north of San Fernando, this third fire began burning on Tuesday at around 22:10 local time (06:10 GMT). It has grown to 500 acres, according to local officials and has triggered evacuation orders in neighbouring Santa Clarita
    A map of Los Angeles, California, and the surrounding areas shows where three brush fires are burning. On the outskirts of LA in the north, there's the Eaton fire, to its west is the Palisades fire, and just north of the two making a triangular shape of the three is the Hurst fire.
  5. Resident describes heartache of deciding what items to savepublished at 12:06 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    A little earlier, Pacific Palisades resident David Latt told the BBC's Today programme about the decisions he and his wife have made about what items to take with them as they flee.

    "You're expected to have a grab-and-go bag, which has essential documents - maybe it's passports or whatever, important paperwork," he said.

    Latt says they grabbed family photographs and artwork - and the relevant documents to file their taxes, which are due in April.

    "You're walking around, room to room, looking at what you cannot part with - maybe it's a photograph, maybe it's a necklace my wife remembers her Mum giving her", he says.

    "Everything else, you're saying 'I can't take you with me, I may never see you again'. I mean, it's that part you can't get over. It's tough."

    Fires rage near palm trees on a boulevard in Los Angeles. The silhouettes of firefighters can be seen against the headlights of an oncoming fire truck.Image source, Getty Images
  6. Dozens of schools close due to fires and high windspublished at 11:49 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    Several schools in LA will be closed on Wednesday due to the fires and high winds in the area. Some have said lessons will be moved online.

    The full list of districts affected has been published here. , external

    Schools in Santa Monica and Malibu have also been closed and a decision about whether to extend all closures will be made later on Wednesday.

  7. How long will the strong Santa Ana winds last?published at 11:38 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    Simon King
    BBC weather presenter and meteorologist

    A firefighter works to extinguish flames in Pasadena, California. The sky is red, there are plumes of smoke and the shadow of trees.Image source, Reuters

    The Santa Ana winds will – in the short term – increase slightly during the early to mid-morning local time in Los Angeles.

    Gusts generally will be around 50-60mph (80-100km/h) but locally up to 100mph (160km/h) over portions of the higher ground.

    The other weather factor critical to wildfires is the relative humidity – or how dry the air is - which is also very low at the moment at 10-20%. But this is likely to fall even further to 5-10% after sunrise. In other words, it will get even drier.

    Local forecasts from the National Weather Service are predicting there could be localised extreme conditions near the Santa Ana mountains in Orange County. Additionally, a critical fire notice will extend towards San Diego.

    Any new fires starting in the early morning will spread quickly.

    The good news is that the wind will start to ease slightly during Wednesday afternoon, with the most extreme fire weather conditions slightly improving.

    However, it will stay rather breezy so firefighting will still be difficult in some areas.

  8. Firefighters call in reinforcements as they tackle California firespublished at 11:25 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    CBS News correspondent Danya Bakus stands with a microphone in front of a smouldering fire

    CBS News, BBC's US partner, is reporting firefighting crews from northern California and Arizona have been deployed to assist the trio of blazes raging in southern California.

    The LA Fire Department is also seeking help from off-duty firefighters.

    CBS News correspondent Danya Bakus is in the Pacific Palisades, one of the worst affected areas so far, and has told the BBC it is the first time in 19 years that such a call has been put out.

    Bakus also says strong wind gusts are hindering emergency rescue teams who are unable to use any aircrafts, such as helicopters, that could drop water and other fire retardants on the flames.

  9. Those who hike prices excessively risk jail or $10k fine, attorney general warnspublished at 11:11 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    Rob Bonta wears a blue suit and tie speaking behind a podium with a microphone. Two people are in the background blurred out.Image source, Getty Images

    California's Attorney General has warned against excessive price increases by retailers who may see an opportunity to overcharge those who have been forced to evacuate.

    Price gouging for shelter, gas, food and other essential supplies during a state of emergency is illegal under state law.

    “If you see price gouging — or if you’ve been the victim of it — I encourage you to immediately file a complaint with my office,” Rob Bonta said in a statement, external.

    His office said it’s generally illegal to boost prices on essential needs by 10% or more during such an emergency.

    Those who are caught price gouging will be subject to criminal prosecution which could result in a one-year prison sentence or a fine of up to $10,000 (£8,032.95).

  10. Tens of thousands still without powerpublished at 11:02 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    Active power lines burn in the Palisades wildfire.Image source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Active power lines have been burning in the wildfires

    Tens of thousands of people are still without power because of the blazes.

    Around 200,000 customers in Los Angeles county and nearly 26,000 in neighbouring Ventura county are still affected, according to tracking website PowerOutage.us.

    Providers saying they are working around the clock to restore power as soon as possible.

  11. Pets will die if left abandoned - take them with you, charity warnspublished at 10:49 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    A woman carrying a dog as she evacuates a neighbourhood being threatened by the Palisades wildfire in Pacific PalisadeImage source, EPA

    People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has issued a reminder that animals are likely to die if abandoned.

    In a statement posted on its website, Peta says small animals should be placed securely in carriers; birds should be covered and dogs should be kept on a secure harness and lead.

    "Take enough food for your animals to last several days," it says. Large animals, like horses, shouldn't be confined in stalls or barns. "If it’s impossible to remove them, they should be freed so that they can attempt to survive."

    Anyone who sees animals in danger or distress should assist if possible but if they’re unable to help, they should note their exact location and alert authorities immediately, the charity says.

    Peta adds anyone who evacuates and intentionally abandons animals to fend for themselves may be prosecuted.

  12. California vulnerable to fire as planet heatspublished at 10:38 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    Matt McGrath
    Environment correspondent

    According to Governor Gavin Newsom there’s no fire season in California anymore, it’s a fire year, with conflagrations now happening all the time.

    Is this the result of climate change? Experts say that rising global temperatures are having an influence on California’s vulnerability to fire, even if they are not a direct cause.

    The main factors influencing the Palisades fires are high winds and lack of rain.

    The Santa Ana winds are dry, strong easterlies which occur naturally around this time of year, blowing from the interior of southern California towards the coast.

    However, the lack of rain in southern California in recent months is making fires more likely following a very warm summer.

    Scientists say that a heating world increases the number of “fire weather” days, when conditions are more suited to conflagrations.

    California is particularly vulnerable to these conditions right now because the last two years have seen quite significant amounts of rain, meaning there is now plenty of fuel to burn, and the recent dry spell make this fuel prone to ignite.

    While there is scant evidence that climate change has increased the likelihood of the extreme wind events that are driving the current fires, researchers believe that a warming world is making an overlap between these wind events and periods of extremely dry vegetation conditions more likely.

    Firefighters work to extinguish flames as the Eaton Fire burns in PasadenaImage source, Reuters
  13. 'We're not even in the worst of it yet,' says fire expertpublished at 10:27 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    Thomas Mackintosh
    Live reporter

    I've just spoken to fire ecologist Chad Hanson, who predicts it is going to be a very long night for fire crews.

    "The most extreme fire weather is projected to occur between 02:00 - 06:00 Pacific time. So we are not even in the worst of it yet. It's going to be quite a rough night."

    Hanson explains it is still considered to be wildfire season in this part of California and the biggest influence in the current fires is the Santa Ana winds.

    "You can certainly have fires in winter," he says. "The biggest fires are in November, December and early January. Fires are driven by the weather and they are basically stopped by the weather."

    "These winds are unique to southern California and it results in extreme, sustained wind events with pretty dramatic gusts," Hanson adds.

    "It is a double whammy as we have already had dry conditions because of a lack of rain - then the winds dry things out further."

  14. Photos show blaze consuming homes in Pacific Palisadespublished at 10:18 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    We've just received these pictures of homes on fire in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, where residents have been forced to evacuate and firefighters are battling to contain the blaze.

    The photos show structures collapsing and smoke billowing over residential areas.

    Two firefighters in uniform holding a hosepipe spray water toward huge flames from the Palisades Fire.Image source, Getty Images
    A brush fire burns near homes in Pacific Palisades, California on January 7, 2025.Image source, Getty Images
    A firefighter watches the flames from the Palisades Fire burning in front of the Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church during a powerful windstorm.Image source, Getty Images
    A brush fire burns near homes in Pacific Palisades, California. The sky is red and filled with smoke.Image source, Getty Images
  15. Residents abandon cars to flee wildfire on footpublished at 10:11 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    Christal Hayes
    Reporting from Los Angeles

    Firefighters battle flames from a raging wildfire on January 7, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles,Image source, Getty Images

    Screaming Los Angeles residents abandoned their cars to flee a fast-moving wildfire as it closed in on a picturesque celebrity enclave, eyewitnesses say, describing scenes straight out of a Hollywood disaster movie.

    A windstorm whipped a seemingly typical brush fire into a raging inferno within a matter of hours on Tuesday, sending the blaze towards the Pacific Palisades area.

    At least 30,000 people were ordered to evacuate as the blaze in the west of the city exploded rapidly from 10 acres to nearly 3,000 in size.

    One resident said firefighters told people to get out of their cars as the blaze, fanned by gusts of winds sometimes topping 100mph (160km/h), approached.

    "The fire was right up against the cars," Marsha Horowitz tells us.

  16. Video shows smoke from fires billowing over iconic Santa Monica pierpublished at 10:01 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    Media caption,

    Watch: View of LA fires over iconic Santa Monica skyline

  17. 'No possibility of containment' as 1,400 firefighters deployedpublished at 09:45 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    Firefighters tackling the Palisades wildfire as it burns multiple structures along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, CaliforniaImage source, EPA

    There is no possibility of containing the fires because of high winds, David Acuna, battalion chief and public information officer with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), tells CNN.

    Acuna says CAL is "mostly concerned with ensuring that all people get out of the area because life safety is the most important part, and we're helping people to plan so that their pets and livestock also have a safe shelter."

    This comes as the governor for California, Gavin Newsom, said more than 1,400 firefighters have been deployed to combat the "unprecedented fires" in Los Angeles with hundreds of additional staff "pouring in from across the state".

    "Emergency officials, firefighters, and first responders are all hands on deck through the night to do everything possible to protect lives," he wrote on X, external.

  18. More than 5,000 evacuated in Pasadena, spokesperson sayspublished at 09:34 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    Jennifer Colby

    Jennifer Colby, Public Information Coordinator for the California city of Pasadena, has just been giving the BBC an update on the fire situation there.

    She says more than 5,000 people have now been evacuated and that the city's north-east and surrounding areas have been most affected.

    "We are utilising all resources that we have," says Colby, adding that 50 strike teams - groups of firefighting appliances that are often sent to major incidents - have been requested state-wide.

    She says that while there has been damage to homes and other buildings in Pasadena, the full extent of the impact is not yet known.

  19. Area hit by fire home to Hollywood starspublished at 09:19 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    People evacuate, as smoke rises from a wildfire burning near Pacific Palisades on the west side of Los Angeles during a weather driven windstorm, in Los AngelesImage source, Reuters

    Celebrities are among those fleeing the affluent Pacific Palisades neighbourhood in Los Angeles.

    Schitt's Creek actor Eugene Levy lives in the area and told local media he was forced to evacuate his home. “The smoke looked pretty black and intense over Temescal Canyon. I couldn’t see any flames but the smoke was very dark,” he told the Los Angeles Times.

    Elsewhere, Police Academy star Steve Guttenberg stayed to help firefighters by moving cars in order to make room for incoming fire trucks. He had a message for residents leaving the area, telling local TV: "What’s happening is people take their keys with them as if they’re in a parking lot. This is not a parking lot. We really need people to move their cars.”

    Others that reportedly have homes in the area include Tom Hanks, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, basketball star Kawhi Leonard and James Wood.

    On X, Wood described evacuating his home and said he wasn’t sure if it was still standing: “It feels like losing a loved one”.

    On Instagram, Mark Hamill, of Star Wars fame, called the blaze the "Most horrific fire since '93" and says he evacuated Malibu "so last-minute there [were] small fires on both sides of the road".

    As a reminder, at least 30,000 people in the area are under evacuation orders as the blaze worsens.

  20. Several evacuation orders in placepublished at 09:05 Greenwich Mean Time 8 January

    A man in a wheelchair is evacuated from a neighborhood being threatened by the Palisades wildfireImage source, EPA

    As the fires continue to spread across LA, a number of evacuation zones have been set up.

    This has expanded east to Kenter Road and north to Mulholland Road due to the Palisades fire, the LA Fire Department has announced. This zone also includes south to the Pacific Coast Highway.

    Nearby, Santa Monica has also issued an evacuation order for all areas of the city to the north of San Vincente.

    Evacuation orders have been issued to some people living in Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre due to the Eaton fire.

    Similar orders are in place for North of the 210 Freeway from Roxford to the Interstate 5/14 Freeway split due to the Sylmar brush fire.