LOS ANGELES — A year after twin infernos tore across opposite ends of Los Angeles County, the scars are still visible. Thousands of homes were reduced to rubble, with rebuilding slow, and the death toll showed how a wildfire under extreme weather conditions can turn catastrophic.
The Palisades and Eaton fires ignited within hours of each other on Jan. 6, 2024. These figures show how fast the disaster unfolded and the toll it left behind:
90 miles per hour
The speed of predicted wind gusts in mountain areas, equivalent to 145 kilometers per hour. Red Flag warnings were issued Jan. 6 for severe wildfire danger as Southern California was buffeted by the region’s notorious Santa Ana winds. Grass and brush were tinder dry after months with little or no rain. The National Weather Service warned it could be a life-threatening wind event. Firefighting assets were pre-positioned in areas deemed to be at especially high risk for fires.
4 hours
How long it took for a small wildfire to explode in size. At 10:30 a.m. reports began coming in about a small blaze on a ridge in LA’s upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, in the same area where crews had responded to a previous fire on New Year’s Day. Before long, a large plume of dark smoke was visible from miles away. Shortly after 11 a.m., the fire was reported to be about 10 acres, located near Palisades Drive on the coastal neighborhood’s western edge.
Over the next two hours, roads were jammed with motorists trying to flee as flames roared down streets and decimated homes. Officials issued an evacuation order for the Palisades while warning residents of surrounding areas that they should also get ready to leave. Within hours, the blaze had rapidly grown.
As firefighting resources were focused on the Palisades, another blaze was sparked about 30 miles to the east in Altadena, on the other end of Los Angeles County. The Eaton Fire started at 6:17 p.m. and all firefighting aircraft in the county were soon grounded because of high winds. By 8 p.m. it had doubled in size.
59 square miles
The amount of land charred by the two infernos, equivalent to 155 square kilometers. That’s roughly the size of the entire city of San Francisco.
31 lives
The number of people who died — 19 in the Eaton Fire and 12 in the Palisades Fire.
31 days
How long the Palisades Fire burned before it was extinguished. Investigators determined the 37-square-mile blaze had actually grown out of the earlier fire that started on Jan. 1.
25 days
The number of days it took for the Eaton Fire to be extinguished. It burned 22 square miles.
$33.9 billion
The amount of federal disaster aid requested by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The Trump administration and Congress have yet to approve it.
45 years in prison
The maximum sentence faced by a 29-year-old man charged with sparking the Palisades Fire. He has pleaded not guilty. The cause of the Eaton Fire remains under investigation.
16,255 structures
How many structures were destroyed in both blazes. In Altadena, 9,418 homes and other buildings were flattened. In Pacific Palisades and neighboring areas including Malibu, 6,837 buildings, mostly homes, were gone.
10 houses
The number of homes rebuilt so far, according to city and county data. Most are in the Altadena area, with one in Pasadena and two in Pacific Palisades. None are finished in Malibu. Hundreds more are under construction across the region.
$970 million
The total charitable commitments to L.A. fire relief is at least $860 million to $970 million, according to a study by the Milken Institute. Most was raised in the first month after the fires, and individual donations through GoFundMe brought in $265 million.
