Los Angeles wildfires: Palisades, Eaton, Sunset fires destroy tens of thousands of buildings, force over 100,000 to evacuate

January 7, 2025: Malibu in Flames. Source: picture alliance/ZUMAPRESS.com/Amy Katz

At the beginning of 2025, devastating forest and bush fires broke out on the US West Coast. Large areas north of Los Angeles turned into an inferno of flames. This is the final episode of our series on 80 years of WELT.

A paradise can suddenly turn into hell. Often the cause is a natural disaster. And not infrequently, human carelessness and great misfortune add to the difficulty. One example is the forest and bush fires that occurred in Los Angeles at the beginning of 2025 and were to become the most severe in the city's history.

The Affected Region

The area most affected by the fire inferno was a coastal region north of the metropolis, considered paradisiacal by many: the Santa Monica Mountains. Here lie the districts of:

• Pacific Palisades
• Malibu
• Topanga

These are among the most desirable and expensive locations. Directly on the beach and in the hills with sea views, more and more opulently furnished estates of the rich and powerful were gradually built. Many stars from the nearby dream factory of Hollywood had their refuges here.

A Paradise with a Major Catch

Not only is the region acutely at risk of earthquakes, but the danger of forest and bush fires is also high. Erecting wooden buildings—partly impressive but mostly cobbled together in American lightweight construction—at sometimes small distances from each other and surrounded by trees, testifies to optimism—or rather to carelessness.

The Outbreak and Spread of the Fires

From January 7, 2025, this was to take its revenge, when:

• The devastating "Palisades Fire" broke out north of LA
• The equally severe "Eaton Fire" was added in the east
• The "Sunset Fire" broke out in the south

The sunny region was bone dry at this time, with almost no rain for eight months. Additionally, there were hurricane-force gusts of wind up to 129 km/h. This double misfortune in a fatal combination left the fire department—despite a large deployment and continuous operation—with little ability to respond. The fires spread almost explosively, the flames eating their way further and further through the landscape, destroying everything in their path. The evening sky over Los Angeles was fiery red, with thick clouds of smoke over the city—a picture straight out of hell.

The Human Toll

• Dozens of people lost their lives
• More than 100,000 residents were ordered to evacuate by evacuation orders
• Tens of thousands of buildings were destroyed—not only luxury villas of film stars, but, especially further inland, a far larger number of apartments and houses of "ordinary citizens"

The Fires Reach Hollywood

On January 10, 2025, WELT reported on its front page that the fires had now also spread to Hollywood. In the Hollywood Hills above the center of the US film industry, flames were blazing after the next forest and bush fire broke out there and quickly spiraled out of control. The "Sunset Fire" raged directly above Hollywood Boulevard and its famous Walk of Fame. The two even larger fires on the eastern and western flanks of Los Angeles also continued to spread and were out of control.

WELT front page from January 10, 2025. Source: Axel Springer SE

A Historic Natural Disaster

A crescent-shaped wall of flames increasingly took Los Angeles in a pincer grip, visible even from space. At least six wildfires were now burning in the vicinity of the US West Coast metropolis. Mayor Karen Bass spoke of the largest firestorm. "We are facing a historic natural disaster," said the head of civil protection for Los Angeles County, Kevin McGowan. President Joe Biden canceled his trip to Italy and declared the fire region a disaster area to accelerate federal aid.