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Eaton Fire

Coordinates: 34°12′18″N 118°05′17″W / 34.205°N 118.088°W / 34.205; -118.088
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Eaton Fire
Part of the January 2025 Southern California wildfires
Aerial photo of the Eaton Fire on the slopes of Mount Wilson on January 8
Date(s)January 7, 2025
6:18 pm (PST)
LocationLos Angeles County, California, United States
Coordinates34°12′18″N 118°05′17″W / 34.205°N 118.088°W / 34.205; -118.088
Statistics[1]
StatusOngoing wildfire
Perimeter89% contained as of
January 21, 2025, 7:14 am (PST)
Burned area14,021 acres (5,674 ha)
Impacts
Deaths17
Non-fatal injuries8
Missing people24
Evacuated100,000+
Structures destroyed9,418 (1,071 damaged)
Ignition
CauseUnder investigation
Map
Map
Interactive perimeter map of Eaton Fire (map data)
Refer to caption
Refer to caption
Location of the fire in Greater Los Angeles
Refer to caption
Refer to caption
The location of the fire in southern California

The Eaton Fire is an active wildfire burning in the Altadena area of Los Angeles County in Southern California. It began on the evening of January 7, 2025, in Eaton Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains.[3] As of January 8, 2025, at 10:36 a.m. PST. The fire had spread to approximately 14,117 acres (5,713 ha). It is one of several fires being driven by the extremely powerful Santa Ana winds, along with the larger Palisades Fire.[4] As of January 14, 2025, it is the fifth deadliest fire in California history, having killed 17 people.[5]

Evacuation orders have been sent out to the residents of Altadena, Kinneloa Mesa, La Cañada Flintridge, northern portions of Sierra Madre, Pasadena, Arcadia, and Monrovia, and northeastern portions of Glendale, including most of the San Rafael Hills.[6]

The cause of the fire is under investigation.[1]

Background

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See also: January 2025 Southern California wildfires § Background

A strong high-pressure system over the Great Basin created a steep northerly pressure gradient across Southern California. The system triggered powerful Santa Ana winds, extremely dry katabatic winds which develop when cooler, dense inland air is funneled through mountain passes and canyons toward the warmer coastal regions.[7]

At the same time, the Southern Coast had experienced "eight months without any measurable rainfall",[8] and much of the region had fallen into moderate drought conditions.[9] The Los Angeles Times quoted a battalion chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) that the conditions were "the perfect recipe for a large wildfire".[8] The National Weather Service (NWS) issued red flag warnings on the morning of Monday, January 6, effective through Thursday evening, for multiple regions including the Malibu coast, Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, and the San Gabriel, San Fernando, and Santa Clarita valleys.

The NWS predicted a "life-threatening" windstorm and Santa Ana wind gusts were forecasted to reach speeds of 60–80 miles per hour (97–129 km/h), with some peak gusts anticipated to reach 90 mph (140 km/h) in mountainous areas.[10] Residents were urged to "use extreme caution with anything that can spark a wildfire" and for those near forests to be prepared to evacuate.[8]

Progression

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Angeles National Forest firefighters during initial attack of the Eaton Fire
Smoke from the fire on January 8, with smoke from the Palisades Fire to the southwest

The fire began on January 7, 2025, at around 6:18 p.m. PST near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive.[1] By 6:26 p.m., firefighters on Canyon Close Road in Pasadena reported via radio that the fire had spread to 10 acres (4.0 ha) and was burning beneath high-tension power lines. By 6:33 p.m., firefighters there were reporting flying embers, which were setting structures on fire nearly one mile (1.6 km) distant.[11]

Three night-flying helicopters with the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) had received orders to head to the Eaton Fire at 6:23 p.m. and arrived at about 6:36 p.m., 18 minutes after the fire was reported. They intended to drop water on it but, buffeted by ferocious updrafts and downdrafts, aborted the operation at 6:45 p.m. One helicopter crew remained on the scene for 39 more minutes to advise ground crews on the spread of the fire.[12][13]

It rapidly expanded to over 1,000 acres (400 ha) by 12:07 a.m., fueled by a strong Santa Ana wind event,[14] with wind gusts of up to 100 mph (160 km/h) reported at the nearby Mount Lukens Truck Trail north of La Cañada Flintridge.[15] By 6:30 a.m. on January 8, the fire had grown to over 2,227 acres (901 ha), with 0% containment.[14] The fire continued to grow quickly, and by 10:36 a.m. was over 10,600 acres (4,300 ha) in area, remaining 0% contained.[16]

By 8:49 a.m. on January 12, authorities announced the fire was 27% contained.[17] As of 7:00 am the next day, 3,408 firefighting personnel had been assigned, along with 16 helicopters, 375 engines, 29 bulldozers, 50 crews, and 90 water tenders.[18]

Cause

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According to CAL FIRE, the cause of the fire remains under investigation.[1] Residents of a home abutting Eaton Canyon who were among the first people to report the fire to authorities told Pasadena Now that the fire began in proximity to electrical transmission towers above the canyon.[13] Residents affected by the fire later sued public utility Southern California Edison, alleging that eyewitnesses had observed faulty power lines and that the company failed to de-energize transmission lines despite a red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service.[19][20]

Effects

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Casualties

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The Eaton Fire from Woodland Hills in Los Angeles

As of January 17, 2025, the death toll from the Eaton Fire included 17 people with 24 people missing.[21]

Evacuations and closures

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Law enforcement and the National Guard just south of Altadena, January 10

As of 4:00 a.m. PST on January 8, 52,314 residents and 20,890 structures had been placed under evacuation orders, with a further 46,847 residents and 18,051 structures placed under evacuation warnings. Numerous homes and cars in Altadena were destroyed; up to "90 to 95 percent" of Altadena residents had been evacuated as of 7 a.m.[14] On January 8, the estimated number of evacuees was increased to over 100,000.[22][14] By the afternoon of January 8, over 100 animals had been received at the Pasadena Humane animal shelter, many of which had received burn injuries.[23]

The fire and the resulting firefighting efforts contaminated the water supply of neighborhoods served by the Pasadena Water and Power Department and the Foothill Municipal Water District.[1][24][25]

The Pasadena Unified School District, the Los Angeles Unified School District, and 23 other surrounding school districts announced the closure of all schools in those districts for Wednesday, January 8 in response to the fire.[26] Closures for January 8 were also announced by Pasadena City College, Fuller Theological Seminary, and the California Institute of Technology.[27][28][29] Many of these closures were extended to Thursday, January 9, and Friday, January 10.[30]

A DC-10 Air Tanker drops fire retardant, January 13

Flames on Mount Wilson may be affecting local broadcast signals; Mount Wilson Observatory has been evacuated.[31] Local broadcasters KLOS-FM, KABC-TV, and PBS SoCal temporarily lost over-the-air signals on January 9.[32] The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) was also evacuated, with operations for the NASA Deep Space Network moved to a back-up command center offsite.[33]

By January 10, a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew was implemented for the evacuated areas of Altadena and roadblocks into the area were put in place by the California National Guard.[34]

Response

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Beginning on January 10,[35] thousands of volunteers and donators convened at the parking lot of Santa Anita Park to assist those displaced and impacted by the fire.[36]

Structures destroyed

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A false-color image showing areas burned by the Eaton Fire, captured by NASA's AVIRIS-3

The number of destroyed structures was reported as at least 7,500 as of January 16, including 4,356 single-family homes, 77 multi-family buildings and 123 commercial buildings.[37] The number of structures destroyed was updated to 9,418, with an additional 1,071 structures damaged, as of January 21.[38] The fire destroyed residential sections of Altadena which were settled by African-Americans who moved west in the 1920s and 1930s, during the Great Migration, and had created a working and middle-class neighborhood that had persisted for over a century.[39]

A destroyed home and vehicle in northern Altadena
The ruins of Altadena Community Church

Among the historic or culturally significant structures destroyed are:

Litigation

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The Little Tujunga hotshot crew checks for hot spots

On January 13, 2025, four lawsuits were filed against Southern California Edison (SCE), alleging that the company had "violated public safety and utility codes and was negligent in its handling of power safety shut-offs" during the fire weather event, according to NPR.[2][51] On January 16, the family of an Eaton Fire victim sued SCE for wrongful death, also alleging negligence in SCE's failure to deactivate utilities.[52]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Eaton Fire". California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. January 13, 2025. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Baker, Liz; Meyers, Zoe (January 13, 2025). "Lawsuits allege power company involvement in LA wildfires". NPR. Los Angeles & Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on January 14, 2025.
  3. ^ Jiménez, Jesus; Karlamangla, Soumya (January 8, 2025). "What We Know About the Wildfires Raging in Southern California". The New York Times. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  4. ^ Fioresi, Dean (January 7, 2025). "Eaton Fire erupts in canyons above Altadena". CBS News. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  5. ^ Bogel-Burroughs, Nicholas (January 15, 2025). "Update from Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs". The New York Times. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  6. ^ "Incidents". CAL FIRE. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  7. ^ Neuman, Scott (January 8, 2025). "What are the Santa Ana winds and how are they impacting the LA wildfires?". NPR. Archived from the original on January 8, 2025. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c Toohey, Grace (January 6, 2025). "Unusual 'life-threatening and destructive' winds bring risk of winter fires, power outages to Southern California". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 6, 2025. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  9. ^ Toohey, Grace (January 4, 2025). "With negligible rain in 8 months, Southern California swings toward drought". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 9, 2025. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  10. ^ Lloyd, Jonathan (January 6, 2025). "Powerful winds in Southern California forecast. See when and where red flag warnings will be in effect". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  11. ^ Ormseth, Matthew; Hernandez, Salvador; Castleman, Terry (January 17, 2025). "How did a cluster of homes near the Eaton fire's ignition point emerge unscathed?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  12. ^ Fuller, Thomas (January 17, 2025). "The Terrifying Ride of Copter 17". The New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  13. ^ a b MacPherson, James (January 9, 2025). "The Moment the Eaton Fire Ignited". Pasadena Now. Archived from the original on January 10, 2025. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  14. ^ a b c d Conybeare, Will (January 8, 2025). "Fast-moving Eaton Fire destroys homes near Altadena". KTLA. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  15. ^ Mather, Katie (January 8, 2025). "National Weather Service reports wind gusts up to 100 mph in Los Angeles". Yahoo News. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  16. ^ "Eaton Fire: Incident Update on 01/08/2025 at 10:36 AM". Cal Fire. State of California. January 8, 2025. Archived from the original on January 9, 2025.
  17. ^ "Eaton Fire: Incident Update on 01/12/2025 at 8:49 AM | CAL FIRE". CAL FIRE. January 12, 2025. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  18. ^ "News of Eaton Fire from CAL FIRE: 1,527 personnel assigned". CAL FIRE. January 12, 2025. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  19. ^ Penn, Ivan (January 13, 2025). "Eaton Fire Victims Sue Southern California Edison". New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  20. ^ Team, Legal (January 13, 2025). "Press Release: Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian Files a Complaint Against Southern California Edison Regarding the Eaton Fire". Bridgford Law. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  21. ^ "Crews Forge Ahead With Complex Eaton Fire Recovery Operation; Death Roll Rises to 17". Pasadena Now. January 17, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  22. ^ Haskell, Josh; Hayes, Rob; Garcia, Sid; et al. (January 8, 2025). "Major brush fires burning in SoCal amid powerful windstorm". WABC-TV. Retrieved January 8, 2025. Five people have now died in the Eaton Fire, which continues to burn out of control near the Altadena and Pasadena areas.
  23. ^ Chow, Vivian (January 8, 2025). "Help needed as injured animals arrive at Pasadena Humane Society due to wildfire". KTLA. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  24. ^ "UPDATED 1/13: Pasadena Drinking Water System Impacted by Eaton Fire". Pasadena Water and Power. City of Pasadena. January 13, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  25. ^ "Foothill Municipal Water District - Home". Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  26. ^ "Pasadena Unified School District Schools Will Be Closed Wednesday". Pasadena Now. January 7, 2025. Archived from the original on January 9, 2025. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  27. ^ "Eaton Fire/Wind Storm: Live Updates". Colorado Boulevard. January 7, 2025. Archived from the original on January 9, 2025. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  28. ^ Davidson, Elijah (January 7, 2025). "Pasadena Campus Closed Tuesday, January 7 and Wednesday, January 8". Fuller Theological Seminary. Archived from the original on January 9, 2025. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  29. ^ Caltech [@Caltech] (January 8, 2025). "Due to the Eaton Fire in Altadena and strong winds in the area, Caltech's campus in Pasadena will be closed for all nonessential operations on Wednesday, January 8. For more information, visit Caltech's Emergency Updates page. https://caltech.edu/emergency" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  30. ^ "LA Unified to close campuses Thursday amid fires". Pasadena Star-News. January 8, 2025. Archived from the original on January 9, 2025. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  31. ^ Schneider, Michael (January 9, 2025). "Fire Threatens Mt. Wilson Broadcast Transmitters as L.A. TV and Radio Stations on Alert; Observatory Evacuated". Variety. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  32. ^ James, Meg (January 10, 2025). "Disney's KABC and PBS SoCal stations lose over-the-air signal from Mt. Wilson amid Eaton fire". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  33. ^ "JPL - Emergency Page". JPL. Archived from the original on January 9, 2025. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  34. ^ Stoddard, Catherine (January 10, 2025). "Los Angeles wildfires: National Guard assists with firefighting, public safety efforts". KTTV. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  35. ^ "Thousands Pour Into Santa Anita Donation Site". bloodhorse.com. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  36. ^ "Amid Eaton fire devastation, Santa Anita Park transforms into an aid center for victims". Pasadena Star News. January 11, 2025. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  37. ^ Fortin, Jacey (January 17, 2025). "Update from Jacey Fortin". The New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  38. ^ "Eaton Fire: Incident Update on 01/21/2025 at 12:15 PM | CAL FIRE". www.fire.ca.gov. CAL FIRE. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  39. ^ Callahan, Yesha (January 9, 2024). "Eaton Fire Devastates Historic Altadena, Displacing Black Families and Destroying Legacies". BET. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  40. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o laconservancy (January 10, 2025). "A partial list of historic places destroyed". Instagram. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  41. ^ a b Rainey, James; Solis, Nathan; Ormseth, Matthew; Mejia, Brittny; Gomez, Melissa (January 8, 2025). "With firefighters stretched thin, Altadena residents battle to save homes from flames". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 9, 2025. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  42. ^ a b c d Adams, David (January 10, 2025). "California's wildfires: Congregations vow to help neighbours even as their buildings are lost to fires". Sight Magazine. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  43. ^ a b c d e f g Lubell, Sam (January 15, 2025). "The Design Legacy of Los Angeles That Fell to the Fires". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  44. ^ a b c "Media Release: Statement: Fire and Windstorm Impacts to LA County Parks". County of Los Angeles, California. January 8, 2025. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  45. ^ a b c d e Partlow, Joshua (January 10, 2021). "'No one has a home': What fire took from one California neighborhood". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  46. ^ a b Mumphrey, Cheyanne; Lurye, Sharon (January 12, 2025). "Fires burn Los Angeles schools and destroy outdoor education sanctuaries". AP News. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  47. ^ Cockrell, Calvin (January 8, 2025). "California church burns in wildfire outbreak". The Christian Chronicle. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  48. ^ Paulsen, David (January 8, 2025). "Episcopal church, 2 rectories destroyed by deadly fast-moving wildfires raging in Southern California". Episcopal News Service. Archived from the original on January 9, 2025. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  49. ^ Shalby, Colleen; Gomez, Melissa; Mejia, Brittny (January 11, 2025). "Altadena had soul, solitude and community. Can those qualities survive devastating firestorm?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  50. ^ Rivera, Anissa (January 10, 2025). "At Altadena's fabled Zorthian Ranch, disbelief at the devastation". Pasadena Star News. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  51. ^ Goldberg, Noah; Hernandez, Salvador (January 13, 2025). "Four lawsuits filed against Southern California Edison over Eaton fire". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  52. ^ Harter, Clara (January 16, 2024). "Family of Eaton fire victim sues Southern California Edison for wrongful death". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
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