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The 2025 Los Angeles Fires

  • Gwyneth Muir Atkinson
  • Jan 17
  • 3 min read
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A view of homes destroyed by the Eaton Fire . PHOTO: JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY 


We were only a week into the new year when raging fires started and spread in multiple places in Los Angeles County. A whopping 23,717 acres have burned, a total of 24 people have been counted as dead, and an estimated 12,000 structures have been turned to ash. California has a track-record of terrible fires; but historically, this might be the most expensive one yet. 


On January 7th of this new year, the devastating fires started as small blazes but the dry Santa Ana winds quickly aided the fires’ spread. The Pasadena Fire is the largest but the Eaton, Hurst, Palisades, and auto fires are also simultaneously ravaging different regions of LA County. 


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Photo of the Palisades Fire via Newsweek.


Investigators are still attempting to discover the root causes of the fires at the moment, and arson and fallen utility lines are possibilities which cannot go unconsidered. Moreover, not only have thousands experienced power outages, but the quality of Pasadena’s drinking water supply had, at one point,  plummeted into the unsafe range due to toxins. Even our oceans face the after-effects of the fires. On January 9th, The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a warning, advising that beach users should “avoid all water contact, especially near discharging storm drains, creeks, and rivers due to potential debris from fires and contamination.” 


Luckily, for the 40,000 people who applied for relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the monetary backing victims can receive is up to $43,600. Another resource that provides low-interest loans following these tragedies is the Small Business Administration, which offers up to $2 million dollars in loans for businesses and up to $500,000 for homeowners to rebuild their houses, on top of a $100,000 loan for private property. Governor Gavin Newsom has also proposed that California dedicate an additional $2.5 billion to “further boost response and initial recovery efforts for Los Angeles”. 


As if the affected didn’t already have enough on their hands, looters have targeted wealthy evacuated neighborhoods. Moreover, arsonists have been inspired by the wreckage, with three individuals who have already been arrested outside of the fire zones since last Sunday on charges of suspected arson. 


Total damage estimates from AccuWeather range between $250 billion to $275 billion. The only fire that can come close to these monetary damage estimates is the “Camp Fire” in Paradise, California, that raged in 2018. This fire’s cost was estimated at $12.5 billion, while the fires we are currently witnessing could be up to twenty-two times more expensive. 


For now, residents of LA eagerly await the day when 100% containment of the fires is reached and the nightmare finally ends. During this time, it is crucial that we are supportive and are grateful for our LA Fire Department and all of the public workers who are operating around the clock to maximize our safety and slow the fires’ progression. 



Works Cited 



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