On Tuesday, January 7th, major fires blew up in Los Angeles, California. The biggest fire is being referred to as Palisades on the county coast, while there are several separate fires. As of Wednesday, January 15th, Palisades has burned 23,713 acres, and only 19% of it is contained.
As of February 11th, all of the fires have been contained. At least 29 people died overall. There had been between $250- $275 billion worth of damage by the end of it (building structure and economic).
They are getting worse from the Santa Ana winds, which were reaching over 100 mph. T
he two other blazes are called the Hurst fire and the Eaton Fire. Hurst is located in Northern San Fernando (about a half hour north-east of L.A.), while Eaton is northeast of Los Angeles. Hurst Fire is almost completely contained and only burned 799 acres. Eaton has burned over 14,000 acres and is 45% contained, making a total of 40,300 acres burned.
So far, 25 people have died from these fires, and according to the New York Times, at least 20 people are missing. Evacuation orders have been put in effect for 92,000 L.A. residents and nearby residents, 89,000 people, have been put on evacuation warning (only as of the morning of January 13th). Since January 7th, more than 150,000 people have been evacuated. For perspective, Missoula’s population is about 78,000 people. In comparison, L.A.’s total population is over twelve million.
Not only people, but animals have been affected by the fires as well. The L.A. Equestrian Center became a shelter for farm animals, horses, pigs, and donkeys. Animal shelters south from the fires have been getting dozens of pets that have been separated from their homes. Best Friends Humane Society has been making many efforts to get pets into safety, and are trying to reunite them with their owners.
DAMAGE
According to USA Today News, “more than 12,300 homes, businesses, schools, and various other structures have been destroyed”. Economists are predicting that “destruction of property and job market disruptions could put upward pressure on inflation as they also slow growth and put a modest brake on hiring”, but it’s not tremendous enough to permanently change the path of the future of their economy. Economist Abiel Reinhart said the L.A. wildfires are becoming one of the costliest natural disasters due to the high value real estate that it has burned. Cost estimates have been put in the quarter trillion dollar range.
For the first quarter of the year, job growth in January is likely to be reduced from 15,000 to 25,000 positions, but this past December, 256,000 jobs were added. Thousands of people have been displaced from their jobs, or their stability was shaken. U.S. banks are readying mortgage relief for affected homeowners. Mortgage relief will help owners not get foreclosed on their home, as many have completely lost them. Home and renting prices are more than doubling, and may stay up for a while.
State Governor, Gavin Newsome, proposed a $322.3 billion state budget three days after the fires blew up. The original 2025-26 budget was said to have become outdated as soon as the fires started, but the new one has a positive revenue forecast.
According to the Time Newsletter, it’ll take several years for Los Angeles to recover from all of the damage.
HOW L.A. HAS HANDLED THE FIRES
A question of how could’ve the damage been minimized has been looming around the citizens and politicians in power. Various fire hydrants were not filled with water, and around 2:45 a.m., the first night of the fires, fireman hoses lost their pressure. CNN US said no water system in the world could’ve made a bigger difference compared to what L.A. ‘s water system provided.
A month before the fires broke out, the L.A. fire department had just made budget cuts. The public had a lot of conversations about what they could’ve done better, and how they could’ve been more ready for the community.
Mexican firefighters from across the border also stepped up to help L.A. fend off these fires.
Despite this, there are many foundations and organizations that are supporting the L.A. community. A few examples of this are, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, California Fire Foundation, Direct Relief, World Central Kitchen, and Best Friends Animal Society.
There has also been over $100 million donated to a GoFundMe that directly goes to affected families, businesses, and communities that have been impacted by the fires.
SOCIAL DILEMMAS
There are many Hollywood stars’ homes that have burned by the Palisades Fire and been given backlash on social media. People like Mandy Moore, Paris Hilton, and Billy Crystal have made headlines. Society has been unsure on how to respond to these rich celebrities losing their homes when they are already millionaires. When it comes to donating, celebrities tend to get thrown into conversation of how much they donate or if they publicly donate at all. Jamie Lee Curtis donated one million dollars to fire relief efforts after she evacuated her home, and Beyonce donated 2.5 million, among many other donations.
Despite these efforts from celebrities, not everyone is in their position of luck. Looters have taken advantage of the disarray of the fires. Nine suspects have been accused of arson and looting evacuated homes. Two men have also been caught impersonating firemen. According to a CNN article, there have also been scammers posing as charities and insurance providers; donors should be wary of where their money is going.
Not all losses come from celebrities or just the well off. Locals have lost everything they own and don’t have millions of dollars to keep themselves steady. Public responses and tone towards these fires have stirred up talks of classism across social media platforms.
These fires have been devastating and are still ongoing. As of January 23, there has been another blow up located in San Diego called the Border 2 Fire that has burned over 6,000 acres. There are fire reliefs and many other foundations to donate to, as well. Stay informed and hope California residents stay safe.
