What caused the Pacific Palisades fires?

Multiple wildfires are causing widespread destruction across Southern California and the greater Los Angeles area beginning Tuesday, Jan. 7. Two particularly destructive fires, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, have individually engulfed over 10,000 acres of land, and the Palisades Fire has quickly become the most destructive fire to ever hit Los Angeles after destroying over 1,000 structures along the coast. 

AP News reports the fires have killed at least five people and injured “many” more, including first responders, according to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Morrone. In a press briefing Wednesday, Morrone urged residents to heed evacuation orders, citing a “high number of significant injuries” for those who didn’t evacuate, but declined to give an exact number. Los Angeles County Police Department Sheriff Jim McDonnell described the situation as “a tragic time in our history,” adding that the conditions are “unprecedented and unpredictable.” 

What led to the “unprecedented” Palisades Fire? 

The exact cause of the Palisades Fire remains under investigation, but the fire spread quickly thanks to the powerful Santa Ana winds, which reached speeds up to 100 mph by Tuesday evening. The morning prior, the National Weather Service Los Angeles issued an alert on X of “a life-threatening, destructive windstorm” that would hit large parts of Los Angeles and Ventura County on Tuesday afternoon through to Wednesday morning. California’s fire season typically lasts from July to October, but January wildfires aren’t unheard of.  Experts point to climate change as a reason for these increasingly destructive wildfires.

A 2023 fact sheet from SciLine reports that the southwestern U.S. is in its driest 22-year period in the last 1,200 years, and the resulting dry, arid vegetation is perfect fuel for wildfires. Area consumed by summer wildfires increased eight-fold from 1972 to 2019. Fire seasons from 2003 to 2012 lasted an average 84 days longer than fire seasons recorded during 1973 to 1982. Average burn times of large wildfires increased as well, upping from under six days to over 50, a fact exacerbated by hotter and dryer nights making it more difficult for firefighters to contain wildfires.  Much of Southern California is abnormally dry and undergoing drought conditions, KTLA 5 reports.

These conditions already make the region more prone to fire, and when coupled with the fast-moving Santa Ana winds, destructive wildfires can occur. Professor Stefan Doerr, Director of the Centre for Wildfire Research at Swansea University, gave a statement along the same lines to BBC. “While fires are common and natural in this region, California has seen some of the most significant increases in the length and extremity of the fire weather season globally in recent decades, driven largely by climate change.” Like the aforementioned SciLine report, he concluded that asking to what degree climate change has impacted California is the next step in research. 

The Palisades Fire is 0% contained as of writing and has already burned nearly 16,000 acres, destroying over 1,000 buildings in the process. Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom have each declared a State of Emergency and a Red Flag Warning remains active in the region until 6 PM Thursday. If you live near impacted areas, be prepared to evacuate and keep yourself informed about evacuation notices by following resources like Genasys Protect and KTLA 5.