At around 10:30 Tuesday night, the Hurst fire swept across Sylmar engulfing 500 acres. At around 6:30 Tuesday evening, the Eaton Fire ignited in the Pasadena and Altadena area and destroyed 2227 acres. On Tuesday morning, the Palisades Fire began, and has already burned more than 5000 acres.
These deadly wildfires have raised red flags across the Los Angeles region, resulting in the mandatory evacuation of over 80,000 citizens from their homes, while 130,000 are currently under evacuation. Millions of other people in Southern California are under a red flag warning, due to the rapid pace the wildfires have spread.
Among the citizens of Los Angeles forced to evacuate were Hollywood stars Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore and James Woods. “Star Wars” actor Hamill released his experience with the fire on Tuesday night, stating that he “evacuated Malibu so last-minute there were small fires on both sides of the road as [they] approached PCH (Pacific Coast Highway).” Once Hamill and his wife were safely evacuated, Hamill described it as the “most horrific fire since ’93.”
Others released statements during the fires, such as Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt who documented their evacuation from their home live. Pratt shared on Snapchat shortly after evacuating: “Update: I’m watching our house burn down on the security cameras.” Many, celebrities and citizens of Los Angeles alike, experienced the heartbreak of having to leave their homes, knowing there would be little to nothing to come back to.
The cause of the fires have been under investigation since Tuesday, but no official cause has been reported as of recently. Due to a dangerous windstorm sweeping through Los Angeles, however, the fires are expected to continue to spread at a rapid pace. LAFD Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley reported Wednesday morning that the fire had burned 10,802 acres, however, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported a higher number, at 11,802 acres. As of Thursday, the Palisades fire reached 17,000 acres and the Eaton fire reached more than 10,000 acres. These numbers are expected to rise as these fires are at low containment percentages.
A new fire, Lidia, broke out Wednesday afternoon in the Acton area north of Los Angeles and has burned about 350 acres, but is currently at 40% containment. Sunset is another fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon in Hollywood Hills, which grew to about 20 acres in just under an hour. It has currently burned 43 acres.
Firefighters and other first responders have been hard at work trying to maintain the blazes. Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters on Tuesday afternoon that 110 fire engines had been dispatched to Southern California in anticipation of the dangerous winds and rapidly spreading fire. LAFD has reported multiple burn victims, as well as one of their own firefighter’s receiving a serious head injury, removing her from the scene and to a local hospital for further treatment.
Thanks to the abundance of first responders putting their lives on the line to douse the flames and keep the citizens of Los Angeles safe, there have only been five reported casualties thus far, according to the LA County Fire Chief. Despite the thousands of buildings that have succumbed to the flames, the ultimate goal of the first responders is to keep everyone safe, alive and away from the fires.
With strong winds continuing to slam California, the Palisades, Hurst, Eaton and other fires will continue to spread throughout Los Angeles, making it extremely difficult for firefighters to tame the conflagration. This firestorm will go down as one of the most destructive in Los Angeles history.
Sources:
https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-los-angeles-celebrities-1337e6e1f6d631aa931684ad185310cd
https://www.nbcnews.com/weather/wildfires/california-windstorm-fire-risk-rcna186525
https://variety.com/2025/biz/news/mark-hamill-evacuated-malibu-last-minute-la-fires-1236269534/
