January 2025 Southern California wildfires facts for kids

Quick facts for kids January 2025 Southern California wildfires Part of the 2025 California wildfires
GOES-18 satellite image of the Palisades, Lidia, and Eaton fires, January 8, 21:51 UTC
Location	Los Angeles County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County and Ventura County, California, United States
Statistics
Date(s)	January 7, 2025 – present
Burned area	roughly 36,685 acres (14,846 ha; 57 sq mi; 148 km2)
Cause	Under investigation, exacerbated by severe Santa Ana winds, windstorm, and drought conditions
Buildings destroyed	12,401 destroyed or damaged
Deaths	16
Non-fatal injuries	"Several" burn injuries
Missing people	16+
Evacuated	180,000
Map
An overview of the major wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area

Starting on January 7, 2025, an ongoing series of catastrophic wildfires have affected the Los Angeles metropolitan area and surrounding regions. The fires have been exacerbated by very low humidity, dry conditions, and hurricane-force Santa Ana winds that in some places have reached 100 miles per hour (160 km/h; 45 m/s). As of January 12, the wildfires have killed 16 people, forced nearly 180,000 more to evacuate, and destroyed or damaged more than 12,401 structures. Most of the damage has been done by the two largest fires: the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire.

See also

In Spanish: Incendios forestales de California de 2025 para niños