One Year Later: The Numbers Behind Los Angeles' Twin Wildfires

One year after twin infernos ripped through opposite ends of Los Angeles County, the physical and human scars remain. Thousands of homes were destroyed, rebuilding has been slow, and the fatalities highlighted how extreme weather can turn a wildfire into a catastrophe.

How It Unfolded

January 6, 2024 — The Palisades and Eaton fires ignited within hours of one another, driven by powerful Santa Ana winds and tinder-dry vegetation. Red Flag warnings were in effect as emergency crews pre-positioned resources in high-risk areas.

FILE - A lone sunbather sits and watches a large plume of smoke from a wildfire rise over the Pacific Palisades, in Santa Monica, Calif., Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Key Figures

90 miles per hour
The forecast peak wind gusts in mountain areas (about 145 kilometers per hour), which helped fires spread rapidly and grounded firefighting aircraft in many locations.

4 hours
How long it took for an initially small blaze in Pacific Palisades to erupt into a large, fast-moving fire after early-morning reports. Within hours, evacuations were ordered as flames moved through neighborhoods.

FILE - The Palisades Fire burns a Christmas tree inside a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

59 square miles
The combined area burned by the two fires — roughly 155 square kilometers, about the size of San Francisco.

31 lives
The total number of people killed: 19 in the Eaton Fire and 12 in the Palisades Fire.

FILE - A woman cries as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

31 days
The Palisades Fire burned for 31 days before being declared contained; investigators determined it expanded from an earlier Jan. 1 blaze and ultimately scorched about 37 square miles (95 sq km).

25 days
The Eaton Fire burned for 25 days and charred about 22 square miles (57 sq km).

FILE - Melissa Young, center right, gets a hug from a well-wisher at her fire-ravaged home in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

16,255 structures
The combined number of homes and other buildings destroyed: 9,418 in Altadena and 6,837 in Pacific Palisades and nearby communities, including Malibu.

10 houses
The number of homes rebuilt so far, according to city and county data — most in Altadena, one in Pasadena and two in Pacific Palisades; none yet completed in Malibu. Hundreds more homes are under construction.

FILE - A bus sits among burned out homes, Jan. 9, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

$33.9 billion
The federal disaster-aid request made by Gov. Gavin Newsom to support recovery; as of reporting, federal approval was pending.

$860M–$970M
Estimated charitable commitments for Los Angeles fire relief, according to a Milken Institute study. Individual donations via GoFundMe accounted for about $265 million, most of the funds raised in the first month after the fires.

Criminal Case
A 29-year-old man has been charged in connection with the Palisades Fire and faces up to 45 years in prison; he has pleaded not guilty. The cause of the Eaton Fire remains under investigation.

Looking Ahead

Recovery and rebuilding continue slowly across affected communities. The scale of destruction and the extreme weather conditions that fueled the fires are prompting renewed focus on preparedness, vegetation management, and resilient rebuilding strategies across the region.