Los Angeles Wildfires is a series of 7 destructive fires that spread across Los Angeles from January 7 to 31, 2025, causing at least 29 deaths. The wildfires are considered to be the second most destructive in Los Angeles history when measured by the number of buildings destroyed. US President Joe Biden has said that rebuilding work will cost “tens of billions”, according to The Times of India.

The Palisades fire was the largest wildfire out of the 7 Los Angeles fires. According to NBC News, it erupted in the morning on January 7, in Pacific Palisades, a Los Angeles Neighborhood east of Malibu, starting as a brush fire. It had burned more than 23,000 acres, and is still only about 14% contained, despite efforts of the fire department.

Another fire, Eaton, was more fatal than Palisades, causing 16 deaths, as well as over 10,000 structures to be destroyed by the blaze, according to the BBC. The Eaton fire ignited hours after the Palisades fire near a canyon in the national forest lands north of downtown Los Angeles, and spread into the northern part of the LA, including Altadena area. Due to the fire, tens of thousands of homes had lost their electricity powers. Despite such losses, thankfully, the Eaton Fire was 100% contained on January 17, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Although the official cause of the fires is not yet determined, according to NBC News, National Weather Service estimated that the drought-like conditions and powerful offshore winds could have caused the fires to spread. Southern California had less than 10% of average rainfall since October 1, 2024, and downtown LA has only received 0.4cm of rain since October. There were also powerful offshore winds known as Santa Ana winds during the dry period.

According to the Los Angeles Times, AccuWeather estimates that the total insurance cost of the devastation would be between $250 – $275 billion. The economic loss will be insured by the local and federal governments, insurance companies, and residents.

How long the Los Angeles Wildfires will last is not yet determined, but the efforts of containment of the fires are ongoing by the firefighters. Currently, the Santa Ana winds that fanned the flames are strengthening, and there are now red flag warning signs, indicating high level of danger, for powerful wind storms.