Fire & Ice Trailhead

From January 7 to 31, 2025, 14 destructive wildfires affected the Los Angeles metropolitan area and San Diego County in California, United States. The fires were exacerbated by drought conditions, low humidity, a buildup of vegetation from the previous winter, and hurricane-force Santa Ana winds, which in some places reached 100 miles per hour (160 km/h; 45 m/s). The wildfires killed at least 31 people, forced more than 200,000 to evacuate, destroyed more than 18,000 homes and structures, and burned more than 57,529 acres (23,281 ha; 89.889 sq mi) of land.

Most of the damage was from the two largest fires: the Eaton Fire in Altadena and the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, both of which were fully contained on January 31. Municipal fire departments and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) fought the property fires and wildfires, which were extinguished by tactical aircraft alongside ground firefighting teams. The deaths and damage to property from these two fires made them likely the second and third-most destructive fires in California's history, respectively. In August 2025, researchers from Boston University's School of Public Health and the University of Helsinki published a study, through the American Medical Association, connecting up to 440 deaths to the wildfires.

In October 2025, a 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht was arrested and charged with starting the Palisades Fire. The man is accused of intentionally setting a fire in Pacific Palisades on January 1. Dubbed the Lachman Fire, it was thought to be extinguished by the Los Angeles Fire Department, but it was rekindled by strong winds on January 7 and became the Palisades Fire.