Five major fires burned across the broader Los Angeles region in the past week. As of 5:40 p.m. on Jan. 12, the Palisades fire and the Eaton fire are still burning. The fires have primarily impacted areas like the Pacific Palisades, Pasadena, West Hollywood Hills, and the San Fernando Valley near Sylmar. According to The Associated Press, at least 16 people have died and 16 are missing, while approximately 130,000 people are under evacuation orders. 

All five fires are located in LA County, with the exception of the Kenneth Fire bleeding into Ventura County. The National Weather Service of the United States issued Red Flag Warnings for counties from Santa Barbara to San Diego from 4 a.m. on Jan. 14 to 12 p.m. on Jan. 15.

San Diego Fire-Rescue Department’s media manager, Monica Muñoz, urged San Diego residents to stay informed and prepared. For the latest updates on the potential spread of the fires, residents should follow @SDFD, @CityofSanDiego, and @SanDiegoPD on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Residents are encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts. The County of San Diego offers apps like Alert San Diego and Genasys Protect, which provide critical and timely information on fires and other emergencies.

Muñoz also recommends visiting SDFD’s Facebook and Instagram pages for advice on how to best prepare. The Ready, Set, Go! Guide, available in both English and Spanish at sandiego.gov/fire, provides vital information on how to protect homes from fires and what to do in an emergency.

The guide advises people to create buffer zones, clear debris and clutter from the perimeter of a house, make homes fire resistant, and keep combustibles away from windows, doors, decks, and balconies. Additionally, the guide recommends creating an emergency evacuation plan ahead of time and having a portable radio and fire extinguishers on hand. 

“SDFD has a few crews on the Eaton and Palisades fires,” Muñoz said. “They will be there as long as they are needed. All City of San Diego fire stations are fully staffed, and we have enough resources to handle a large fire, should one happen here.”

Muñoz also noted that the weather situation in San Diego is very different from Los Angeles. “If anything changes, we can expand our staffing with overtime if needed,” she added.

Muñoz recommended an article published by The San Diego Union-Tribune that provides resources to help people stay informed and learn how to respond in case of an emergency.

A Red Flag Warning is a warning issued to inform the public, firefighters, and landowners that current conditions in their area are ideal for wildfire combustion and spread. Red Flag Warnings are issued when three climatic conditions are met: dry air, high wind speeds, and very dry fuels. The combination of low humidity, strong winds, and warmer temperatures is the cause of a rapidly spreading fire. 

The ongoing Santa Ana windstorm exacerbated the severity of the fires. On Jan. 7, when the Palisades fire first broke out, wind speeds reached up to 40 mph. Between Jan. 7 and Jan. 9, wind gusts reached a peak speed of 100 mph in some parts of the affected region.

Dry southern winds swept up large areas of vegetation and fueled the fire blazing through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. On Jan. 9, the windstorm reached up to 100 mph in some areas.  

According to Watch Duty, the Palisades fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood burned approximately 23,713 acres of land, destroying more than 5,000 structures; 11% of the fire is said to be contained. The Eaton fire has burned approximately 14,117 acres in the Glendale, Pasadena, and Altadena areas of Los Angeles and is 27% contained. The Kenneth fire burned approximately 1,052 acres near the Los Angeles and Ventura County border by Calabasas and West Hills and has been 100% contained. The Hurst fire has spread across 799 acres by Santa Clarita and is 89% contained.

The Kenneth fire is now being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department as a possible case of arson. An unidentified suspect was taken into police custody after an unspecified number of citizens made a citizen’s arrest on Jan. 9. It is yet to be confirmed whether the Kenneth fire was caused by arson or whether the detained individual is the perpetrator of this alleged incident.

As of Jan. 12 at 12 p.m., evacuation orders have been issued in Woodland Hills, parts of Malibu and Calabasas, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Topanga, West Hills, most of Altadena, north of Grandview Avenue in Sierra Madre, and north of Elkins Avenue in Arcadia. Evacuation orders were lifted in Sylmar near the San Fernando Valley, Hollywood Hills, Glenoaks Canyon, and Chevy Chase Canyon. In an Instagram post shared on Jan. 9, Thousand Oaks Mayor David Newman said that some areas affected by shutdowns will have their energy restored. “Edison is beginning to re-energize some previously shutdown circuits in central Thousand Oaks,” he said. “First responders are doing excellent work on the Kenneth fire near Oak Park and Agoura Hills, so much so that LA City evacuation orders have been downgraded to evacuation warnings.”

The following is a list of resources available for those impacted by the fires or who wish to stay informed with up-to-date information.

For live updates on the fires and evacuation zones: 

• Watch Duty 
• Alert California 
• LA Fire Department on X
• Ventura County Fire Department on X
• Los Angeles Scanner on X
• VC Scanner
• Los Angeles Times
• Genasys Protect
• CalFires 
• CalFires 3D map to help you find your address and nearby evacuation zones 

For finding evacuation shelters:

• Red Cross Shelter Locations 
• Salvation Army Shelter Locations
• Airbnb is partnering with 211 LA to provide shelter for those affected by the fire

Evacuation shelters for those affected by the Palisades fire:

• Pasadena Convention Center: 300 E. Green, Pasadena, CA 91101
• Westwood Recreation Center: 1350 Sepulveda, Los Angeles, CA 90025
• El Camino Real Charter High School: 5440 Valley Circle Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91367

Evacuation shelters for those affected by the Eaton fire:

• El Camino Real Charter High School: 5440 Valley Circle Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
• Pasadena Convention Center: 300 E. Green, Pasadena, CA 91101
• Pomona Fairplex: 1101 W McKinley Ave, Pomona, CA 91768
• Westwood Recreation Center: 1350 Sepulveda, Los Angeles, CA 90025
• Pan Pacific Recreation Center: 7600 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
• Ritchie Valens Recreation Center: 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Pacoima, CA 91331

To donate to wildfire recovery funds: 

• California Community Foundation 
• World Central Kitchen
• California Fire Foundation

Free Transportation:

• The Big Blue Bus has been offering free hourly transportation to the Westwood Recreation Center. 
• Uber is offering free rides to shelters including Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Westwood Recreation Center, El Camino Real Charter High School, and Ritchie Valens Recreation Center.
• Lyft is offering residents free rides to shelters.

Shelters for small animals: 

• Agoura Animal Care Center: 29525 Agoura Rd, Agoura Hills, CA 91301 
• Baldwin Park Animal Care Center: 4275 Elton St, Baldwin part, CA 91706 
• Carson Animal Care Center: 216 W Victoria St, Gardena, CA 90248
• Downey Animal Care Center: 11258 Garfield ave, Downey, CA 90242
• Lancaster Animal Care Center: 5210 W Ave I, Lancaster, CA 93536
• Palmdale Animal Care Center: 38550 Sierra Hwy, Palmdale, CA 93550 
• Pomona Fairplex: 1101 W McKinley Ave, Pomona CA 91768

Shelters for large animals: 

• Pomona Fairplex: 1101 W McKinley Ave. Pomona
• Industry Hills Expo: 16200 Temple Ave, City of Industry, CA 91744
• Castaic Animal Care Center: 31044 Charlie Canyon, Castaic, CA 91384
• The Lost Angeles Equestrian Center: 480 Riverside Drive in Burbank

The following areas have been impacted by power outages:

• Approximately 936,000 outages in Los Angeles County
• Approximately 194,000 outages in Ventura County
• Approximately 168,000 outages in San Bernardino County
• Approximately 162,000 outages in Orange County
• Approximately 54,000 outages in Riverside County