Updated at Jan. 17 at 5 p.m. ET with new details, stories and behind the scenes images
The eyes of the country remain on on Los Angeles, where 2025’s first climate-related disaster is playing out in real time. On Tuesday Jan. 7, a severe windstorm swept through the L.A. region, igniting several fires that spread to engulf three major areas, including the Pacific Palisades, Eaton Canyon, and Sylmar.
Nearly a week later, the wildfires are estimated to have killed at least 27 people, and burned nearly 40,000 acres in the Los Angeles area. More than 12,000 structures have been destroyed by the Palisades and Eaton fires, placing them among the five most destructive fires in California’s history. The economic loss from the disaster is estimated to top $250 billion.
National and local news outlets have been covering the wildfires on the ground since Jan. 7. TVNewser has collected the following accounts from correspondents in the field and their teams back in the studio as events unfold.
What’s been the most defining or haunting moment in this story for you so far?
Ginger Zee, chief meteorologist/chief climate correspondent for ABC News
After the sun came up in Altadena, we drove around and started speaking to neighbors. We found out quickly that this part of Altadena has a concentrated population of first responders. Many of which have lost their homes in the Eaton fire.
We met a Captain for LAFD who’d just wrapped his shift when he learned both his house as well as his childhood home were being threatened by the Eaton fire. By the time he got there, there was a wall of fire consuming his neighbors’ homes right across the street. He told me it was surreal, even as a seasoned fire captain, to see how far the fire had moved into this community he grew up in. Luckily, he was able to get a fire hose from Pasadena fire and LA fire to use and he and his brother, who is also a firefighter, hooked it up to the fire hydrant on their corner. The hose only reached four houses in, but he was able to save at least those four.
