Extreme Santa Ana winds continued to whip three major wildfires in the Los Angeles area Wednesday morning, with 80 mph gusts spreading destruction in the Palisades, Altadena and Pasadena, and to the north near Sylmar. Officials said more than 1,000 homes, businesses, schools and other buildings had burned, and two deaths were reported overnight.
As firefighters continued their efforts against the raging blazes and historic winds, neighbors in impacted areas came together to assist in the ways that they could — some even taking garden hoses to the encroaching flame.
Last night, passengers aboard a flight out of LAX witnessed a dramatic view from above as they flew straight into a smoke cloud from the #PalisadesFire pic.twitter.com/tnGwpXaI0y
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) January 8, 2025
The region’s most destructive wildfires in memory had claimed more than 3,000 acres in the celebrity enclave of the Pacific Palisades; the Eaton fire burned more than 2,000 acres in Altadena and Pasadena, where the fatalities were reported; and the Hurst fire near Sylmar, where 500 acres were burning at the foot of the Angeles National Forest.
Get an on-the-ground look at the rapidly spreading wildfires and the damages left behind in TheWrap’s photo gallery below.
A helicopter douses the flame as a firefighter looks on.
A home left in ruins.
The sky glows orange as the Eaton Fire moves through the area on Jan. 8.
A home burns during the Eaton fire.
An Eaton resident resorts to using a garden hose to combat the encroaching fire.
Area man Samuel Girma runs to get another hose as he helps try to prevent a home from catching fire during the Eaton Fire.
An Eaton resident stands atop a roof to spray the fire with a garden hose.
Torrance firefighters are seen gearing up to fight the Palisades Fire.
A Super Scooper drops ocean water on a hillside as the Palisades fire rages on in Pacific Palisades.
The Eaton Fire in Altadena, California on Jan. 8.
A firefighter sprays water as a home burns during the Eaton Fire.
Smoke from the Palisades Fire is seen from Point Dume.
Homes burn during the Eaton Fire on Jan. 8.
A sign is seen near a hillside that burned during the Palisades Fire on Jan. 7.
