Revisiting California’s deadliest wildfires, a year after Eaton, Palisades fires
ANGELES. EXACTLY ONE YEAR AGO TODAY, THOSE DEADLY AND DESTRUCTIVE WILDFIRES BROKE OUT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. SO GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM IS PROCLAIMING TODAY, JANUARY 7TH, 2026, A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE IN HONOR OF THOSE LIVES TOUCHED SO DEEPLY BY THE FIRES OF 2025. SO THE TWO MOST DEADLY AND DESTRUCTIVE FIRES, THE ETON AND PALISADES FIRES, LED TO THE DEATHS OF 31 PEOPLE AND DESTROYED OVER 16,000 HOMES AND STRUCTURES. THE FIRES FORCED THE EVACUATIONS OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, AND IT TOOK FIRE CREWS NEARLY A MONTH TO FULLY CONTAIN THE FLAMES. OVER THE PAST YEAR, THE EFFORTS TO RECOVER AND REBUILD HAVE BEEN SLOW, GOING, WITH THE COMMUNITIES FACING NEARLY $40 BILLION AS A WHOLE WORTH OF DAMAGE. SO THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE ISSUED A PROCLAMATION AND IT SAYS THE PROCLAMATION IS A WAY TO MOURN THE VICTIMS OF THE LOS ANGELES FIRES. AND IT’S ALSO A WAY TO HONOR THE FIRST RESPONDERS, COMMUNITY LEADERS AND PUBLIC SERVANTS WHO RAN TOWARD DANGER AND WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND TO PROTECT ANGELENOS. THAT PROCLAMATION, READING IN PART, WE RECOGNIZE THE RESILIENCE OF SURVIVORS WHO CONTINUE TO REBUILD, OFTEN CARRYING GRIEF ALONGSIDE HOPE. AND WE REAFFIRM A SOLEMN COMMITMENT CALIFORNIA WILL NOT TURN AWAY. WE WILL STAND WITH THESE COMMUNITIES UNTIL RECOVERY IS COMPLETE. HOMES ARE REBUILT AND LIVES ARE RESTORED AS FULLY AS POSSIBLE. AND BACK OUT HERE. LIVE AT THE STATE CAPITOL. AS YOU CAN SEE, THE FLAG HERE OUT IN FRONT OF THE CAPITOL BUILDING, IS FLYING AT HALF STAFF. THAT IS IN PART IN REMEMBRANCE OF CONGRESSMAN DOUG LAMALFA, WHO PASSED AWAY, AS WE REPORTED YESTERDAY, BUT ALSO THE GOVERNOR ORDERED THAT THE FLAGS AT ALL STATE BUILDINGS BE FLOWN AT HALF STAFF IN HONOR OF THE VICTIMS OF THE 2025 WILDFIRES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. REPORTING FROM THE STATE CAPITOL, MELANIE WINGO KCRA THREE NEWS. MELANIE, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THAT LIVE REPORT. NOW, BACK IN OCTOBER, FEDERAL OFFICIALS CHARGED JONATHAN RINDERKNECHT WITH STARTING THE PALISADES FIRE. HE HAS PLEADED NOT GUILTY. THE EXACT CAUSE OF THE FIRE IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION. THERE WILL BE A NUMBER OF REMEMBRANCE EVENTS ACROSS THE L.A. REGION, INCLUDING UPDATES ON WHERE RECOVERY STANDS NOW. IT’S ALL ORGANIZED BY THE EATON FIRE SURVIVORS NETWORK. COMMUNITIES WILL GATHER TO HONOR THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES. SALUTE THE COURAGE OF FIRST RESPONDERS AND RECOGNI
Revisiting California’s deadliest wildfires, a year after Eaton, Palisades fires
Updated: 4:52 PM PST Jan 7, 2026
It’s been one year since the Eaton and Palisades fires caused widespread devastation across Southern California.The fires sparked on Jan. 7, 2025, burning nearly 38,000 acres and destroying more than 16,000 structures. In all, 31 were killed in the fires, which both rank among the 10 deadliest fires in the state’s history. The deadliest fire was the Camp Fire in Butte Country in 2018, causing nearly three times as many deaths as the next deadliest fire, the Griffith Park Fire in Los Angeles. The latter occurred in 1933, and is the oldest fire among the 20 deadliest. Of these, nearly half took place since 2017.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
It’s been one year since the Eaton and Palisades fires caused widespread devastation across Southern California.
The fires sparked on Jan. 7, 2025, burning nearly 38,000 acres and destroying more than 16,000 structures. In all, 31 were killed in the fires, which both rank among the 10 deadliest fires in the state’s history.
The deadliest fire was the Camp Fire in Butte Country in 2018, causing nearly three times as many deaths as the next deadliest fire, the Griffith Park Fire in Los Angeles. The latter occurred in 1933, and is the oldest fire among the 20 deadliest. Of these, nearly half took place since 2017.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel