Disaster record

Palisades Fire (January 2025)

Six months after the disaster 12 deaths $37 billion

Summary

The Palisades Fire started on January 7, 2025, in the Santa Monica Mountains above Pacific Palisades. Extreme Santa Ana winds drove it through Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Topanga. It destroyed 6,845 structures and killed 12 people. Containment came on January 31. It burned at the same time as the Eaton Fire in Altadena.

Twelve people died, according to CAL FIRE.

Scientific attribution

NOAA said a record-dry fall, fuel from wetter winters, and extreme Santa Ana winds set the scene. Human-caused climate change was likely a factor, but not the only factor. A World Weather Attribution study said warming increased extreme fire-weather intensity by about 6 percent and made those conditions about 35 percent more likely. That does not mean climate change was the only cause.

Jan 7, 2025 · Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Topanga — western Los Angeles County, California · wildfire

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Observation window: Jan 7, 2025 → Jan 14, 2025

Messaging tallies

51 / 51 Core Democratic Officials reviewed
3Disaster Mention
0Climate Connection
0 Mentioned Republican Obstruction of Climate Action

About these tallies

“Core Democratic Officials reviewed” shows how many of the 51 Core Democratic Officials have been examined for this disaster. Scoring rules: Methods.

Democratic framing

Summary

Three Core Democratic Officials named this fire in the seven-day window. None of them connected it to climate change. None named Republican obstruction of climate action.

Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff named the Palisades Fire on January 8. They led a California delegation letter that also named the Eaton, Franklin, and Hurst fires and asked President Biden for a major disaster declaration. Schiff issued a statement titled on the Palisades Fire the same day. House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar signed the letter.

Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Ed Markey, and Bernie Sanders talked about the Los Angeles or Southern California fires that week. They did not name the Palisades Fire.

Statements

  • Alex Padilla (U.S. Senator (D-CA)) — Jan 8, 2025
  • Adam Schiff (U.S. Senator (D-CA)) — Jan 8, 2025
  • Adam Schiff (U.S. Senator (D-CA)) — Jan 8, 2025
  • Pete Aguilar (U.S. Representative (D-CA) — Chair, House Democratic Caucus) — Jan 8, 2025

Republican framing

Sen. Ted Cruz, on January 10, blamed Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for cutting the fire-department budget. He said Democratic politicians answer every crisis with climate change.

President-elect Donald Trump, on January 8, blamed Gov. Gavin Newsom for water policy and dry hydrants in the Palisades. Fact-checkers rejected those claims.

Statements

Sources

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