Case: Palisades, CA

(A fire started in the Santa Monica mountains of Los Angeles County, California.   Strong Santa Ana downslope winds caused the fire to rapidly spread through the Palisades community.)

Under construction.

Overview

Brief Chronology: The Lachman fire started on 1 Jan 2025 due to arson. The Los Angeles Fire Dept (LAFD) hadn't finished extinguishing the fire before they were ordered to leave on 2 Jan.  Hot embers where still reported in the ground. "Red Flag warnings" were issued on 6 Jan by the National Weather Service, due to conditions forecast to be hot, dry, and exceptionally windy.   On 7 Jan, strong downslope Santa Ana winds caused this holdover fire to resurface at 10:30 am PST. Hurricane-force Santa Ana winds (129 km/h, gusting to 140 km/h) prevented flights of fire-fighting aircraft.  Winds cause a very rapidly spreading conflagration from home to home, down the hillside toward the Pacific Ocean.   The fire was finally "fully contained" on 31 Jan 2025.

Fire Facts: Official Name: "Palisades Fire (2025)" Total burned area: 9,489 ha (23,448 acres) 12 deaths  31 days out of control Required 551 fire engines,  42 water tenders, 43 helicopters, 48 buldozers Over 5,677 personnel fighting this fire 6,837 structures and homes destroyued  105,000 residents evacuated.

News Stories, including Photos and Movies

• Link to a CNN news report on YouTube stating that Palisades started as a holdover fire from 6 days earlier.  .
• PBS documentary (2025) "Weathered: Inside the LA Firestorm". (52:18)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiX9t_wovEY 
• NBC News feature story (2025) "Fire & Ash: Devastation in LA"  (41:27) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBPkRIAoers  

Timeline of Fire and Weather Evolution

• LA Fire Department (LAFD) After-Action Report on the first days of the fire. 
• LAFD Fact Sheet about the fire. 
• LAFD Info Sheet about holdover fires.  
•  Wikipedia summary of the fire and its timeline: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palisades_Fire 

Maps and Data on Weather and Fire Conditions that You Can Access for this Event

1. Geography (Google Maps and XXX topo map )
2. Antecedent conditions: Global Wildfire Info System: GWIS (turn on the Fire Danger Forecast, and select the date) .
3. Surface weather map from the NOAA Weather Prediction Center (WPC): Surface weather map (use the Calendar button to select the date, and then zoom to your region of interest). Also see an explanation of map symbols from the NOAA Jetstream tutorial site.
4. Polar-orbiting satellite views of thermal anomalies (i.e., wildfire hot spots) via NASA's Worldview of satellite-observed hot spots, (select the date at bottom left, turn on place labels and boarders/coastlines, select Terra and Aqua/ MODIS orbital tracks, and turn on Fires and Thermal Anomalies.
5. To see Synoptic Weather Maps for this case, use the Met._Concepts link at the top of this web page. Select section mc12, and use links in the left frame to select the archived weather maps you want to view.
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Credits:
Top: Cal Fire.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palisades_Fire#/media/File:Palisades_Fire_(54254471791).jpg 
Bottom: Jon Soucy, US Army National Guard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palisades_Fire#/media/File:Homes_destroyed_in_the_Palisades_fire_(54272193113).jpg