section_path: Progression
section_name: Progression
paragraph_text: Progression
  
  The fire was first reported at about 10:30 a.m. PST on January 7, 2025, covering around 10 acres (4.0 ha) of the mountains near by Pacific Palisades. It quickly spread due to a combination of severe drought in Southern California (the driest 9-month period on record), and a worsening Santa Ana wind event which created wind gusts up to 80 mph (130 km/h). Within 20 minutes, the fire grew from 20 acres (8.1 ha) to 200 acres (81 ha). The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) said the blaze had reached more than 700 acres (280 ha) by 2:10 p.m., with over 250 firefighters fighting it as it started to reach homes. Just one hour later, an update from CAL FIRE stated that the fire had rapidly grown to 1,262 acres (511 ha). Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, toured the fire on January 7, and said that many structures had been destroyed. The intensification of the concurrent windstorm at night forced the grounding of firefighting aircraft, further hindering efforts to manage the wildfire's spread. The National Weather Service reported the highest wind gust in Pacific Palisades on January 7, 2025, was 38 mph (61 km/h) at 6:30 p.m. Firefighters faced significant challenges combating the blaze due to the steep terrain of the Santa Monica Mountains and the strong Santa Ana winds. These conditions hindered both ground and aerial firefighting operations, making containment efforts much more difficult. Firefighters called in from close by states like Oregon and Nevada to continue fighting the blaze. The fire reached the driveway adjacent to the Getty Villa; earlier in the day staff activated the site's fire safety plan which included closing off fire doors, running HVAC and humidity management systems, and turning on irrigation sprinklers. Most of the staff was evacuated but the Getty's crisis operations executives and security staff patrolled throughout the night, taking shifts outside, where they suppressed wind-blown flareups with "at least 40 five-pound fire extinguishers."
  
  At 12:29 a.m. on January 8, a CAL FIRE status report said the fire had grown to 2,921 acres (1,182 ha). Hours later, 1,400 firefighters had been assigned to the fire which continued to grow as several injuries were reported, including a 25-year-old firefighter with a "serious head injury ". Several beachfront properties in Malibu were destroyed by the wildfire. In a Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) press conference on the morning of January 8, LACoFD fire chief Anthony Marrone said that the fire had reached a size of more than 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) and had destroyed around 1,000 structures. Robert Luna, the sheriff of Los Angeles County, said that 37,000 people were under evacuation order due to the fire, adding that 15,000 structures were at risk of burning.
  
  A CAL FIRE status report at 11:45 a.m. on January 8 said the fire had grown to 11,802 acres (4,776 ha), a figure which had grown to 15,832 acres (6,407 ha) by 1:20 p.m. In another press conference which began at 3:15 p.m., LAFD fire chief Kristin Crowley said that 1,792 personnel have been deployed to assist in fighting the fire, adding that it was still growing and continued to demand "significant resources". A CAL FIRE status report at 11:10 p.m. said the fire had grown to 17,234 acres (6,974 ha). Human remains were found at a property near the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) following a welfare check conducted due to a missing persons report.
  
  An update from fire authorities on January 9 said that over 5,300 structures had been destroyed by the blaze. It had grown to almost 20,000 acres (8,100 ha; 81 km 2; 31 sq mi). A man was detained on suspicion of igniting a fire in Woodland Hills, immediately north of where the fire was burning. In a press conference at 5:20 p.m., Crowley said there had been two deaths due to the fire. At 8:00 p.m., Newsom reported that the fire was 6% contained, after being at 0% containment for more than 55 hours. A CAL FIRE status report at 6:45 p.m. said the fire had grown to 19,978 acres (8,085 ha). A firefighting aircraft collided with a drone while it was over the fire, suffering a hole in its wing but landing safely with no casualties. At 9:15 p.m., authorities reported that the death toll from all fires had risen to ten, with the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner (DMEC) saying that the remains were still being identified.
  
  On January 10, a CAL FIRE status report at 7:39 a.m. said the fire had grown to 20,438 acres (8,271 ha). During an update at 8:00 a.m., Crowley reported that the fire was at 8% containment, with 3,073 personnel fighting it. Another CAL FIRE report at 9:20 a.m. said there had been three civilian injuries and two civilian fatalities, a number which increased to three by 12:08 p.m. Another update at 2:33 p.m. said the fire was at 21,317 acres (8,627 ha) and was still at 8% containment, while an update from the DMEC said five fire-related deaths had taken place in areas affected by the blaze, namely Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Topanga. This number was later revised to three. Late on January 10, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health declared a local health emergency in response to the fires and issued a Public Health Officer Order prohibiting the use of leaf blowers to improve air quality.
  
  In a press conference at 8:00 a.m. on January 11, Todd Hopkins from the Unified IC CAL FIRE Incident Management Team said that the fire was at 11% containment and had grown by 1,000 acres (400 ha) overnight. He also said 105,000 people had evacuated as 426 homes were destroyed. That same day, the fire began to march towards Mandeville Canyon, new evacuation orders were made for the Tarzana and Encino neighborhoods, with evacuation warnings extending to south of Ventura Boulevard in Encino and western parts of Bel Air. At least one home in Mandeville Canyon has burned. A CAL FIRE status report at 9:39 a.m. said the fire had grown to 22,660 acres (9,170 ha); by 4:37 p.m. it had grown to 23,654 acres (9,572 ha). The DMEC said that the death toll of all fires had risen to 16: five in the Palisades Fire and 11 in the Eaton Fire. Doug Stewart, the mayor of Malibu, said one third of the city had been lost, adding that homes along the Pacific Coast Highway and the Big Rock neighborhood were 'gone'.
  
  On January 12, a CAL FIRE status report at 6:33 a.m. said the fire had grown to 23,707 acres (9,594 ha). At 8:00 a.m., city officials held a press conference, where Crowley said 4,720 personnel were assigned to the blaze; Luna said that during a search of 364 properties three dead people were found and four people had been arrested for looting. A status report at 11:13 a.m. said the fire was at 23,713 acres (9,596 ha); after that the fire's growth ceased. At 5 p.m., the DMEC released an update stating that the death toll of all fires had risen to 24, eight of which were in the Palisades area. One of them died in hospital after succumbing to their injuries.
  
  By January 14, the death toll for the Palisades Fire had risen to nine, with a total of 25 deaths across the Palisades and Eaton fires. On January 16, the death toll rose to 10.
  
  At the peak of firefighting efforts on January 19, assets from across the western US and international crews from both Canada and Mexico were deployed: firefighting personnel totalled over 5,677 across 551 fire engines, 42 water tenders, 43 helicopters, 48 bulldozers, 101 hand crews and 17 other assigned resources. Canada sent Canadair CL-415 aircraft to assist with containing the blaze. On January 21, a CAL FIRE status report at 6:32 p.m. revised the fire's size to 23,448 acres (9,489 ha), adding that it was at 65% containment. On January 30, the final CAL FIRE status report at 5:35 p.m. reported the fire at 95% containment, having caused 12 deaths and four injuries, as well as destroying 6,837 structures. By January 31, the fire had been fully contained after 24 days. Newly released footage suggests that the Palisades Fire may have rekindled from the earlier Lachman Fire, which began on January 1. Experts believe that embers from the earlier fire smoldered unnoticed and reignited amid extreme wind conditions.