Ongoing story / Los Angeles
The January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires and the Palisades Fire arson case
Overview · reviewed November 5, 2026
In January 2025, wildfires driven by Santa Ana winds swept through the Los Angeles area, destroying thousands of homes in Pacific Palisades and Altadena in what were expected to be the costliest fires in US history.[1][2][3] The Palisades Fire killed a dozen people, and the Eaton Fire killed 19; county fire officials later blamed Southern California Edison equipment for the Eaton Fire.[4][5] Federal prosecutors charged Jonathan Rinderknecht with starting the fire that became the Palisades Fire, but his first trial ended in a in June 2026, and his second trial began in November.[6][7][8]
The Palisades Fire killed a dozen people, and the Eaton Fire killed 19; county fire officials later blamed Southern California Edison equipment for the Eaton Fire.[4][5] Federal prosecutors charged Jonathan Rinderknecht with starting the fire that became the Palisades Fire, but his first trial ended in a in June 2026, and his second trial began in November.[6][7][8]
Coverage over time
LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far
Weekly counts, outlets and reports (24 weeks with coverage)
| Week of (UTC) | Left | Center | Right | Of tracked | Share | Receipts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2, 2026 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1% | |
| Oct 12, 2026 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 1% | |
| Aug 10, 2026 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 14 | 3% | |
| Aug 3, 2026 | 9 | 14 | 6 | 29 | 5% | |
| Jun 22, 2026 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 19 | 5% | |
| Jun 8, 2026 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 8% | |
| Jun 1, 2026 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1% | |
| May 4, 2026 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 3% | |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 7% | |
| Oct 20, 2025 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 5% | |
| Oct 13, 2025 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4% | |
| Oct 6, 2025 | 7 | 15 | 9 | 31 | 17% | |
| Sep 22, 2025 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 11 | 6% | |
| Aug 4, 2025 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 6% | |
| Mar 31, 2025 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 3% | |
| Mar 24, 2025 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 3% | |
| Feb 24, 2025 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 5% | |
| Feb 17, 2025 | 7 | 22 | 11 | 40 | 21% | |
| Feb 10, 2025 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 3% | |
| Feb 3, 2025 | 6 | 15 | 4 | 25 | 13% | |
| Jan 27, 2025 | 10 | 24 | 8 | 42 | 19% | |
| Jan 20, 2025 | 16 | 34 | 13 | 63 | 28% | |
| Jan 13, 2025 | 24 | 32 | 17 | 73 | 32% | |
| Jan 6, 2025 | 33 | 55 | 22 | 110 | 50% |
Latest coverage
Background
On January 7, 2025, a brush fire driven by unrelenting winds burned more than 15,000 acres in the Pacific Palisades and forced thousands from their homes.[9] The Santa Ana winds, dry and gusty winds that blow toward the coast in cooler months, can turn a spark into a raging wildfire.[10] Within a day thousands of firefighters were battling at least three separate fires,[1] winds not seen in more than a decade fanned blazes across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and tens of thousands of people evacuated.[11] By January 12 at least 11 people had died and more than 12,000 structures had burned.[3] The Eaton and Palisades fires burned more of the state's dense urban area than any California fire since at least the mid-1980s, an AP analysis found,[12] and crews reached full containment on January 31.[13]
Read the full background (3 more paragraphs)
The response came under scrutiny. Weeks before the fires, Fire Chief Kristin Crowley had warned that Mayor Karen Bass's budget cuts limited the department's response to large emergencies,[14] and in February Bass fired her, citing failures in leadership before the windstorm.[15] The AP found that the first evacuation order for the neighborhoods nearest the Palisades fire came about 40 minutes after some homes were already burning,[16] and an outside review later found that a lack of resources and outdated alert policies delayed warnings in Altadena and the Palisades.[17] A scientific study found that human-caused climate change had made the hot, dry and windy conditions more likely and more intense.[18]
Recovery brought political and financial fights. President Donald Trump threatened to withhold disaster aid unless California changed its approach to water management,[19] then toured the damage.[20] Gov. Gavin Newsom asked Congress for nearly $40 billion in aid,[21] and State Farm, the state's largest home insurer, sought an emergency rate increase averaging 22%.[22] In 2026 the state's insurance regulator found that State Farm had violated state law in handling fire claims,[23] and Trump signed an order meant to speed reconstruction.[24] Lawsuits accused Southern California Edison of starting the Eaton Fire,[25] and in August 2026 county fire officials concluded that its equipment caused the fire, which destroyed or damaged more than 9,000 homes and businesses.[5]
In October 2025, investigators arrested Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old Florida man, on suspicion of arson.[26][27] Prosecutors said he started the Lachman Fire just after midnight on January 1, a fire they said smoldered for a week and grew into the Palisades Fire.[6][28] He pleaded not guilty to three federal charges.[28] At his trial in June 2026, prosecutors said he wanted "revenge" against society, but the jury deadlocked and the judge declared a mistrial.[7][29] In August prosecutors filed a revised that dropped one of the three counts.[30] His second trial began on November 2.[8]
Supporting stories (30)
- New fire, more evacuations near Los Angeles after at least 10,000 structures burned
- LA wildfire death toll rises to 30 after human remains discovered in Altadena ruins
- The LA county wildfires could be the costliest in US history, early estimates say
- Los Angeles trial to begin for man accused of sparking the deadly Palisades Fire
- Utility’s idle transmission tower caused 2025 Eaton Fire that killed 19, Los Angeles officials say
- Jonathan Rinderknecht facing new federal charges in Palisades Fire
- Mistrial declared after jury deadlocks in Palisades Fire trial
- Palisades arson case: Second trial begins against man accused of sparking wildfire
- California governor says Pacific Palisades wildfire has destroyed many structures as winds kick up
- How Santa Ana Winds Push Deadly California Wildfires to New Heights
- Los Angeles wildfire death toll rises to 24 as firefighters brace for more fierce winds
- Los Angeles fires have scorched largest urban area in California in at least 40 years
- California’s Palisades and Eaton fires both 100 percent contained —three weeks after erupting
- Los Angeles cut $17.5M from fire department budget months before deadly fires
- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ousts fire chief over deadly wildfires
- Homes were burning and roads already jammed when Pacific Palisades evacuation order came, AP finds
- LA County response to deadly fires slowed by lack of resources, outdated alert process, report says
- Study says climate change made conditions that fed California wildfires more likely, more intense
- Trump heads to California to view wildfire devastation in first presidential trip of second term
- President Trump Tours Los Angeles Wildfire Damage, Pledges '100%' of Federal Support
- California governor asks Congress for nearly $40 billion for Los Angeles wildfire relief
- State Farm Seeks Emergency California Rate Hike After LA Fires
- California says State Farm violated the law in handling of insurance claims after 2025 LA wildfires
- Trump signs executive order to fast-track rebuilding of homes destroyed by LA wildfires
- Southern California Edison accused in lawsuits of failing to prevent Eaton Fire
- Palisades Fire arrest: Man arrested in Florida, charged with starting deadly LA wildfire
- Jonathan Rinderknecht: Man accused of starting deadly Palisades Fire in federal court Thursday
- Man pleads not guilty to sparking deadly Palisades Fire in Los Angeles
- Palisades Fire verdict: Jury deadlocked; Florida man charged with starting historic California fire
- Arson suspect in Palisades Fire faces 1 less criminal charge in revised indictment ahead of retrial
The full record
October 2026
August 2026
June 2026
- Mistrial declared after jury deadlocks in Palisades Fire trial
- Mistrial declared in Palisades Fire arson trial after jury deadlocked on charges
- Palisades Fire verdict: Jury deadlocked; Florida man charged with starting historic California fire
- Mayor Karen Bass' brother suing LA after his home burned in Palisades Fire
- Los Angeles trial to begin for man accused of sparking the deadly Palisades Fire
May 2026
October 2025
- Man pleads not guilty to sparking deadly Palisades Fire in Los Angeles
- Jonathan Rinderknecht facing new federal charges in Palisades Fire
- Jonathan Rinderknecht: Man accused of starting deadly Palisades Fire in federal court Thursday
- Arrest made in connection with deadly Palisades Fire investigation in Southern CA, source says
- Palisades Fire arrest: Man arrested in Florida, charged with starting deadly LA wildfire
September 2025
February 2025
- Kristin Crowley, former LA fire chief, appeals dismissal by Mayor Bass
- California governor asks Congress for nearly $40 billion for Los Angeles wildfire relief
- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ousts fire chief over deadly wildfires
- Scientists are racing to discover the depth of ocean damage sparked by the LA wildfires
- Utility says its equipment may have started a small blaze that erupted during January's LA firestorm
- State Farm Seeks Emergency California Rate Hike After LA Fires
- Pacific Coast Highway reopens nearly a month after devastating Southern California wildfires
January 2025
- Man to plead guilty to drone crash into firefighting aircraft battling the Palisades Fire
- Flawed emergency alert systems lagged when residents needed them most during Los Angeles wildfires
- FireAid combines music’s biggest acts and stories of loss to raise money for LA wildfire relief
- Study says climate change made conditions that fed California wildfires more likely, more intense
- California’s Palisades and Eaton fires both 100 percent contained —three weeks after erupting
- Reality TV couple sues the city of Los Angeles after losing home in fires
- Reality TV couple Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt sue L.A. over losing home in wildfire
- California Legislature approves $2.5 billion for state response to Los Angeles-area fires
- Trump heads to California to view wildfire devastation in first presidential trip of second term
- Firefighters battle to maintain the upper hand on a huge fire north of Los Angeles
- Southern California’s first rainfall of the year could help or hurt wildfire victims as fire spreads in San Diego area
- Progress is made on a huge fire north of Los Angeles while new fires erupt in Southern California
- Hughes Fire forces over 30,000 to evacuate in L.A. County
- Rain in Southern California creates mudflows but helps firefighters
- President Trump Tours Los Angeles Wildfire Damage, Pledges '100%' of Federal Support
- Los Angeles fires have scorched largest urban area in California in at least 40 years
- Homes were burning and roads already jammed when Pacific Palisades evacuation order came, AP finds
- As flames linger, talk turns to rebuilding Los Angeles neighborhoods leveled by wildfires
- Fire tornadoes are a risk under California’s extreme wildfire conditions
- 'Nobody's dying': A look inside how a senior home evacuated before burning down in LA wildfire
- Firefighters deploy widely as strong winds threaten more Los Angeles neighborhoods
- Pink flame retardants are being used to slow California fires. What do we know about them?
- California Wildfire Updates: Extreme Winds Forecasted As Palisades Fire Reaches 59% Containment
- Strong Santa Ana winds hitting fire-ravaged Los Angeles -- again
- Southern California Edison accused in lawsuits of failing to prevent Eaton Fire
- Rory Sykes, former child star, killed in California wildfires, mom reports
- Firefighters race to contain Los Angeles wildfires with menacing winds forecast to return
- Firefighting aircraft collides with drone over Palisades Fire
- Canadian ‘Super Scooper’ plane grounded after hitting civilian drone over Los Angeles wildfires
- Los Angeles wildfires: National Guard steps in as looting arrests rise
- What ignited the deadly California wildfires? Investigators consider an array of possibilities
- Firefighters from Mexico arrive to help fight California wildfires
- Map reveals house-by-house devastation of deadly LA fires with entire neighborhoods nearly wiped out
- The LA county wildfires could be the costliest in US history, early estimates say
- Hollywood Hills residents forced to evacuate as new Sunset Fire breaks out in celebrity-packed LA neighborhood
- The L.A. fires are a natural disaster, not a policy disaster
- Biden cancels Italy trip in final days of his presidency to focus on federal response to LA wildfires
- Harrowing escapes from Los Angeles wildfires were made by foot, by car, or by the grace of strangers
- California wildfires: Before and after photos show destruction from fires
- Los Angeles cut $17.5M from fire department budget months before deadly fires
- Trump blames Newsom for 'apocalyptic' California wildfires
- Los Angeles residents flee fire as potentially 'life-threatening, destructive' winds gain strength
- New fire, more evacuations near Los Angeles after at least 10,000 structures burned
- How Los Angeles area wildfires could disrupt California's home insurance market
- Los Angeles wildfire death toll rises to 24 as firefighters brace for more fierce winds
- Maps: See how large the California wildfires are
- Hollywood Hills fire breaks out as deadly wildfires burn out of control across Los Angeles area
- Monstrous wildfires blanket Southern California with smoky air, threatening the health of millions
- Celebrities among those who lost homes as devastating Los Angeles fires
- How Santa Ana Winds Push Deadly California Wildfires to New Heights
- California governor says Pacific Palisades wildfire has destroyed many structures as winds kick up
Coverage & sources
Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.