A series of fires in Southern California, specifically in the Greater Los Angeles area, have caused at least 28 deaths, thousands of destroyed structures, evacuations and widespread power outages in January 2025.

The timing of "fire season" in California is variable, depending on the amount of prior winter and spring precipitation, the frequency and severity of weather such as heat waves and wind events, and moisture content in vegetation.

Northern California typically sees wildfire activity between late spring and early fall, peaking in the summer with hotter and drier conditions.

Previous climate models underestimated the risk, but even they said that a 3-degree temperature rise will double the chances for such events in comparison to current conditions.

[5][6][7] Scientists from the University of California made a fast evaluation, estimating that the difference between the average temperatures in 1980–2023 and the abnormally hot 2024 alone is responsible for 25% of the moisture deficit which was one of the causes of the wildfires.