One of a series of wildfires in Southern California driven by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds, it burned 23,707 acres (9,594 ha; 95.94 km2; 37.042 sq mi), killed 12 people, and destroyed 6,837 structures, making it the tenth-deadliest and third-most destructive California wildfire on record and the most destructive to occur in the history of the city of Los Angeles.

[6] The National Weather Service (NWS) issued red flag warnings on the morning of January 6, effective through Thursday evening, for multiple regions, including the Malibu coast, Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, and the San Gabriel, San Fernando, and Santa Clarita valleys.

[6] The danger led Caltrans to close several roads, including Topanga Canyon Boulevard between Mulholland Drive and Pacific Coast Highway.

[16] The intensification of the concurrent windstorm at night forced the grounding of firefighting aircraft, further hindering efforts to manage the wildfire's spread.

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.

[24] 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.

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.

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'.

[46] In a LAFD press conference on January 7, at 3:40 p.m., fire chief Kristin Crowley said that over 30,000 people were under evacuation orders, with more than 10,000 houses and 13,000 buildings under threat.

During the conference, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, the president of Los Angeles City Council and acting mayor, declared a state of emergency in response to the fire.

[49] Evacuation orders were lifted on January 27, when the City of Los Angeles allowed resident-only access to the previously mandatory-evacuation areas.

[50] According to Wildfire Alliance statistics, the Palisades fire destroyed at least 1,900 structures by January 8, making it the most destructive in Los Angeles's history.

[53] The fire completely destroyed much of Pacific Palisades; almost every structure in the area north of Sunset Boulevard burned to the ground.

[59] An archive containing at least 100,000 scores by Arnold Schoenberg was destroyed; no original manuscripts were lost, however it was the main collection which owner Belmont Music rented out to musicians and orchestras.

[67] Restaurants along Pacific Coast Highway that burned included Cholada Thai, Moonshadows, the Reel Inn and Rosenthal Wine Bar & Patio.

[73] Numerous celebrities lost homes in the fire, including Eric Braeden, Jeff Bridges, Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, Patrick Bruel, Michael Connelly, Barbara Corcoran, Denise Crosby, Billy Crystal, Cary Elwes, Max Emerson, Anna Faris, Mel Gibson, John Goodman, Jennifer Grey, Ed Harris, Paris Hilton, Anthony Hopkins, Tina Knowles, Ricki Lake, Larry LaLonde, Eugene Levy, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, Rosie O'Donnell, JJ Redick, Melissa Rivers, Cobie Smulders and Taran Killam, Candy Spelling, Miles Teller, Milo Ventimiglia and Diane Warren.

[84] In particular, due to other insurers pulling out of the region, the California FAIR Plan had approximately $6 billion of exposure in the area covered by the Palisades Fire as of January 8, 2025.

[85] Air tankers are dropping thousands of gallons of red flame retardant in the hills around Los Angeles as firefighters attempt to limit the devastation from multiple wildfires.

[86] California Governor Gavin Newsom traveled to Los Angeles[87] to observe the initial fire response as well as meet with State, Local and Federal officials including former President Joe Biden, who was in Los Angeles for a White House event commemorating the creation of two new national monuments on January 7.

Further controversy was sparked when it was revealed the Santa Ynez Reservoir in Pacific Palisades was empty months prior to the fire.

Many notable celebrities and politicians swiftly voiced outrage against Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass, adding to the controversy.

[93] Then President-Elect Donald Trump voiced his concern on Truth Social slamming Governor Newsom saying "Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way.

[95] Trump publicly argued with Bass, criticizing the amount of city regulation that he believed to be in the way of rebuilding burnt areas citing the Mayors unclear definition of "Hazardous Waste".

"[96] The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has deployed a National Response Team to investigate the origins of the fire.

Known as the Lachman Fire, it reached 8 acres before forward progress was stopped shortly after 3:30 a.m., with mop-up and patrol operations continuing for 36 hours after.

[100][101][102] Assistant Chief Joe Everett of the LAFD expressed skepticism about the possibility of reignition after the cold-trailing operation and 36-hour patrol that followed the Lachman Fire.

Ed Nordskog, a former arson investigator for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, noted that embers can stay buried until a wind event sets them free.