Palisades Fire 2025: Final Size and Containment Timeline
The Palisades Fire began on January 7, 2025, burned 23,448 acres in Los Angeles County and was recorded as fully contained on January 31 after 24 active days.
Timeline
- January 7, 2025 at 10:30 a.m.: The Palisades Fire began southeast of Palisades Drive in Pacific Palisades.
- January 23, 2025: CAL FIRE reported the incident at 23,448 acres and 72 percent containment.
- January 31, 2025 at 10:48 a.m.: The official record lists the fire as 100 percent contained after 24 active days.
The Palisades Fire started on January 7, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. near Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles County. CAL FIRE's completed incident record lists a final size of 23,448 acres. The agency records January 31 at 10:48 a.m. as the containment date, making the incident active for 24 days before reaching 100 percent containment. [1][2]
The size did not grow evenly throughout those 24 days. By January 23, CAL FIRE was already reporting 23,448 acres, while containment stood at 72 percent. That combination illustrates why acreage and containment measure different things: acreage estimates the mapped area within the fire perimeter, while containment describes the portion of perimeter secured by control lines or natural barriers. [1][2]
A declaration of 100 percent containment does not mean every ember is extinguished, every evacuation is lifted or recovery is finished. It means crews have established control around the perimeter under the incident's reporting standards. Firefighters may continue patrol, mop-up and hazard work, while residents and agencies face debris removal, utility restoration, environmental testing and rebuilding long afterward. [1]
CAL FIRE lists the location southeast of Palisades Drive and identifies the Los Angeles City Fire Department as the agency having jurisdiction. The response operated through unified command during the emergency. The public incident page also separates state-responsibility-area acreage from the total footprint, showing that an incident can cross land and jurisdiction categories while remaining one named fire. [1]
The official record also contains a disaster assessment and archived status reports. Early numbers changed as damage-inspection teams entered more of the footprint, so final totals should not be reconstructed from one update during active firefighting. The incident page states that teams ultimately completed inspections for all structures within the mapped footprint. [1][2]
Acreage alone does not measure the severity of a wildfire. A smaller fire in a dense neighborhood can destroy more structures than a much larger fire in sparsely developed land. Wind, evacuation time, building exposure, injuries, fatalities, air quality and infrastructure loss all matter. This guide therefore answers the size and timeline question without using acreage as a complete ranking of harm. [1][2]
The durable figures are 23,448 acres and full containment on January 31, 2025, following a January 7 start. During an active emergency, residents should rely on current evacuation and incident notices rather than an archival summary. For historical research, CAL FIRE's final page and dated updates show how the perimeter stabilized before the containment percentage reached 100 percent. [1][2]