California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)

Built World

Lead state agency on 2026 fire response

A sailor crashed his boat on Santa Rosa Island ten days before Memorial Day and fired a flare gun for help; the flare lit the brush. By May 25, the fire had burned roughly 14,520 acres on one of the Channel Islands — the largest blaze ever recorded there.

Updated May 25

Force in Play

Led multi-agency wildfire response

On January 7, 2025, two wildfires exploded across Los Angeles County with unprecedented speed. The Palisades Fire in the Santa Monica Mountains and the Eaton Fire in Altadena spread at the rate of three football fields per minute, driven by Santa Ana winds gusting to 100 mph. Within hours, 200,000 people fled their homes. The fires killed at least 31 people directly, with researchers estimating 440 total deaths including those from heart and lung conditions aggravated by smoke and stress. By the time containment came 24 days later, 16,000 structures were destroyed and $150 billion in losses tallied—making it the costliest disaster in U.S. history.

Updated May 19