Palisades fire: Areas reopened to residents, evacuation areas, shelters, more

A firefighting plane makes a drop over a smoking landscape.

, Summer Lin, Clara Harter, Sandra McDonald and Howard Blume

Published Jan. 13, 2025 Updated Jan. 17, 2025 4:20 PM PT

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Firefighters continue to battle the fast-moving Palisades fire, which broke out the morning of Jan. 7 along Piedra Morada Drive in Pacific Palisades. As of Friday, 10 people have been confirmed to have died in the fire, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner.

The blaze has burned 23,713 acres. It was 39% contained as of Friday afternoon.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, and officials are focused on a popular hiking trail near homes in the Palisades.

This article is provided free of charge to help keep our community safe and supported during these devastating fires.

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SoCal fire weather forecast

There’s a growing risk that significant fire weather could return to Los Angeles and Ventura counties starting early next week.

“It’s really been a broken record. Even though Santa Ana winds are common and normal this time of year, it’s not normal to be this dry,” said Alex Tardy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in San Diego. “Normally, in between Santa Anas you’ll at least get a rain and a Pacific storm in an average year, and we’re not even seeing that.”

Evacuations

As of Friday morning, the mandatory evacuation area encompassed Pacific Palisades and portions of Topanga and Malibu. This zone stretched roughly from Las Virgenes Road on the west to the 405 Freeway on the east and from the coastline on the south to Calabasas and the Encino Reservoir to the north.

Search for your evacuation zone on Cal Fire’s 3-D map, where you can search by address. Information changes rapidly; check for updates.

Some mandatory evacuation areas west of the 405 freeway were opened for residents only on Thursday afternoon. Residents hoping to gain access to these zones must bring a valid photo ID that shows the resident’s name, photo and physical address, such as a driver’s license.

The following zones were open to residents only as of Friday afternoon:

LOS-Q0765: North of Mulholland Drive and south of Adlon Road
LOS-Q1118: North of Mulholland Drive and south of Hayvenhurst Drive
LOS-Q0798: South of Mulholland Drive
LOS-Q0782-B: South of Mission Dump Road
LOS-Q0778-A: East of Canyonback Road
LOS-Q0781-A: East of Canyonback Road near Mountaingate Drive
LOS-Q0782-A: Area east of Mt. Saint Mary’s Fire Road
LOS-Q0780: Area east of North Kenter Avenue
DRY-U026-A: North of Mulholland Highway and south of Stokes Canyon Road
RRC-U027-A: North of Red Rock Road and south of Calabasas Peak Motorway
TOP-U002: North of Old Topanga Canyon Road and south of Summit to Summit Motorway
TOP-U001: North of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and south of Mulholland Drive
MTN-U028-B: North of Piuma Road and south of Mulholland Highway
SDP-U029-B: North of Mildas Drive/Loma Metisse Road and south of Baynes Road/Stunt Road
RRC-U027-B: North of Topanga Ridge Motorway and south of Sylvan Glen Road
TOP-U005: North of Old Topanga Canyon Road and south of Topanga Skyline Drive
TOP-U008-A: North of West Hillcrest Drive and south of Hondo Canyon Road
TOP-U009-B: North of Sischo Drive and south of Valley View Drive
TOP-U007-B: North of South Topanga Canyon Boulevard/Summit Drive and south of North Topanga Canyon Boulevard
TOP-U006: North of Robinson Road/North Topanga Canyon Boulevard/Harlan Motorway and south of Hillside Drive
TOP-U003: North of Hillside Drive/North Topanga Canyon Boulevard/Greenleaf Canyon Road and south of Topanga Canyon Boulevard
TOP-U004: North of Hillside Drive and south of Mendenhall Court/Santa Maria Road/Benkerdt Road
DRY-U026C: North of Saddle Peak Trail and south of Mulholland Highway

Shelters

For evacuees and small animals:

Stoner Recreation Center, 1835 Stoner Ave., Los Angeles
Westwood Recreation Center, 1350 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles
Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Recreation Center, 14201 Huston St., Sherman Oaks
Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Pacoima

Large animals can be taken to:

Hansen Dam Horse Park, 11127 Orcas Ave., Hansen Dam

Road closures

Check these links for the latest on Palisades fire road closures:

Schools

Palisades Elementary is in session at Brentwood Elementary Science Magnet in Brentwood. Those who had been at Marquez Elementary can now report for class at Nora Sterry Elementary in the Sawtelle neighborhood.

Palisades Charter High School is closed. Classes will be held online starting Tuesday.

The seven remaining schools that were closed due to the Palisades fire have relocated temporarily to the following sites:

Topanga Elementary to Woodland Hills Academy
Canyon Charter Elementary to Brockton Elementary School
Kenter Canyon Elementary to Emerson Middle School
Lanai Road Elementary to Portola Middle School
Roscomare Road Elementary to Warner Elementary School
Community Charter Magnet to Westwood Elementary School
Paul Revere Middle to University High School Charter

All Malibu schools in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District are closed. School officials say the goal is to reopen Tuesday.

Affected schools are communicating directly with families, who can visit lausd.org for updates. For additional support, parents can contact the district’s family hotline at (213) 443-1300. The school system also will have mental health support available through a Student and Family Wellness Resource Line at (213) 241-3840, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Disaster resource centers

Residents affected by the fires can visit FEMA centers, which opened on Tuesday afternoon with hours from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Westside location

UCLA Research Park West
10850 W. Pico Blvd.

Eastside location

Pasadena City College
Community Education Center
3035 E. Foothill Blvd.

More to Read

California Fires

Hannah Fry

Hannah Fry covers breaking news for the Los Angeles Times. She most recently covered Orange County for The Times and has written extensively about criminal trials, housing, politics and government. In 2020, Fry was part of the team that was a Pulitzer finalist for its coverage of a boat fire that killed 34 people off the coast of Santa Barbara. Fry came to The Times from the Daily Pilot, where she covered coastal cities, education and crime. An Orange County native, Fry started her career as an intern at the Orange County Register.

Summer Lin

Summer Lin is a reporter on the Fast Break Desk, the Los Angeles Times’ breaking news team. Before coming to The Times, she covered breaking news for the Mercury News and national politics and California courts for McClatchy’s publications, including the Miami Herald. An East Coast native, Lin moved to California after graduating from Boston College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Lin was among The Times’ staff members who covered the Monterey Park mass shooting in 2023, which was recognized by the Pulitzer Board as a finalist in breaking news.

Clara Harter

Clara Harter is a breaking news reporter at the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she covered politics and education for the L.A. Daily News. While at the Daily News, she published a series on fentanyl addiction that won a first-place investigative journalism award from the L.A. Press Club. Harter majored in political science and Middle Eastern studies at Columbia University. She loves surfing and, when not reporting, can most likely be found in the ocean.

Sandra McDonald

Sandra McDonald is a reporting fellow at the Los Angeles Times. She grew up in north central Florida, just an hour south of the University of Florida where she studied journalism and worked with the local NPR station, WUFT, and Fresh Take Florida, a news service focused on statewide and political coverage. She previously was an intern with The Times’ breaking news team.

Howard Blume

Howard Blume covers education for the Los Angeles Times. He’s won the top investigative reporting prize from the L.A. Press Club and print Journalist of the Year from the L.A. Society of Professional Journalists chapter. He recently retired “Deadline L.A.,” a past honoree for best public-affairs radio program, which he produced and co-hosted on KPFK-FM (90.7) for 15 years. He teaches tap dancing and has two superior daughters.