One year after the deadliest and most destructive wildfire event in Los Angeles history, communities across the region are marking Tuesday's anniversary with demonstrations, memorial events and a resolve to rebuild — even as many remain displaced and questions about the disaster response linger.
The Palisades and Eaton fires that erupted Jan. 7, 2025, killed at least 31 people and destroyed nearly 17,000 structures across Los Angeles County. Twelve months later, the scars remain visible: empty lots, skeletal ruins and a patchwork of construction sites where entire neighborhoods once stood in Pacific Palisades, Topanga, Malibu and Altadena.
The community response has been substantial. More than $265 million has been raised on GoFundMe from over 1 million donors across all 50 states and more than 160 countries. Best Friends Animal Society took in or assisted 2,247 pets during the wildfires, while the Altadena Town Council and GoFundMe.org have distributed more than 500 grants from over $540,000 raised.
"During last year’s devastating wildfires, Best Friends Animal Society was able to positively impact 1,700 pets lives by alongside local organizations to help more than 1,700 already adoptable dogs and cats out of shelters so pets displaced by the fires would have a safe place to land,” said Brittany Thorn, Executive Director, Best Friends Animal Society. “By moving these pets out of Los Angeles animal shelters and into Best Friends LA program dogs and cats whose lives may have been at risk got to continue their search for loving homes of their own. Many went to local foster homes, while others boarded emergency flight transports to continue their journey safely in another state."
She said that in the weeks and months following the wildfires, both LAAS and Pasadena Humane saw an increase in strays and displaced dogs and cats.
"Remarkably, neither shelter saw an increase in the number of pets unnecessarily killed during that time, according to Best Friends data. Thanks to an outpouring of community support from the greater Los Angeles community, as well as Best Friends and other animal welfare organizations, saving these pets lives was possible,” said Thorn.
The YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles launched a $25 million capital campaign to rebuild its destroyed Palisades-Malibu center. Officials will announce Bank of America's contribution — the largest corporate donation to the campaign — at a Friday news conference discussing construction plans for the new facility.
The disaster has fundamentally altered Los Angeles's civic culture, fostering heightened awareness of wildfire risks and spurring a shift toward collective responsibility. Neighborhoods have organized Community Emergency Response Teams, emphasizing that individual preparedness protects entire communities.
"The notion that resilience is just pulling yourself up by your bootstraps is an oversimplification," said Dr. Itai Danovitch, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai. "When we think about resilience, we must avoid applying our own framework to somebody else's situation."
Several memorial events will mark the anniversary. Palisades Village will display three beams of light rising from the property through Sunday, with a lighting ceremony Wednesday evening featuring remarks by Rick Caruso, founder and executive chairman of Caruso. The beams will unite as one light in the sky, symbolizing unity between the impacted communities.
But the anniversary also brings demands for accountability. The Palisades Fire Residents Coalition is organizing a demonstration Tuesday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., marching from Antioch and Swarthmore to Via De La Paz at Palisades Village. The event, titled "They Let Us Burn," will feature residents, business owners and experts sharing testimony about preparedness and recovery.
Investigations revealed the Palisades Fire may have been avoidable, igniting from embers of a smaller New Year's Day blaze that firefighters believed was extinguished. Reports alleged crews voiced concerns about smoldering hotspots but were told to leave the scene days before the inferno reignited.
Mayor Karen Bass called the situation Los Angeles's "Pearl Harbor moment" and ordered an independent review of the fire response. She installed a new fire chief and pledged reforms in emergency preparedness, evacuation planning and communication systems.
In December, a coalition of resident and safety groups sued the city, alleging it routinely ignored state fire safety laws when approving development in very high fire-hazard zones. The lawsuit criticizes decades of building homes on narrow, winding canyon roads without adequate evacuation routes.
While authorities have issued over 2,600 rebuilding permits — a pace far faster than previous California wildfire recoveries — only a handful of new homes have been completed. Many families remain in temporary housing or have relocated permanently.
Health concerns persist. Recent testing shows six in 10 smoke-damaged homes still contain dangerous levels of asbestos or lead despite cleaning. Lead dust measurements in some homes average nearly 60 times above EPA safety limits.
The Eaton Fire disproportionately devastated Altadena's Black community, where nearly half of Black-owned homes in the affected area were destroyed or severely damaged, spurring discussions about environmental justice and equitable rebuilding aid.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency and the legislature approved a $2.5 billion relief package. Executive orders streamlined building permits, reducing processing times from months to under 30 days on average.