Community Corner

Palisades And Eaton Fires Anniversary: A Look Back At Recovery And Milestones One Year Later

It's been a year and a long a road to recovery since two huge Los Angeles firestorms, Eaton and Palisades, filled the air with terror.

David Allen, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

It's been a year since the unthinkable happened, since massive wildfires obliterated homes and entire neighborhoods, taking lives and livelihoods and leaving scars.

The Eaton Fire began on the evening of January 7, 2025 in Eaton Canyon and would go on to be one of the most highly destructive wildfires to ever hit Southern California. The fire burned for 24 days and was determined to be caused by high tension power lines controlled by utility giant Southern California Edison, according to federal officials.

The Palisades Fire, which also started on January 7, 2025 and would also burn until the 31st, damaged thousands of homes in Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu. From cleanup and relief efforts to milestones like completed home rebuilds, see photos of the last year in the aftermath of catastrophic fires.

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A drone captures structures damaged by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on January 25, 2025. (Shutterstock)
A man walks past a fire-ravaged business after the Eaton Fire swept through, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)
Megan Mantia, left, and her boyfriend Thomas, return to Mantia's fire-damaged home after the Eaton Fire swept through, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)
Garrett Yost gathers puts out hotspots while surveying his neighbors' fire-ravaged properties in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher)
People enjoy the beach on July 4 across from the Tahitian Terrace mobile home park destroyed by the January 2025 Palisades fire on Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, California. (By: Jonathan Alcorn/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)
Melissa Young, center right, gets a hug from a well-wisher at her fire-ravaged home in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)
A man walks through rubble damaged by the Eaton Fire, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Luke Dexter reacts as he sifts through the remains of his father's fire-ravaged beach front property in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Damage to beachfront homes by the Palisades Fire is seen along the coastline, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Members of the National Guard check the I.D. of construction workers and residents as they drive through a checkpoint as President Donald Trump is set to tour the Palisades Fire zone damage in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk with Jason Hing, chief deputy of emergency services at the Los Angles Fire Department, left, and Capt. Jeff Brown, chief of Station 69, as they tour the Pacific Palisades neighborhood affected by recent wildfires in Los Angeles, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Members of California Conservation Corps work in the rubble of the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Mud covers Topanga Canyon Rd. on the Palisades Fire burn area after a series of weekend storms Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 near Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Workers from Odin Environmental clear debris from the site of the Bunny Museum, which was destroyed in the Eaton Fire, Monday, Jan.16, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
This 500-pound bear moved into the crawlspace of a man's home in fire-ravaged Altadena before Thanksgiving and has refused to budge since. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A Volkswagen bus sits among burned out homes, Jan. 9, 2025, in Malibu, California. The bus became a symbol of resilience after it survived the fires — Volkswagen debuted the fully restored vehicle in November after months of work. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
A worker in protective gear walks across a street while cleaning up a home that survived the Eaton Fire, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Congregants of the 104-year-old Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center which burned down in the Jan. 2025 Eaton fire, gathered for a potluck doing the Passover celebrations at the First United Methodist Church in Pasadena, Calif. on Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Tim Vordtriede holds white roses at the gate of his property, which was destroyed the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A coyote roams on the edge of the Chaney Trail Corridor, an area affected by the Eaton Fire, in Altadena, Calif., Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is accused of deliberately setting what would become the deadly and destructive Palisades Fire. He has pleaded not guilty to federal charges and is being held without bail. (US Attorney's Office via AP)
Mayor Karen Bass speaks at a press conference, announcing that nearly 2,000 properties have been cleared of all debris by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and have received final sign off from L.A. County, a required step for rebuilding to begin. The Mayor spoke outside a home being rebuilt in Pacific Palisades that was devastated by the Palisades Fire in January. (By: Jonathan Alcorn/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock).
Construction begins in the Palisades Fire devastation zone in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Ellaird Bailey kisses the forehead of his wife Charlotte after Los Angeles County approved their rebuilding plans, months after the Eaton Fire, as they visit their neighbor Ted Koerner whose home was rebuilt in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Students with the Theatre Palisades' youth theatre program participate in a master class with American actress and singer Kerry Butler after their theater was destroyed by the Palisades Fire, at the Saint Monica Preparatory's auditorium in Santa Monica, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025.(AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A construction worker hammers on the roof of a home being rebuilt, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Altadena, Calif., months after the Eaton Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The sun sets on a fire-ravaged property in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire, Jan. 10, 2025 ,in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)
A sign reading "This Home Will Rise Again" stands on a property where a home once stood in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, months after the Palisades Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
Lupe Figueroa, 5, looks out the window of what will be her room at her family's rebuilding site in Altadena, Calif., Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, months after the Eaton Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A sign advertises a house for sale on oceanfront property that was destroyed by the Palisades Fire, Dec. 5, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
The Palisades Fire burn scar is visible from a flooded parking lot adjacent to the Santa Monica pier on Friday, November 21 in Santa Monica, California. (By: Jonathan Alcorn/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)
Fire, Volunteer prepares some food for residents of this Altadena community. (Shutterstock)
Rain water from a winter storm collects on a property that was destroyed by the Eaton Fire almost a year ago, on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Altadena, California. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Homes that survived the Palisades fire stand on hillside above debris from properties destroyed by the fire in January on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. By: Jonathan Alcorn/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
The wooden bones of a home rise during reconstruction after the Eaton Fire in Altadena, an early frame of recovery in a neighborhood still marked by loss. (By: Amy Katz/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)
Los Angeles firefighters stand around an Award of Excellence star given to them in recognition of bravery and public service during last January's Palisades and Sunset Fires, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, on Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) Provided by: AP LAFD Award of Excellence Star Ceremony Photo Metadata ID 25346808763655 Submission Date Dec 12, 2025 14:32 Creation Date Dec 12, 2025 11:17 Photographer Chris Pizzello Source AP Copyright Invision Credit ASSOCIATED PRESS Transmission Reference: CACP502 Byline Title: stf Location: Los Angeles, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES Subjects: Fires, General news Use information Use of this content is for editorial purposes only. For inquiries regarding non-editorial uses, contact your licensing representative.
Comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish talks to a person who thanked the comedian for helping the local residents during her event at the Super King Market. Haddish gave away free groceries for victims of the Eaton Fire and anyone else in need. (By: Connor Terry/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)
Volunteers work to restore a mural in the Palisades Fire zone on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Wildflowers bloom where a home once stood in Altadena, Calif., Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, months after the Eaton Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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