The air in Los Angeles usually smells like salt or exhaust, but lately, it’s just been smoke. If you're looking out the window at a hazy skyline or checking your car for a fresh layer of ash, you’re probably asking: are the LA fires still going on? The short answer is yes, but the "how" and "where" change by the hour. We aren't looking at one single fire. Southern California is currently a patchwork of active burns, smoldering ruins, and high-risk zones that fire crews are desperately trying to box in before the next wind shift.
Wildfire season in California doesn't really have an "end" date anymore. It's more of a year-round anxiety. Right now, Cal Fire and the Los Angeles County Fire Department are juggling multiple incidents that vary wildly in containment levels. When people ask if the fires are still going, they’re usually thinking of the big ones—the names that dominate the news cycle for a week and then disappear while the hills are still black.
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The current state of the lines: Are the LA fires still going on right now?
Containment is a tricky word. It doesn't mean the fire is out. It just means there's a cleared line around a certain percentage of the perimeter. As of this morning, several major blazes in the greater Los Angeles area are still considered active. Crews are dealing with "hot spots"—pockets of fuel that stay buried under ash and can reignite if a stray ember catches a breeze.
Take the recent activity in the Santa Monica Mountains and the hills bordering the Inland Empire. Even when the smoke columns aren't visible from the 405, firefighters are often still on the ground doing "mop-up" work. This is the grueling, unglamorous part of firefighting where people literally dig through dirt to find heat. If you see helicopters circling, it doesn't always mean a new fire started. Often, they're just dropping water on a flare-up within an existing burn scar to keep the perimeter from breaking.
The weather is the real boss here. We've had a brutal mix of low humidity and those classic, terrifying Santa Ana winds. When those winds kick up, a fire that was 90% contained can suddenly become a 0% containment nightmare again. It’s happened before. It’ll happen again. That’s why officials are so hesitant to say a fire is "done" until the first real heavy rain hits the region.
Why the smoke persists even when the flames look "out"
You’ve noticed the haze. It’s thick. It’s brown. It makes the sunsets look like a postcard from Mars. Even if the active flame front has been knocked down, the sheer volume of "heavy fuels"—think old-growth oak trees and thick manzanita—means things stay hot for weeks. These fuels undergo smoldering combustion. It’s a slow, low-temperature burn that produces a massive amount of particulate matter (PM2.5).
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This is why your weather app might say "unhealthy air quality" even if the nearest active fire is 40 miles away. The geography of the Los Angeles Basin acts like a giant bowl. Smoke from the fires in the San Bernardino National Forest or the hills of Ventura County gets pulled into the basin and just sits there. It has nowhere to go.
Health impacts of the lingering smoke
- The invisible threat: PM2.5 particles are small enough to enter your bloodstream through your lungs.
- Delayed reactions: You might feel fine today, but the respiratory strain can trigger asthma or bronchitis three days later.
- Indoor air traps: Older LA apartments aren't exactly airtight. Without a HEPA filter, the air inside your living room is basically the same as the air on the sidewalk.
Honestly, the "is it over" feeling is a bit of a trap. Just because you don't see a wall of fire on the evening news doesn't mean the danger to your lungs or the potential for a new spark is gone. Vegetation is at record-low moisture levels. One tossed cigarette or a spark from a lawnmower on a dry hillside is all it takes to restart the entire cycle.
Real-time resources to track the burn
If you want to know if the LA fires are still going on without relying on word-of-mouth, you have to look at the data. Don't just check Twitter; things get sensationalized there way too fast.
The Cal Fire Incidents map is the gold standard, though it can lag by an hour or two during fast-moving events. For more immediate, "boots on the ground" info, the Watch Duty app has become a literal lifesaver for many Californians. It’s run by volunteers and retired firefighters who listen to the radio scanners and post updates in real-time. It’ll tell you exactly where the "forward progress" of a fire has been stopped, which is a much more important metric than simple containment percentages.
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Then there’s the PurpleAir map. This shows you real-time air quality from sensors installed in people’s backyards. If you see a cluster of red or purple dots in your neighborhood, stay inside. Period. It doesn't matter if the fire is "contained" if the air is still toxic.
Misconceptions about "containment" and "control"
There is a massive difference between a fire being "contained," "controlled," and "out." Most people use these interchangeably, but the LAFD certainly doesn't.
- Containment: A fuel break (like a road or a hand-dug trench) has been established around the fire. The fire can still be burning intensely inside this circle.
- Control: The fire is no longer expected to jump the containment lines. Firefighters have extinguished many of the hot spots near the edges.
- Out: No more heat is detected anywhere in the burn area. This usually takes weeks or months.
So, when you ask are the LA fires still going on, and the news says it's 85% contained, that 15% gap is where the danger lives. That’s the open flank. That’s where the fire is still "uncontrolled" and moving toward new fuel.
The long-term reality of the LA landscape
We have to talk about the "new normal," even though that phrase is incredibly overused. The reality is that the brush in Southern California has evolved to burn, but the frequency is now out of whack. Because we've spent a century putting out every single fire immediately, the "fuel load" (the amount of dead sticks and leaves) is unnaturally high.
When a fire starts now, it burns hotter and faster than it would have 200 years ago. This heat actually changes the soil chemistry, making it water-repellent. So, once the LA fires are finally "out," we move straight into mudslide season. It’s a vicious cycle that keeps the city in a state of perpetual emergency management.
Immediate steps for Los Angeles residents
Since the fires are technically still active or the risk remains extreme, you shouldn't be caught off guard. Preparation isn't about being a "prepper"; it's about not being the person stuck in traffic with an empty gas tank when an evacuation order hits.
Keep your gas tank at least half full. Always. If an evacuation order comes at 3:00 AM, the last thing you want is to be hunting for an open gas station while embers are falling.
Pack a "Go Bag" today. Don't wait. It should have your essential documents (passports, titles), three days of any prescription meds, and—this is the one people forget—physical photos or heirlooms that can't be replaced. Everything else is just "stuff" that insurance can handle.
Set up multiple alert systems. Relying on one app is a mistake. Enable Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on your phone, but also sign up for NotifyLA, which is the city's specific emergency mass notification system.
Check your home’s "defensible space." If you have dry brush or piles of leaves touching your siding, you’re basically providing a fuse for an ember to follow. Clear a 5-foot zone around your house of anything combustible. It sounds small, but it's often the difference between a house that stands and one that burns.
Stay informed, keep the N95 masks handy for the smoke, and keep your eye on the wind. The fires might be "active" or "contained," but in Los Angeles, the threat is a constant presence we just have to live with. All you can do is stay ready so you don't have to get ready.