You wake up, smell that faint hint of campfire in the air, and immediately check the horizon. It’s a classic Los Angeles reflex. If you’re asking are the la fires still going, the answer changes by the hour, but as of right now, we are in a state of high-alert recovery and active monitoring. Fire season in Southern California isn't a single event anymore. It’s a year-round reality.
The smoke has cleared in some neighborhoods, yet the fear lingers. Just a few days ago, the 405 looked like a scene from an apocalypse movie. Now, it’s mostly just traffic. But "mostly" is a dangerous word when it comes to the Santa Ana winds.
The Current State of Containment and Active Hotspots
Right now, Cal Fire and the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) are reporting that the major blazes that dominated the headlines last week are largely under control. We’re talking 90% to 100% containment on the big ones. But containment doesn't mean the fire is out. It just means there's a line around it. Inside that line, things are still smoldering.
A "contained" fire can still have internal pockets of heat that flare up if the wind kicks back up. Firefighters call these "slopovers" or "spot fires." Even if the news stops talking about it, the crews are still out there. They're doing "mop-up" work. That basically means they are digging through white ash to find glowing embers that could fly a mile away and start a brand new disaster.
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The Bridge Fire and the Line Fire—which were massive headaches for the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Mountains—are essentially in the "patrol and monitor" phase. You might still see some "skunk smoke" (small wisps of white smoke) rising from the deep canyons. Most of the time, that’s just heavy fuels like old oak stumps burning themselves out in areas where it’s too dangerous for crews to hike in.
Why the Question "Are the LA Fires Still Going" Is So Complicated
The weather is the boss. Period. When the humidity drops into the single digits and the winds start whipping through the Cajon Pass, everything changes in minutes.
Southern California has this unique, frankly terrifying geography. You've got the ocean on one side and the high desert on the other. When the pressure shifts, that desert air gets sucked through the mountain gaps like a vacuum. It heats up as it drops in elevation. By the time it hits the Los Angeles basin, it’s bone-dry and moving at 60 mph.
That’s why you can’t just look at a map and see a red dot. You have to look at the fuel moisture levels. Right now, the brush—the chamise, the manzanita, the scrub oak—is basically kindling. Even if there isn't a massive plume of smoke visible from the Getty Center today, the potential for a fire to be "going" is at an all-time high.
The Hidden Danger of Smoldering Roots
Most people don't realize that fires can travel underground. No, seriously.
In some of these heavily wooded areas like the Santa Monica Mountains or up near Wrightwood, fire can get into the root systems of old trees. It can creep along for days, invisible, eating through the organic matter in the soil. Then, it pops up fifty feet away from the original burn scar. This is why fire investigators stay on the scene for weeks after the "fire is out."
What the Experts Are Watching Right Now
Chief Anthony Marrone and the leadership at LACoFD aren't just looking at the flames; they're looking at the "Energy Release Component" (ERC). This is a fancy way of measuring how much heat a fire will put out based on how dry the plants are.
- Fuel Moisture: We are currently seeing record lows in some parts of the county.
- Resource Allocation: Since the major fires are contained, a lot of the "strike teams" (those groups of five engines you see driving in a line) have been sent back to their home stations. However, many are on "pre-positioning" status.
- Air Support: The Helitankers—those massive Chinooks that can drop 3,000 gallons of water at a time—are still parked at Van Nuys and Santa Barbara, ready to go in minutes.
If you’re driving the 101 or the 210 and you see "water tenders" (the big water trucks), it means the department is still worried about flare-ups. They don't keep those guys on the clock for fun; it's expensive.
Comparing This Year to Historical Trends
Honestly, this year has been weird. We had a relatively wet winter, which everyone thought would help. It actually did the opposite in the long run.
All that rain made the grass grow three feet high. Then, the summer heat baked that grass into what firefighters call "fine flashy fuels." It’s basically paper. While the big trees might still have some moisture, the grass is ready to go at the strike of a match or a spark from a dragging trailer chain on the freeway.
In years past, we had a distinct "fire season" from October to December. Now? It’s basically whenever the wind blows. The 2017 Thomas Fire and the 2018 Woolsey Fire proved that December is just as dangerous as August.
Real-Time Resources for Tracking LA Fires
If you’re smelling smoke and want to know if are the la fires still going near your specific street, don't wait for the evening news. The pros use specific tools that are open to the public.
- Watch Duty: This is probably the best app created in the last decade for fire tracking. It’s run by volunteers and retired firefighters who listen to the scanners. It’s usually 20 minutes ahead of any official government tweet.
- Cal Fire Incidents Map: The official word. If it’s on here, it’s a "state responsibility" fire.
- The PurpleAir Map: This doesn't track flames, but it tracks air quality. If you see a cluster of purple or red dots suddenly appear, there’s a fire nearby, even if the smoke hasn't hit the main sensors yet.
- Twitter (X) - @LACoFDPIO: This is the Public Information Officer for the LA County Fire Dept. They post the "First Alarm" brush fire calls as they happen.
The Psychological Toll of "Fire Weather"
We need to talk about the "fire anxiety" that hits everyone in LA. When the wind starts howling at 2 AM and the power company (SCE) starts sending those "Public Safety Power Shutoff" (PSPS) warnings, it’s stressful.
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Your brain stays in a state of high alert. You start thinking about your "Go Bag." You wonder if you should park the car facing out. This is a legitimate form of trauma for people who lived through the Woolsey or Skirball fires. Experts suggest that keeping a "Ready, Set, Go" plan is the only way to manage that stress. Control what you can, because you definitely can't control the wind.
Misconceptions About Fire Containment
People often get frustrated when they see a fire is "50% contained" but the smoke is getting worse.
Containment is a measure of the perimeter, not the intensity. You can have a 90% contained fire where the remaining 10% is in a deep, inaccessible canyon that is burning like a furnace. That 10% can produce more smoke than the entire fire did on day one.
Also, "controlled" is different from "contained." A fire is only controlled when the commanders are certain that no more spread will occur. That usually doesn't happen until we get a "wetting rain"—at least a half-inch of steady rainfall. Given the current forecast, we aren't seeing that "season-ending event" just yet.
What You Should Be Doing Right Now
Since we are still in the danger zone, there are a few practical things that actually matter. Forget the "thoughts and prayers" stuff; do the manual labor.
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Clear your defensible space. If you have dried leaves in your gutters, you’re basically living in a tinderbox. Embers from a fire three miles away can land in those gutters and burn your house down from the top down while you’re busy packing your car.
Check your vents. Most houses burn because embers get sucked into the attic vents. You can buy fine metal mesh at Home Depot and staple it over your vents. It’s a $20 fix that saves a $1.5 million home.
Keep your tank half full. If an evacuation order comes, the last place you want to be is in a three-mile line at a gas station that has no power.
Sign up for Alert LA County. This is the official emergency notification system. They will call your cell phone if your specific block needs to leave.
The Bottom Line on the Current Fire Situation
So, are the la fires still going? Technically, yes—but they aren't currently "running." They are being managed, patrolled, and mopped up. The immediate threat to life and property has subsided for the major incidents, but the environmental conditions for a new fire are still "critical" to "extreme."
We are in that weird middle ground where the sky is blue, but the air is dry, and everyone is waiting for the next gust of wind.
Actionable Steps for Los Angeles Residents
- Download Watch Duty immediately and set your notification radius to 20 miles.
- Screenshot your insurance policy and keep it in a cloud folder. If your house goes, your paperwork goes with it.
- Do a "dry run" pack. See how long it actually takes you to get the dog, the kids, and the hard drives into the car. If it takes more than 15 minutes, you have too much stuff.
- Monitor the AQI (Air Quality Index). Even if the fire isn't "going" near you, the particulate matter from distant fires can wreck your lungs, especially if you have asthma or heart conditions. Keep the N95 masks from the COVID days; they are actually designed for wood smoke, too.
- Respect the "Road Closed" signs. Don't be the person who tries to drive around a barrier to get a TikTok video of the scorched earth. There are falling rocks and "hazard trees" (trees that look fine but have burned-out roots) that can fall on your car without warning.
Stay vigilant, keep your phone charged, and don't ignore the smell of smoke just because the news says "100% containment." In Los Angeles, the fire is only truly over when the first big winter storm turns the hills from black to green. Until then, we stay ready.