Checking the horizon for smoke has become a reflex for anyone living in Southern California. If you’re standing on the pier looking toward the Santa Monica Mountains and seeing a haze, you’re likely asking: are there fires in Santa Monica?
Right now, there are no active, major wildfires burning within the city limits of Santa Monica.
That can change in a heartbeat. Usually, when people smell smoke in the 90401 zip code, it isn't actually a fire in the city itself. It’s often a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades, a canyon fire in Malibu, or something deeper in the Sepulveda Pass drifting toward the coast on a shift in wind. But that doesn't make the air any less thick.
Understanding the Current Fire Risk in West LA
The Santa Monica Fire Department (SMFD) stays on high alert because our geography is a bit of a double-edged sword. We have the beautiful ocean air, but we are also bordered by some of the most fire-prone wildland-urban interfaces in the world.
Think about the terrain.
You have the steep, fuel-heavy cliffs of the Palisades just to the north. You have the dry brush of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. When the Santa Ana winds kick up—those hot, dry gusts from the desert—they push fire toward the coast. In those moments, the question of whether there are fires in Santa Monica becomes a question of how close the fires near Santa Monica are getting.
The most recent major scare for the immediate area involved the Getty Fire and the Skirball Fire in years past. While the flames stayed east of the 405, the ash fell on the Third Street Promenade like gray snow. It’s eerie. It’s quiet. The sky turns a bruised shade of purple and orange.
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Real-Time Monitoring Resources
You shouldn't rely on a single tweet from three hours ago to decide if you need to pack a bag. If you are worried about are there fires in Santa Monica at this exact second, these are the only sources you should trust:
- PulsePoint: This app is a lifesaver. It shows you every "Vegetation Fire" or "Structure Fire" call the SMFD or LAFD is currently responding to.
- The Santa Monica Fire Department Official Twitter (@SantaMonicaFD): They are incredibly fast with "No Threat to City" updates when smoke drifts in from Malibu.
- CalFire’s Incident Map: This is for the big stuff. If it’s on this map, it’s a verified wildfire.
- LAFD Alerts: Since Santa Monica is a small city surrounded by Los Angeles, the LAFD's alerts for the Pacific Palisades and Brentwood often matter more to your safety than local city alerts.
Why the Smoke Feels So Close
Sometimes the air smells like a campfire even when the nearest blaze is 40 miles away in the San Gabriel Mountains. This is due to the marine layer.
Basically, the heavy, cool ocean air traps the smoke from inland fires and pushes it against the mountains. It has nowhere to go. It sits there. You wake up, look at the beach, and can't see the water because of the "smoke fog." This happened significantly during the 2020 fire season and again during smaller blazes in 2024.
The Difference Between Brush Fires and Structure Fires
We have to be specific here. When people ask about are there fires in Santa Monica, they are usually thinking of the hills burning. But in an urban environment like ours, structure fires are a more daily reality.
Old buildings. High density.
Santa Monica has a lot of historic structures, particularly in the downtown core and near the beach. A kitchen fire in a brick building from the 1920s can put off enough smoke to trigger a city-wide "What is that smell?" on Nextdoor.
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If you see a lot of black smoke, it’s likely a building or a vehicle. If the smoke is white or light gray and seems to be coming from the hills, that’s brush. That’s the stuff that moves fast.
Defensible Space and the Palisades Border
If you live in North of Montana, you’re in the "hot zone" for embers.
Fire doesn't just walk across the ground. It leaps. During the 2019 Getty Fire, embers were staying hot and traveling over a mile through the air. If there is a fire in the Palisades, Santa Monica residents in the northern part of the city need to be extremely vigilant about their gutters.
Dried leaves in a gutter are basically kindling. One spark from a fire two miles away lands in that gutter, and suddenly your house is the one on the news.
What to Do If a Fire Starts Nearby
Don't wait for the official evacuation order to get your act together. The roads in and out of Santa Monica—the PCH, the 10, and Wilshire—get clogged instantly.
If there is a fire in the Santa Monica Mountains moving south, the traffic will be a nightmare.
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First step: Check the wind. If the wind is blowing from the North/Northeast (Santa Anas), you are in the path. If the wind is blowing from the West (Onshore flow), the fire will likely stay in the canyons or move inland.
Second step: Air quality. Even if the flames are far, the particulate matter (PM2.5) is dangerous. Santa Monica’s air quality can drop from "Good" to "Hazardous" in about thirty minutes. Close your windows. Turn your AC to "recirculate." If you have an N95 mask left over from the pandemic, wear it. The smoke from California wildfires contains everything from vaporized wood to melted plastics from burned homes. It's toxic.
Actionable Steps for Santa Monica Residents
Honestly, being prepared is the only way to kill the anxiety that comes with fire season.
- Sign up for SMAlerts: This is the city’s official emergency notification system. They will text you if there’s a local evacuation or a major fire.
- The "Go-Bag" Reality: You don't need a tactical survival kit. You need your passport, your prescriptions, a charger, and your pet’s leash. Keep them in one spot.
- Check your vents: Ensure your attic vents have fine metal mesh. This stops embers from "sucking" into your attic space while the fire is still miles away.
- Monitor IQAir: Use this site to track the real-time air quality index (AQI) specifically for Santa Monica, as it varies wildly from the inland readings in DTLA.
Living by the beach feels safe, but the geography of the Santa Monica Basin means we are always at the mercy of the brush and the wind. Stay informed, keep your phone charged during Red Flag Warnings, and always trust your nose. If it smells like it's right outside your window, treat it like it is until the FD says otherwise.
Check the SMFD active call log or the LAFD news blog for the most immediate updates on any rising smoke columns you see today.