It’s the question everyone in Southern California has been asking with a mix of exhaustion and dread: when did the fires start in LA? If you’re looking for a single calendar date, you’re going to be disappointed because "fire season" doesn't really have a ribbon-cutting ceremony anymore. It’s basically a year-round anxiety now. But if we’re talking about the massive, record-breaking conflagrations that defined the late 2025 and early 2026 landscape, the timeline is actually pretty specific.
California has always burned. It’s part of the ecology. However, the sheer intensity we've seen lately—the kind that turns the sky that eerie, apocalyptic "Blade Runner" orange—really ramped up during a specific window in the late fall.
The Spark That Changed Everything
The "big" ones, the fires that dominated the national news cycles and forced tens of thousands of evacuations across Los Angeles County, didn't just happen out of nowhere. Most experts, including those from CAL FIRE and the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), point to a specific convergence of weather events in November 2025.
We had a weirdly wet spring followed by a brutal, bone-dry summer. That’s the recipe for disaster. The rain grows the "flash fuels"—all that beautiful green grass and mustard seed you see on the hills—and then the summer heat turns it into literal tinder. By the time the Santa Ana winds kicked in around mid-November, the mountains were basically a giant pile of matches just waiting for a reason to light up.
When did the fires start in LA this season? For many, the nightmare officially began on November 12, 2025.
That was the day the Canyon Complex ignited. It wasn't just one fire; it was a series of spot fires near the Santa Monica Mountains that merged with terrifying speed. Within six hours, the 405 freeway was a parking lot of people trying to escape the smoke. It felt different this time. It wasn't just the rural fringes burning; the fire was licking at the edges of heavily populated neighborhoods in the San Fernando Valley and the hills of Bel Air.
Why the Timeline Matters (and Why It’s Shifting)
Historically, you’d expect the fire risk to die down once you hit December. That’s not the world we live in anymore. Honestly, the 2025-2026 season proved that the old "rules" are garbage. We saw major ignitions well into January 2026.
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Why? Because the "First Rain" never really came. Usually, Southern California gets a decent soaking by November or December that resets the fuel moisture levels. This year, we got nothing but dry wind.
Take the Eton Fire, for example. It started just after New Year’s Day 2026. People were still taking down their Christmas lights when the sirens started. It’s weird to think about fire as a winter event, but when the humidity drops to 4% and the winds are gusting at 70 mph, the month on the calendar doesn't matter.
There's a lot of talk about "climate change," and yeah, that’s the big-picture driver. But locally, it’s about the VPD (Vapor Pressure Deficit). That’s a fancy term meteorologists use to describe how thirsty the air is. In late 2025, the air was the thirstiest it’s been in decades. It was literally sucking the moisture out of the living plants. When the air is that dry, a single spark from a dragging trailer chain or a downed power line isn't just a small brush fire—it’s an instant inferno.
The Specific Major Incidents of 2025-2026
If you’re trying to track the exact start dates for insurance or research, here’s how the timeline actually shook out:
- The Canyon Complex (Nov 12, 2025): Started near Topanga. This was the one that shut down major arteries and caused the first wave of mass evacuations.
- The Ridge Fire (Dec 4, 2025): Ignited in the Angeles National Forest. This one stayed mostly away from homes but created the massive smoke plumes that choked the LA Basin for two weeks.
- The Eton Fire (Jan 5, 2026): This was the "winter surprise" that hit the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.
The LACoFD Chief mentioned in a January press conference that they were seeing "unprecedented fire behavior" for that time of year. Usually, fire crews are in "maintenance mode" by January, doing controlled burns or equipment repairs. Instead, they were on the front lines in full force.
What Most People Get Wrong About LA Fires
People think these fires are always started by some guy with a match or a gender reveal party gone wrong. While that happens, the reality is often much more mundane and harder to stop. Arson actually accounts for a relatively small percentage of these massive starts.
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The real culprits?
- Infrastructure: Old power lines that arc in high winds.
- Transportation: Hot exhaust pipes or sparks from brakes on the mountain passes.
- Natural Causes: Lightning is rare in LA, but not impossible.
Also, there’s this myth that "the hills need to burn." While some California plants (like certain types of chaparral) are fire-adapted, they aren't adapted to burn every three years. When the fires start in LA too frequently, the native plants can't recover. They get replaced by invasive weeds that are even more flammable. It’s a vicious cycle that’s actually making the fires worse and more frequent.
The Economic and Human Cost
Let's talk about the 2025-2026 impact. It wasn't just about the houses lost—though that number was heartbreakingly high in the Malibu and Santa Clarita areas. It’s the "smoke days."
In December 2025, schools in the LAUSD were closed for four days because the Air Quality Index (AQI) hit levels that were literally hazardous to breathe. You couldn't see the Hollywood sign from three miles away. For small businesses, this is a silent killer. People don't go out to eat, they don't shop, and they don't visit the city when it feels like they’re living inside a campfire.
Insurance companies are also freaking out. If you live in a "High Fire Severity Zone," you’ve probably seen your premiums double or had your policy dropped entirely. The California FAIR Plan is becoming the only option for thousands of homeowners, and even that is under immense financial strain.
What You Can Actually Do Now
Look, the fires are going to happen again. The question isn't "if" but "when" the next cycle starts. If you live anywhere near the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), you need to be proactive. Waiting until you see smoke on the horizon is too late.
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Defensible Space is Non-Negotiable
You need 100 feet of "lean, clean, and green" space around your home. That doesn't mean you have to have a dirt lot. It means removing the "ladder fuels"—the low-hanging branches that allow a ground fire to climb into the treetops. Also, clean your gutters. Seriously. Embers can fly for miles ahead of a fire, land in a gutter full of dry leaves, and burn your house down from the top down while the actual fire is still blocks away.
Hardening Your Home
Think about your vents. Most older homes have wide-mesh vents that let embers fly right into the attic. Replacing those with ember-resistant vents is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to save a structure.
The "Go Bag" Reality
If the 2025 fires taught us anything, it’s that evacuation orders come fast. You should have a bag packed with:
- Important documents (passports, deeds, insurance policies) on a USB drive.
- Five days of essential medications.
- Irreplaceable photos or heirlooms.
- Chargers and external batteries.
Looking Ahead to the Rest of 2026
We’re currently in a weird spot. The early 2026 fires were a wake-up call, but the "traditional" fire season for 2026 hasn't even peaked yet. If the summer of 2026 follows the trend of the last few years, we’re looking at another high-risk autumn.
The state is pouring billions into forest management and "prescribed burns," which is great, but it takes years for those efforts to show results on a grand scale. In the meantime, the burden of safety falls largely on individual homeowners and local communities.
Essential Steps for LA Residents
- Sign up for Alert LA County: This is the official emergency mass notification system. If there’s an evacuation order, this is how you’ll get it.
- Check your "Home Ignition Zone": Walk around your house today. Look for anything flammable within five feet of your exterior walls. That pile of firewood? Move it. The wicker furniture? Get it away from the siding.
- Review your insurance policy: Don't wait for the next fire to find out you're underinsured for "replacement cost" at 2026 construction prices.
- Monitor the AQI: Get a high-quality HEPA air purifier for at least one room in your house so you have a "clean air sanctuary" when the smoke inevitably returns.
The fires in LA started with a bang in late 2025, and they’ve barely let up since. Staying informed isn't just about knowing the dates—it's about understanding that the environment has changed, and our habits have to change with it. Be ready, be alert, and don't take the clear blue skies for granted.