It's that feeling again. You wake up, look out the window, and the sky in Los Angeles has that weird, bruised-orange tint. Your first instinct isn't to check the weather. It's to check the maps. Honestly, living in Southern California means "fire season" isn't really a season anymore—it’s just a permanent state of mind. People keep asking, where are the LA fires now, and the answer is usually a lot more complicated than just a red dot on a GPS.
Right now, as of mid-January 2026, we are actually in a bit of a "breather" compared to the nightmare that was 2025. If you remember the Eaton and Palisades fires from last year, those names still carry a lot of weight in the canyons. But today? The situation is mostly about recovery and tiny, localized flare-ups rather than the massive, sky-eating monsters we saw a few months ago.
The Current State of Where Are the LA Fires Now
If you look at the Cal Fire and LAFD dashboards today, you won't see any massive "out of control" wildfires tearing through the Santa Monica Mountains. That's the good news. The bad news is that the "zombie fire" phenomenon is real. Just a few days ago, fire crews were still dealing with the fallout of the Lachman fire. This was a blaze that everyone thought was dead back on January 2nd. Then, 100mph winds whipped through the Palisades, and suddenly, the embers that were hiding underground or in deep stumps woke up.
It’s scary, honestly. You think the danger is gone because the smoke cleared, but the heat can stay buried in the root systems for weeks. This is why when you search for where are the LA fires now, you might see "0% containment" on a fire that supposedly ended two weeks ago.
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Recent "Major Emergency" Incidents
While the hills are relatively quiet, the city itself has been busy. Just this week, on January 13, 2026, we had a massive scare in North Hills. This wasn't a brush fire, but a "Major Emergency Structure Fire" at a boarded-up commercial building on West Parthenia Street.
- North Hills (Jan 13): Over 100 firefighters fought a two-story blaze that almost jumped to a nearby apartment complex.
- Winnetka (Jan 13): Another major commercial fire required 120 firefighters to stop it from eating a neighboring building.
- Hollywood (Jan 4): A 100-year-old Craftsman house went up in flames early in the morning.
These aren't the brush fires that make national news, but for the people living in those zip codes, the smoke is just as real. The LAFD has been playing whack-a-mole with these structure fires lately.
Why the "Zombie Fire" in the Palisades Changed Everything
We have to talk about Jonathan Rinderknecht. He’s the name at the center of the legal case following the most destructive fire in LA history—the "zombie" fire in the Palisades. This wasn't just a fire; it was a lesson in how unpredictable the local climate has become.
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Basically, the fire was "out." The LAFD said so on January 7, 2026. Then the winds hit. Santa Anas are no joke, but 100mph gusts are next-level. It turned a cold scene into an inferno in minutes. It’s why fire chiefs like Jaime Moore are so focused on the one-year anniversary of these events. They aren't just remembering; they are warning us that the old rules—where you’re safe once the rain starts—don't apply anymore.
Tracking the Risk in Real Time
If you’re trying to find out exactly where the smoke is coming from right this second, don't just rely on TikTok or X (formerly Twitter). The info there is usually ten minutes behind or five miles off.
The Tools the Pros Use
Most people use the LAFD "Alerts" page, which is great for house fires or car accidents. But for the big brush fires, you want the NASA Scientific Visualization Studio or the Cal Fire Incident Map. NASA’s data is wild because they use satellite thermal imaging to see heat signatures before the smoke even becomes visible to the naked eye.
In early 2026, Cal Fire started using a new GIS (Geographic Information System) technology. This is pretty cool—it shows exactly where they’ve done "fuel treatments." If you see a fire heading toward a "green zone" on the map, that’s where they’ve cleared the brush. It gives you a much better idea of whether a fire is going to stop or keep roaring toward your backyard.
The Weather Factor: La Niña’s Revenge
Why is it so dry right now? Usually, January is when we’re supposed to be worried about mudslides, not fires.
We are currently stuck in a developing La Niña pattern. This means below-average rain and above-average heat. While Northern California got a bit of "whiplash weather" with some moist periods, Southern California has been a tinderbox.
- Rainfall: We are at about 70% of our normal average.
- Drought: About 37% of the state is officially in a drought again.
- Winds: The Santa Ana window has shifted, staying active way later into the winter than it used to.
Honestly, the "seasonal outlook" is a bit depressing. Fire potential is forecast to stay "above normal" for the foreseeable future. We had a tiny bit of rain in early January that lifted some evacuation warnings for mudslides, but it wasn't enough to soak the deep fuels in the mountains.
Actionable Steps for Angelenos Right Now
Knowing where are the LA fires now is only half the battle. You need to know what to do when the map shows a red dot moving your way.
- Check the "Hardened Home" Status: If you live in the "WUI" (Wildland-Urban Interface), your house is the fuel. Make sure your vents have fine mesh screens so embers can't get sucked into your attic. That’s how most houses in the Palisades were lost—not by a wall of flame, but by a single ember in the vents.
- Download the "Watch Duty" App: This is honestly the best tool out there right now. It’s crowdsourced but vetted by former fire pros. It gives you the "ping" long before the official Amber-style alerts hit your phone.
- The 5-Foot Rule: Clear everything—and I mean everything—within five feet of your house. No mulch, no wooden fences touching the siding, no "pretty" bushes. That five-foot buffer is the difference between a scorched lawn and a lost home.
- Air Quality Monitoring: If you smell smoke but don't see a fire on the map, check the PurpleAir network. It uses low-cost sensors in people's backyards to give a hyper-local air quality reading. If the AQI hits 150+, get your N95 mask out, even if you’re indoors.
The reality of 2026 is that we don't have a "fire season" anymore. We have "wind days" and "fuel days." Stay alert, keep your gas tank at least half full, and keep a go-bag by the door. The maps might be clear today, but in Los Angeles, things change as fast as the wind blows.