Law enforcement and public safety officials on Thursday repeatedly called the Palisades Fire the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history, and that only rang more true as the historic blaze continued to spread on Friday.

As of a Cal Fire update issued at 1:57 a.m., the blaze was spread across 19,978 acres. The fire erupted Tuesday morning and, with the help of historic Santa Ana winds, quickly ripped through residential areas and downtown Pacific Palisades.

Homes are seen burned while a few still stand, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Those areas are now nearly completely destroyed, leaving thousands homeless. More than 5,000 structures have been destroyed, including an unknown number of homes and businesses.

Damage is believed to be in the tens of billions of dollars. At least 10 people have been killed in Southern California across the several fires that have been roaring.

The evacuation order extended throughout the Pacific Palisades to the Pacific Ocean and included areas of Santa Monica, Malibu and Topanga. Residents and businesses in Calabasas remained under an evacuation warning on Thursday.

The Palisades Fire perimeter and evacuation zones on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (CalFire)

The cause remains under investigation. A man was arrested on suspicion of arson near Woodland Hills on Thursday afternoon but it’s not yet clear which of the several fires across the L.A. area he could potentially be linked to. He was taken into custody after residents allegedly saw the man attempting to ignite a fire.

Fire crews finally managed to make progress in the fight against the Palisades Fire on Thursday. After two days of no containment, officials raised the containment to 6% as winds settled enough to allow for fixed-wing aircrafts and helicopters to battle it, alongside more than 3,000 firefighting personnel.

As for the future firefighting operations, Cal Fire issued the following statement:

“The Palisades Fire continues to exhibit wind-driven and topographic runs upslope. Short-range spotting is still observed,” Cal Fire said in a bulletin. “On Saturday, typical mid-January conditions are expected. Sunday and continuing through the middle of next week, weak to moderate Santa Ana winds are expected. There is a chance of strong winds Tuesday. There will continue to be a high likelihood of critical fire weather conditions through next week.”

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