February 18, 2025

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Is it safe to travel to Los Angeles? Latest advice during the California wildfires

Is it safe to travel to Los Angeles? Latest advice during the California wildfires

Large areas of Los Angeles remain subject to mandatory evacuation orders as four wildfires burn in the north and west of the city — two of which are still largely out of control. Twenty-four people are known to have died, hundreds are injured, at least 12,300 buildings have been destroyed and around 100,000 people have been evacuated as powerful winds are forecast to fan what is now the worst fire event in Los Angeles’ history. If you’re due to travel, here’s what you need to know.

Is it safe to travel to Los Angeles?

People watch the smoke and flames from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood on January 7, 2025

People watching smoke from the fire in Pacific Palisades

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If you are due to travel to Los Angeles in the coming days you should reconsider the necessity of your journey. Mandatory evacuations have caused mass disruption not only in residential areas but also in tourist areas including West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, where you may find shops, restaurants and other services closed.

Attractions including the Getty Villa, Griffith Park and the Will Rogers State Historic Park are closed, and many others are operating reduced hours or services “out of an abundance of caution”. The Pacific Coast Highway, where hundreds of homes and businesses have been destroyed, remains closed between Santa Monica and Malibu.

Dozens of hotels, including the Biltmore, the Hoxton and the Regent Santa Monica are accommodating evacuees. Air quality is very poor across much of the city and the advice is to “consider reducing activity, particularly outdoors”.

What started the Los Angeles wildfires? The ‘devil winds’ fanning the flames

Where are the wildfires?

A woman pushes her belongings off Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga Canyon Boulevard during the Palisades fire

A woman pushes her belongings off Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga Canyon Boulevard

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The four fires are burning in Eaton, north of Pasadena; Hurst, northwest of San Fernando; Pacific Palisades, ten miles northwest of Downtown LA; and a small area west of Palisades that has been named the Auto fire.

A map showing the locations of four fires burning in California on January 14, 2025

What caused the fires?

A firefighter hosing a burning apartment complex from the Eaton fire

A firefighter hoses an apartment complex burning in the Eaton fire

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The exact cause of each fires is as yet undetermined but their ferocity is due to a combination of drought — Los Angeles hasn’t had significant rain since last May and is experiencing the driest winter in the city’s history — and the so-called Santa Ana winds: hot, dry air from California’s interior that races seawards through the valleys of the Santa Ana mountains, turning vegetation tinder-dry.

How long before the fires are put out?

Firefighters battle the Palisades fire as it burns during a windstorm on the west side of Los Angeles

The fires have been spread by strong winds with gusts of up to 100mph

REUTERS/RINGO CHIU

The Palisades fire has destroyed 23,713 acres and is just 14 per cent contained. The Eaton fire has burned 14,117 acres and is 33 per cent contained. The Auto fire is uncontained but so far affecting just 56 acres, while the Hurst fire is now 97 per cent under control. But as the Santa Ana winds strengthen, the National Weather Service is warning of “extreme fire behaviour” until midday Wednesday.

Fire engulfs a home as the Eaton fire moves through the area on January 8, 2025

A house is destroyed by the Eaton fire

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Is Los Angeles airport open?

Los Angeles International (LAX) lies ten miles southeast of Pacific Palisades, so arrivals and departures are largely unaffected. That said, high winds could mean bumpy approaches to the airport.

Can I get a refund if I choose not to travel because of wildfires?

A plane takes off from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in an easterly direction as smoke rises from a fast-moving brush fire in the Pacific Palisades

Planes take off from Los Angeles International Airport as smoke rises from the Pacific Palisades fire

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In the absence of clear advice against non-essential travel from the Foreign Office, normal booking conditions on package holidays are deemed to apply — and that means that in most cases you can’t get a refund. For flights, hotels, short-term lets and car hire, the rule of thumb is that if the product you booked remains available and is not directly affected by the wildfires, you are not entitled to a refund. Airbnb has reversed a strict no-refunds policy that was in place at the beginning of the crisis. “Our Major Disruptive Events policy is currently in effect for impacted areas of Southern California, meaning guests who have an eligible booking can cancel for a refund,” the platform advises.

Compensation for cancelled and delayed flights: everything you need to know

Am I covered by my travel insurance?

In some cases — usually the more expensive policies — you may have coverage for cancellation, curtailment or disruption due to wildfires. “This could cover you if you can’t stay at your booked accommodation because of fire,” says the insurance provider Avanti. “You would be able to move to different accommodation so that you can continue the rest of your holiday. The fires must have been unforeseen when you bought your policy or booked your trip, whichever was later.”

I’m currently on holiday in LA. What should I do?

Planes come in to land at LAX, while the Palisades fire can be seen from Manhattan Beach in California on January 7

The Palisades fire and planes coming in to land at LAX as seen from Manhattan Beach

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If you’re currently in an area affected by wildfires, you should follow local advice from the alerts page of the Los Angeles Fire Department and the County of Los Angeles. Once you are in a safe area you should also contact your tour operator, airline or travel provider. If you are due to fly home within the next 48 hours you should contact your airline — or download the airline app — to check your flight status.

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