Strong winds are intensifying wildfires currently burning in Los Angeles and other areas of Southern California, causing flight disruptions and cancellations at local airports.
The Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia and Sunset fires are currently burning across Los Angeles County, leading to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. So far, the Palisades fire has affected 17,234 acres, while the Eaton Fire has burned 10,600 acres in the area, according to the data from California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) has issued red flag warnings for most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. These warnings will remain in place until the morning of January 10, 2025, with a possibility for extensions.
A passenger posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) showing the orange flames of the Palisades fire while on a United Airlines flight from Denver to Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR). The flight had to be redirected to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
New video captures the Palisades Fire burning north of Santa Monica, taken from a diverted flight that was originally headed to Burbank, CA, but landed at Los Angeles International Airport instead.
LSC Permission: Mark Viniello pic.twitter.com/nX7dAZzNbi
— Live Storm Chasers (@LiveStormChaser) January 8, 2025
As of January 9, 2025, there have been 1,266 flight cancellations and 454 flight delays within the US due to strong winds contributing to wildfires, according to the data from FlightAware.
Therefore, several major US airlines, such as United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines, have issued flight warnings for travel to, from and through certain areas in Southern California.
Some local airports in the area are warning passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport. BUR Airport issued a statement on X claiming that weather conditions are “impacting various flight operations”.
According to the LAX Airport official website, the airport is open and functioning as usual. So far LAX officials have said that they do not expect any operational impacts from the fires, but they advise passengers to check their flight status with their airlines.
Local media has reported that more than 2,000 homes, businesses and other buildings have been damaged or destroyed so far and at least five people killed in wildfires, making it one of the most destructive firestorms currently raging in the area.
