This Month
Thousands evacuate as new major wildfire erupts near LA
Fire crews are making progress on blunting the threat from an enormous new blaze north of Los Angeles that forced more than 50,000 under evacuation orders.
- Christopher Weber and Marcio Jose Sanchez
LA firefighters hold the line despite extreme conditions
Some 8500 firefighters from at least seven states and two foreign countries prevented the blazes from growing for the second day running.
- Lisa Richwine and Mike Blake
Lawsuits, looting as fire-scarred LA braces for more extreme winds
The blazes have scorched nearly 160 square kilometres and levelled entire neighbourhoods, from Pacific Palisades on the coast to Altadena in the east.
- Laura Curtis and Michelle Ma
How the LA fires became part of the culture wars
The hunt for blame has quickly turned into a Democrat v Republican, left versus right row, taking in everything from smelt fish to “woke” diversity policies.
- Benedict Smith and Susie Coen
More than tax reform, we need budget guardians
Readers’ letters on fiscal discipline, improving productivity, the Los Angeles fires, diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and democracy under threat.
More reported missing as strong winds fuel LA blazes
The Eaton fire, which has killed at least 11 people, ranks among the 10 deadliest in California history. Officials say the death toll is likely to rise.
- Amy Graff, Jonathan Wolfe, Claire Moses and Yan Zhuang
Newsom warns Trump against withholding disaster relief for LA fires
The governor of California says the president-elect could hold back emergency funding as he plays politics on the most costly wildfire in US history.
- Updated
- Matthew Cranston
Australian man dies after fire engulfs Malibu home
British-born Australian citizen Rory Sykes, 32, died after flames engulfed his self-contained cottage on a family property in Mount Malibu, his mother Shelley Sykes said.
- Suzanne Simonot
‘Unimaginable terror’: LA wildfires threaten Bel Air
Evacuation orders cover important cultural institutions, including the Getty Centre and the University of California, Los Angeles. The death toll now stands at 16.
- Updated
- Michelle Ma, John Gittelsohn and Amy Graff
Elon Musk blames female firefighters, DEI for LA disaster
The billionaire’s use of X to stoke partisan outrage about the disaster underscores how the platform has transformed into a megaphone for his political views.
- Updated
- Pranshu Verma, Will Oremus and Trisha Thadani
How a ‘warrior’ brain surgeon saved his street from fires and looters
It was a scenario the 62-year-old had been preparing for: he had trained, sourced the fire hoses, and briefed his son and neighbour about the course of action.
- Susie Coen
The hottest year on record sparks fears of a ‘dangerous new era’
Temperatures broke another record in 2024 and experts warn this could bring faster wildfires, bigger storms and more extreme weather.
- David Gelles and Austyn Gaffney
- Opinion
- Opinion
In Trump’s fantasy world, fish set fire to Los Angeles
It’s always worth examining whether fire and water management could have been improved. But this isn’t what the misinformation spread by climate deniers aims to achieve.
- Lara Williams
Australian man dies after flames engulf Malibu home
British-born Australian citizen Rory Sykes, 32, died after flames engulfed his self-contained cottage on a family property in Mount Malibu.
- Suzanne Simonot
Albanese seizes on Los Angeles fires to argue case for climate action
As some of the world’s wealthiest enclaves are destroyed, the PM says Peter Dutton’s nuclear energy plan will delay action to address climate change.
- Andrew Tillett
- Updated
- Donald Trump
‘Like an atomic bomb’: LA fire costs surge to $240b
The fire between Santa Monica and Malibu on the city’s western flank and the one in the east already rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles’ history.
- Updated
- Matthew Cranston
‘There was nothing you could do’: The week fire swallowed Los Angeles
Like so much of California, Los Angeles knows fire. But this was a disaster ripped from a Hollywood film, a real-life nightmare playing out in America’s dream factory.
- Reis Thebault and Joshua Partlow
Oscar nominations delayed as stars lose homes to fires
The Academy Award nominations are also being delayed two days to January 19, with the voting window extended.
‘We lost everything’: How wildfires leave psychological scars
Researchers found that about 4 per cent of the people affected by a bushfire in Victoria, Australia, were still suffering distress a decade later.
- Emily Schmall and Katie Mogg
Landmarks from film and TV damaged by wildfires
The high school where Brian De Palma brought Stephen King’s Carrie to life, and a motel owned by William Randolph Hearst have been damaged or destroyed.
- Lindsey Bahr