Evacuation Challenges During the Eaton Fire: Initial Insights
Brief
Hao Ding | Evelyn Blumenberg
January 2026
Communities in the wildland–urban interface (WUI), where development meets wildlands, face growing wildfire risk as urban expansion and drought intensify fire frequency and severity in Southern California. In January 2025, the Palisades and Eaton fires devastated Los Angeles–area neighborhoods, causing deaths, injuries, and widespread destruction. In July 2025, we surveyed evacuees from these fires to examine evacuation decisions, experiences, housing outcomes, and future plans; this brief presents preliminary findings focused on Pacific Palisades evacuees.
