Overview

• Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed on July 21 that human remains found in Altadena have raised the January wildfire death toll to 31.
• A county medical examiner’s team investigated a site in Altadena more than six months after the blazes began, officially identifying the new discovery as human remains.
• The January fires spread with unprecedented speed under Santa Ana winds that gusted up to 160 km/h, overwhelming firefighting resources across multiple fronts.
• More than 16 000 buildings were destroyed, with significant devastation reported in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, leveling entire neighborhoods.
• Investigators continue to work to pinpoint the ignition sources and factors that fueled the fires’ rapid expansion.