Air Traffic Disrupted as Wildfires Continue to Rage in Southern California

FAA has established several temporary flight restrictions in the region to protect aircraft involved in the firefighting operations.

Meg Godlewski

Thursday, January 09, 2025 at 02:48 PM ET

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

[Courtesy: Los Angeles County Fire Department]

Key Takeaways:

Extensive air and ground resources, including over 7,500 personnel and numerous aircraft, have been deployed to combat widespread wildfires in Southern California, with efforts aided by a temporary lull in high winds.
The FAA has established Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) to protect firefighting aircraft, significantly impacting commercial airport operations and leading airlines to issue flight waivers and adjust services.
The fires, particularly the Palisades and Eaton fires, have consumed tens of thousands of acres with minimal containment, causing 180,000 evacuations, destroying over 1,000 structures, and resulting in at least five confirmed deaths.

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Calming winds allowed aerial firefighters to deploy in Southern California late Wednesday as wildfires continued to plague the region.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the agency was able to utilize 12 helicopters and six airplanes to support the more than 1,100 firefighters assigned to the containment efforts. Several western states are also sending fire personnel, trucks, and aircraft to help combat the fires, officials said.