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

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Edited By: tccjeremy

[Courtesy: Los Angeles County Fire Department]

Key Takeaways:

Multiple major wildfires are devastating Southern California, with the Palisades and Eaton Fires alone burning over 27,800 acres, resulting in 180,000 evacuations, over 1,000 destroyed structures, and at least five confirmed fatalities.
Extensive firefighting resources, including over 7,500 personnel, ground crews, and significant aerial support from various state and federal agencies, have been deployed, with efforts adapting to calming winds but bracing for future high wind predictions.
The wildfires have severely impacted regional air travel, leading to FAA Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs), disruptions at commercial airports like LAX and Burbank, airline flight waivers, and operational adjustments due to turbulence.

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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.