Newsom-commissioned probe finds communication failures in 2025 Palisades and Eaton wildfire response
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s appointed UL Research Institute released a report on Oct. 9, 2026 that found widespread communication breakdowns, institutional disconnections and tactical errors during the Jan. 7, 2025 Palisades and Eaton wildfires.
The findings matter because the two fires together scorched more than 37,000 acres, claimed 31 lives and destroyed over 16,000 structures across Los Angeles, Malibu, Pasadena and Altadena, leaving two‑thirds of survivors still displaced and many still battling insurance obstacles.
The Palisades Fire burned 23,448 acres in coastal Los Angeles and Malibu, killing 12 people and razing 6,833 structures, while the Eaton Fire consumed 14,021 acres in the Pasadena‑Altadena area, killing 19 and destroying 9,419 structures.
According to the investigation, paramedics and sheriff’s deputies witnessed severe ember storms and burning homes in West Altadena hours before wide‑area alerts were issued, but because those first‑responders operated outside the fire command structure, their observations never reached incident leaders. Most West Altadena residents did not receive mandatory evacuation orders until the fire had already engulfed the community.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department’s incident command center at the Rose Bowl was described as “disorganized” and remained unaware that the fire had pushed westward until daylight. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles City Fire Department failed to monitor a smoldering blaze in Topanga State Park after an initial containment effort on Jan. 1, and its commanders lacked experience with large, complex wildfires. Separate evacuation maps used by the Los Angeles Police Department and the fire department created conflicting directives, and 26 fire units deployed independently without command approval.
Conditions improved only after the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) assumed control of incident operations on Jan. 8, 2025, providing a unified command that helped stabilize the situation.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger called the findings “serious” and, on Oct. 6, secured board approval for a motion to compare the UL report with existing after‑action reviews, identify gaps and recommend corrective measures. Survivors’ groups, led by Joy Chen of the Every Fire Survivor’s Network, urged the state to move beyond additional reports and implement concrete reforms to prevent repeat failures.
