One lesson from this year's Pacific Palisades fire is that there might not be much advanced warning of a wildfire.
The cause of the January 2025 fire that destroyed nearly 7,000 homes in California is still under investigation.
What is known is that the first 911 call came in at 10:29 a.m. A wireless emergency alert was issued at 11:12 a.m. By 11:27 a.m., homes were on fire. By the time an evacuation order was issued at 12:07 p.m., roads were already jammed. Eventually residents were asked to leave their cars on the road and the cars were bulldozed to allow in firefighting equipment.
The usual advice for wildfires is to prepare for a 3-7 day evacuation. But, as with the Palisades, residents might find they can't return at all.
Long-term planning in wildfire areas is therefore crucial. Even go-kits might not work if residents are forced from their vehicles.
* Pre-plan with friends or family for a place to stay.
* Pre-pack a backpack as a go kit. Include a bottle of drinking water, energy bars, and change of clothes, N95 respirators and fire-resistant gloves.
* Take your pets. Keep leashes handy and ready to take. Pets won't survive in a house fire and you might find they won't be admitted to shelters.
* Keep up-to-date photos of documents on your phone or in a waterproof container, including insurance policies, medical information, driver's license, even photos of credit cards.
* Have cash sufficient for at least a week. Don't expect that there will be power to process credit cards.
* Have all meds ready to carry.
* Know evacuation routes in advance. A photo of a map on your phone may help. Don't expect cell service.