Scenes from the devastating Palisades Fire in California on January 8, 2025.CAL FIRE_Official, Flickr

“The wildfires in Los Angeles have caused a devastating loss,” Ireland's Tánaiste Micheál Martin said in a social media post on Thursday, January 9.

“My deepest condolences to the families and friends who have lost loved ones. Our thoughts are with all those affected.”

The Tánaiste added that the Irish Consulate in Los Angeles is “monitoring the situation closely and is on hand to provide consular assistance.”

Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs issued a travel alert for Southern California on Wednesday which remains in place as of Thursday. The DFA is also encouraging Irish citizens in the area to register their location online here.

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection on Thursday evening, there are five active wildfires.

The Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, and Hurst Fire all began on Tuesday, while the smaller Lidia Fire and Scout Fire began on Wednesday.

The Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire are far larger than the other three wildfires, impacting more than 17,000 acres and 10,000 acres respectively. Both these fires were at 0% containment as of Thursday evening.

The Associated Press reported on Thursday that more than 180,000 people are under evacuation orders, a figure that continues to shift as new fires erupt.

Five fatalities have been reported, though that figure is expected to rise.

The National Weather Service has extended the Red Flag Warning through 6 pm Friday.

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Irish people and groups in California have begun to share their stories about being impacted by the wildfires.

On Wednesday evening, Irish model Tiffany Stanley took to Instagram as a wildfire neared her home.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we are preparing to evacuate,” she told her 2 million Instagram followers in a story.

“I hope we don’t have to.

“Runyon Canyon - the Runyon Canyon - is only a stone’s throw from our house; it’s just gone up in flames, like out of the blue.

“It’s so weird, it’s super bizarre.

“I don’t quite know how to process this. I’m hoping they can contain it so we don’t have to leave. But this is just so f--ked up."

Irish model Tiffany Stanley discusses the nearby wildfires on Instagram. (@tiffanystanley1, Instagram)

In a follow-up Instagram story, Stanley shared a dramatic view from her street of the blaze:

Irish model Tiffany Stanley shares a view of the blaze from her street. (@tiffanystanley1, Instagram)

On Thursday, the Los Angeles Hurling Club took to social media to share a GoFundMe to benefit their member Andrew Duggan, whose home and studio he shared with his partner Renata were destroyed in the Eaton Fire.

Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley said earlier on Thursday that the number of damaged or destroyed structures is “in the thousands."

“It is safe to say that the Palisades Fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles," Crowley added.

Indeed, actress Tara Reid told her longtime pals Jedward, the Irish twins and pop duo, that it "feels like the end of the world" in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Galway native Sinead Clancy told RTÉ News how she was evacuated from her home in Montrose, La Crescenta and is now staying with her fiance in Burbank.

She said that the wind she heard at her home the night before evacuating was "unreal" and "sounded like thunder."

"We got our first 'get ready to evacuate' notice at 6 am," Clancy told RTÉ's Morning Ireland on Thursday.

"We started getting ready, getting materials, passports, things that were important to us together.

"About an hour later at 7, we were given the 'get out now,' like 'leave now.'

"That's when we got in the car. It's hard to describe, there was thick, black smoke everywhere. You could just see the fire over the ridge down our street.

"We just jumped in the car. My daughter jumped in her car and we just piled in everything we could."

Clancy highlighted how the Eaton Fire was impacting 300 acres on Wednesday night but by Thursday, it was at 10,000 acres.

Clancy said there is "no containment" and "no water."

"There's just no way to tackle this, they're completely unprepared, it's just horrifying," the Galway woman said.