Wildfires are raging across Southern California, causing the closure of Universal Studios Hollywood and readers to ask if Disneyland Resort will close or be impacted by the fires. This post addresses the current operational status of the parks, plus everything else you need to know if you’re visiting Los Angeles or Anaheim soon. (Updated January 10, 2025.)
As you’ve likely seen on the news, deadly wildfires have broken out across coastal areas of Southern California due to a confluence of circumstances. These wildfires have proliferated due to atypically powerful Santa Ana winds plus low humidity plus barely any rain over the course of months.
There are now five major fires spreading across Southern California that have scorched more than 55 square miles and put over 300,000 people under evacuation orders, according to local officials. At least 10 people are dead, as more than 10,000 structures have burned and more than 60,000 buildings remain threatened with strong winds continuing to fan flames in densely populated parts of Los Angeles County.
Let’s start with a rundown on the major fires in Southern California:
- The Palisades Fire has burned through more than 20,438 acres and is 8% contained . It had damaged or destroyed more than 5,300 structures, according to the Los Angeles County press conference on Thursday. All evacuation orders and warnings for the Palisades Fire remain in effect.
- The Eaton Fire has burned through more than 13,690 acres and is 3% contained, and it is estimated that more than 5,000 structures have been destroyed.
- The Kenneth Fire has burned through more than 1,000 acres and is 35% contained. All evacuation orders and warnings issued for the Kenneth Fire have been lifted.
- The Hurst Fire has burned through more than 771 acres and is 37% contained.
- The Lidia Fire has burned through more than 395 acres and is 75% contained.
- The Sunset Fire is contained with no structures destroyed and all evacuation orders have been lifted.
Those are just the major wildfires in Southern California. In total, there are 98 active wildfires accounting for 35,999 acres burned, and over 10,000 structures destroyed according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire as of 10:30 a.m. Pacific on Friday, January 10, 2025. However, CalFire notes that assessments are still underway and data is typically delayed–so these are almost assuredly underestimates.
As these firefighters work to contain the above blazes, the risk of additional fast-moving and wind-driven wildfires will persist through at least Friday. Red flag warnings are currently scheduled to remain in place through at least 6 p.m. today, but they’ve already been extended previously on a couple of occasions.
Universal Studios Hollywood is located north of Los Angeles, and is much more impacted by the current conflagrations. Due to extreme winds and fire conditions, Universal Studios Hollywood was closed January 8-9, 2025.
Here’s their latest official statement: Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal CityWalk will be open on Friday, January 10 and will resume regular operating hours.
We look forward to welcoming back all our guests and Team Members. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to those impacted by the recent and ongoing fires, as well as our deepest appreciation to the first responders for their valiant and ongoing efforts during this difficult time.
Other popular tourist destinations, including but not limited to the Getty and Getty Villa, Los Angeles Zoo, and Griffith Observatory have reported closures due to the fires, winds, and smoke conditions. Current closures are mostly confined to the north side of Los Angeles County. We’d recommend checking the official websites and social media channels of any such destinations before planning visits.
Six Flags Magic Mountain ended up closing due to the fires previously, but appears to have reopened based on the website (no statement has been made). No other theme parks in Southern California have reported current closures.
Disneyland has not made any announcements about operational changes and none are expected going forward on January 11, 2025 or beyond.
Disneyland and Disney California Adventure did not close previously. It should be business as usual, for the most part, as the closest major fire to Disneyland is still approximately 30 miles away.
The map above from CalFire shows the proximity of the parks to the five fires, as well as the smoke and haze forecast (yellow) and red flag warnings. Disneyland has a Smoke and Haze Forecast of 25-63 PPM (the middle of five tiers, and what applies to most of SoCal outside the immediate area of the fires) and is under a red flag warning.
Suffice to say, Disneyland will not be directly impacted by any of the five current major wildfires, there could be indirect impacts. The biggest of these is the wind. These strong Santa Ana winds could cause cancellations and closures. To the extent that they’re even scheduled (Fridays through Mondays), “Mickey’s Mix Magic with Fireworks” will probably be presented without pyro. They’re frequently nixed in much calmer conditions.
We’ve heard reports from readers about certain outdoor character meet & greets due to weather, as well as the Amazing Spider-Man show at Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure (featuring the Spider-Man “Stuntronics” figure that’s flung above the buildings).
Another possibility is the cancellation of World of Color – ONE. Obvious candidates for closure are Golden Zephyr and Silly Symphony Swings at Disney California Adventure. These cancellations should actually start to improve with winds dying down. However, there could be other indirect impacts due to air quality.
It’s also worth reiterating that all of the above pertains to the current wildfires.
New wildfires are possible, as the conditions are conducive to them. That’s precisely how SoCal ended up with five separate major wildfires in the first place. Per CalFire, there’s a Red Flag warning for most of Southern California, from north of the current fires all the way down to the southern border of the state (minus the coastline).
Throughout today and over the weekend, winds will begin to relax and relative humidity will begin to climb. The good news is that Anaheim is typically not deemed a high risk for wildfires in the first place. However, everywhere in Southern California is at heightened risk right now due to the unique set of circumstances. Again, these ongoing blazes didn’t occur simultaneously by coincidence.
Above is a look at the current air quality map, courtesy of the the South Coast Air Quality Management District. While there are areas that unhealthy to the north where the wildfires are burning, Anaheim is in a patch of moderate air quality as of Friday morning, with good air quality in the rest of Anaheim to the east.
Air quality is expected to worsen as the wildfires continue to burn but the winds die down. The smoke conditions for the entire South Coast AQMD jurisdiction, which includes Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties, can also be seen here.
Local governments have issued reminders to have a 5-minute evacuation plan in place. With how quickly these fires have been moving and how slow traffic was through some mandatory evacuation areas, that is good advice–so we figured we’d share this 5-minute plan & checklist for other Californians needing one.
Southern California Edison has made several Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) and also advised that PSPS are “under consideration” for many others. Anaheim is not among those locations.
For our part, we live to the southwest of Disneyland (basically the mirror image of Pacific Palisades in terms of location) and we’re under all of the same warnings, plus a PSPS under consideration due to being in a higher risk location (generally, not due to the current wildfires).
Cal Edison actually did make a PSPS in our neighborhood on Thursday night for several hours. No wildfire was nearby, but the measure of last resort was nevertheless undertaken because conditions were conducive to the quick spread of a fire if one were ignited. (Just to underscore how this public safety protocol works.)
Ultimately, this is a historic occurrence and it’s impossible to say how it’ll develop. My guess is that the biggest impact on Disneyland is that the parks will be far less busy through January 14, 2025, as locals to the north have bigger concerns to attend to and most locals to the south are anxious about similar circumstances arising around their homes, and not wanting to be in the parks as a result.
If you’re a tourist, you might have similar concerns about smoke and ash in the air. It’s also possible that flights out of Bob Hope Airport will be delayed or cancelled, but I can’t imagine many Disneyland guests flying into Burbank. Beyond sharing that it’s mostly business as usual at Disneyland and probably will remain that way, I’m not sure what actionable advice to offer.
The biggest thing that comes to mind is being especially courteous to Cast Members and granting them grace. This is underscored by recent social media posts from Disney CEO Bob Iger surveying the devastation in Pacific Palisades and legendary Imagineer Joe Rohde sharing heartfelt thoughts on the loss in Altadena (both are well worth reading). It’s likely that some of the company’s leaders in Burbank lost their homes in the Palisades or Sunset fires, and Glendale-based teams lost theirs in the Eaton fire.
Thousands of homes have already been destroyed, with significant impacts beyond those north of Los Angeles. Disneyland frontline Cast Members are unlikely to live in the areas that have burned, but locals are on edge, regardless, worried about their families and friends, and whether the next fire to break out might be closer to home. Our thoughts go out to all of those affected by the wildfires, and our sincere thank you to those brave individuals out on the frontlines fighting the fires and assisting in evacuations.
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and many other SoCal cities!
Your Thoughts
Thoughts to share about the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Kenneth, Lidia or Sunset wildfires? Any additional on-the-ground reports to share from Disneyland or around Southern California? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
