2026-09-28 · housing
More than 12,000 homeless-related fires already reported in LA this year, straining fire crews
Los Angeles Fire Department records obtained by ABC7 show 12,241 fires classified as "Homeless or Encampment Related" from January 1 through September 20, about 6% fewer than the same period last year and an average of 47 a day. More than 10,000 were trash fires; the analysis counted 189 vegetation or brush fires, 173 vehicle fires and 153 structure fires, with concentrations along the 10 Freeway corridor and in Skid Row. Mayor Karen Bass's office said in a statement that she has removed more than 140 encampments and that encampment-fire calls are down by more than 800 from this time last year.
ABC7's April analysis of the same LAFD data put the 2025 total at 16,982 homeless-related fires through mid-December, up from 7,165 in 2020.