Is LAX airport open? Are flights still going ahead from Los Angeles Airport, is it safe to travel - as passengers reported airport 'getting smoky'

LAX is around 19 miles south of Pacific Palisades, but the majority of arrivals and departures have continued as normal amid the wildfires. The airport is operating and open as normal today (Monday January). It says on its website: “LAX is open and operating normally. Passengers should check their flight status directly with their airline”.

On TikTok a user previously questioned why the airport was still open amid the wildfires, asking: “Serious question! Can someone tell me why LAX airport hasn’t closed yet? And are passengers in actual threat?”.

One user, who claimed to be a flight attendant, responded saying: “Flight attendant here, no waivers and no reason to close. Planes are landing and taking off with no problem.” Another posted a comment this morning which read: “My in laws just landed at LAX with no problems. Its not close to the fire”. Another added that the airport “is about 45 minute drive away from the fires”.

A user on X, formerly Twitter, said they flew out of LAX Airport on Tuesday afternoon (7 January) and saw that the airport was “getting smoky”. The user wrote: “We flew out of LAX yesterday afternoon and could see the smoke plumes. The airport was getting smoky as we checked in too.

“I have a number of friends in Palisades and Santa Monica who have been forced to evacuate. Thankfully they’re all safe. This feels different than the Malibu fires a few years back. Closer to home.”

Yesterday (Sunday 12 January) fresh fires started to flare up in the rugged terrain of Angeles National Forest, but crews were successful in stopping the flames from spreading. They have also contained the Kenneth Fire completely and the Hurst Fire is almost fully contained - but two fires continue to rage.

The Palisades and Eaton Fires are continuing to burn as 105,000 people have been placed under evacuation orders. For evacuees who are unsure whether their homes have been spared by the inferno, they are eagerly awaiting the announcement that it's safe for them to return home. The Palisades Fire is now the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles.

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced he was deploying 1,000 more California National Guard service members to assist in Los Angeles. He said there's now around 2,500 service members mobilised, who will "continue to help keep the communities devastated by the fires safe."

The number of people killed by wildfires in the Los Angeles area has increased to 24. Sixteen people have been killed in the Eaton fire and eight in the Palisades fire, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner.

It said the deaths "are still under investigation". Ten of those listed as deceased are unidentified, the office said in a statement.