Veteran Photographer in LA Says Wildfire is ‘Worst’ He’s Ever Seen

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A fire truck with red lights illuminated drives through a smoke-filled street during a wildfire. Thick, dark smoke engulfs the sky, and flames are visible in the background. Tall palm trees and silhouettes of structures are partially visible.

“I’m in the midst of it right now,” said veteran fire photographer David Swanson Wednesday morning from the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California.

“It’s no joke the worst I’ve seen… wind driven crazy.”

Los Angeles-based Swanson — on assignment for AFP January 7 and Reuters January 8 — texted these brief messages that included eerie photos with a spartan caption: “This is daylight.”

A dark, foggy road at night with dim car headlights visible. A billboard with partially visible letters "UHAUL" stands in the background, surrounded by silhouettes of trees and buildings.

Midday on Wednesday (California time), Swanson sent this image which illustrates the destruction and the emotional impact.

A woman wearing a mask covers her face in distress as she stands near a white SUV. Behind her, a wildfire burns intensely, engulfing trees and buildings in flames. The sky is filled with smoke, creating an orange glow.

Earlier on Wednesday, California’s fire agency known as Cal Fire posted this sobering summary of the Eaton Fire, noting zero containment at that time:

Incident update for Eaton Fire as of 01/08/2025, 5:16 AM. Location: Altadena/Pasadena, under Los Angeles County Fire Department. No structures or civilians affected. Active status; zero containment.

As of midday on January 8, 2025, Cal Fire said that the Eaton Fire had already burned 10,600 acres in Los Angeles county. KTLA reports that the acreage is up to more than 11,800 and that two civilians have been killed by the fire.

Swanson is a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer who documents California wildfires for a global audience. On September 23, 2024, PetaPixel published Swanson’s insights on documenting wildfires.

Standard gear, Swanson said, includes a helmet, goggles, fire boots, and fire-resistant Nomex clothing (Nomex is a heat and flame-resistant fiber developed by DuPont that won’t melt or support combustion).

A person in a yellow fire-resistant suit and helmet, wearing a respirator, holds a camera with a burning building and a smoky, red-tinted sky in the background. The sun appears hazy due to the smoke.

California Code allows journalists to enter areas that have been evacuated.

Swanson moved to Los Angeles in 2019 after a 33-year career at The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Inquirer, including Swanson, won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for its series on violence in city schools. Swanson graduated from Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication in 1988.

Active on Instagram, Swanson has posted recent wildfire images from Southern California.

Image credits: David Swanson / AFP / Reuters

About the author: Ken Klein lives in Silver Spring, Maryland; he is retired after a career in politics, lobbying, and media including The Associated Press and Gannett in Florida. Klein is an alumnus of Ohio University and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Scripps College of Communication. Professionally, he has worked for Fort Myers News-Press (Gannett), The Associated Press (Tallahassee), Senator Bob Graham, and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA).

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