More than a week into the wildfires in Los Angeles, the flames have already proven to be the most devastating in the history of the California county and are set to become some of the deadliest ever in the state.
The fires have already wiped out at least 12,300 structures and claimed the lives of 24 individuals, as reported by local authorities.
Officials are preparing for more strong winds that are expected to continue through Wednesday.
As of Tuesday morning, three out of the six main fires in Los Angeles County are still ablaze. These include:
- Palisades fire – 9,596 hectares (23,713 acres) burned, with 14 percent containment.
- Eaton fire – 5,713 hectares (14,117 acres) burned, with 33 percent containment.
- Hurst fire – 323 hectares (799 acres) burned, with 97 percent containment.
The Kenneth, Lidia, and Sunset fires have all been fully contained.
The LA fires have scorched a total of 16,425 hectares (40,588 acres) of land. This is roughly equivalent to the size of Washington, DC, about half the size of Philadelphia, one-eighth the size of Los Angeles, or approximately 30,000 football fields.
California typically experiences thousands of wildfires annually, ranging from minor brush fires to large, destructive fires that consume tens of thousands of hectares.
In 2020, California saw its largest wildfire in history with the August Complex fire, ignited by a lightning strike, burning over 400,000 hectares (one million acres). The fire was only fully contained in late October, fueled by dry conditions and extreme heat.
The following year, the Dixie fire burned at least 380,000 hectares (960,000 acres), destroying 1,300 structures, including much of the town of Greenville in Plumas County.
Despite both fires being about the size of the state of Rhode Island, they resulted in only two deaths, largely due to authorities issuing early evacuation orders in sparsely populated areas.
The Palisades and Eaton fires stand as the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles County history, collectively demolishing over 10,000 structures as of January 14. Their combined destruction has only been surpassed in California once before, in 2018.
These fires are burning in densely populated areas of Los Angeles County, unlike many larger fires in less inhabited regions.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Palisades fire destroyed around 5,300 homes and forced over 100,000 residents to evacuate from the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
Approximately 40km (25 miles) to the east, the Eaton fire also ravaged large parts of the Altadena area, destroying over 5,000 structures.
AccuWeather estimates that the fires could result in total damages and economic losses ranging from $135 billion to $150 billion.
In 2018, California faced its deadliest and most destructive fire, the Camp fire, which claimed the lives of 85 individuals. The fire, originating near Paradise in Butte County, was caused by faulty electrical transmission lines and consumed an area of 62,000 hectares (153,000 acres), destroying nearly the entire town and burning more than 18,000 structures.
The second deadliest wildfire in California history is the Griffith Park fire from October 3, 1933, in Los Angeles, which left 29 people dead, mostly workers clearing brush in the park.
Of the 24 deaths recorded in the current fires, 16 occurred in the Eaton fire and the remaining eight in the Palisades fire.
The brave efforts of firefighters and emergency responders continue as they battle to contain and extinguish these devastating blazes, with the hope of preventing further loss of life and property.
