Firefighters are struggling to control massive wildfires in Los Angeles that have claimed at least 11 lives, destroyed thousands of buildings, and forced tens of thousands to evacuate their homes.
The situation is evolving rapidly, and maps and photos highlight the scope of the disaster, showing the affected areas and the extent of the damage.
The largest fire, in the Pacific Palisades area, is the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history, having burned more than 21,000 acres.
When mapped onto areas like New York and London, the scale of the fire becomes clearer, stretching from Clapham to Greenwich in London or across large parts of lower Manhattan and Queens in New York.
Where are the Los Angeles fires burning?
There are currently six active fires burning in the Los Angeles area:
- Palisades fire: The largest fire, burning between Santa Monica and Malibu, has scorched 21,596 acres.
- Eaton fire: The second-largest, located north of Pasadena, has burned 14,117 acres.
- Kenneth fire: In the West Hills area, just north of the Palisades, it started Thursday and has burned 1,052 acres.
- Hurst fire: Located to the northeast of the city, it has consumed 771 acres.
- Lidia fire: Reported in the hills north of Los Angeles, with 395 acres burned.
- Archer fire: The newest blaze, which started Friday and has burned 19 acres.
Three fires have now been contained:
- Woodley fire: A small fire in a local parkland, burning 30 acres.
- Olivas fire: A small fire reported in Ventura County, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles, burning 11 acres.
- Sunset fire: A fire in the historic Hollywood Hills area near landmarks like the Hollywood sign, burning 43 acres.
The largest fires have caused significant destruction, with officials reporting that over 10,000 structures have been destroyed—about 5,000 each in the Palisades and Eaton fires.
While the fires are mostly burning in uninhabited areas, they have spread into populated regions, putting many more buildings at risk, depending on how the fires continue to spread.
The Palisades fire has already destroyed several exclusive properties along the Malibu waterfront.
You can compare an aerial view of the area before and after the fire by sliding your cursor across the image below.
Both the Palisades and Eaton fires can be seen from space, as shown in the satellite image below.
The combination of an unusually dry period—downtown Los Angeles has received only 0.16 inches (0.4cm) of rain since October—and the powerful Santa Ana winds has created ideal conditions for wildfires.
The Santa Ana winds flow from east to west through Southern California’s mountains, and as they blow across the deserts inland, they lower humidity and dry out vegetation. If a fire ignites, the winds can quickly turn it into a raging inferno.
The map below illustrates how quickly the Palisades fire spread, growing rapidly within a few hours. By 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, it had covered 772 acres, and within just four hours, it had tripled in size.
The Palisades fire now spans nearly 20,000 acres, forcing thousands of people to evacuate as more than 1,400 firefighters work to contain it.
The Eaton fire has also expanded quickly, growing from about 1,000 acres on Tuesday to over 13,000 acres, prompting more evacuations.
For the latest updates on the LA wildfires, you can check ongoing reports, including videos of the fires’ spread and the devastation caused. Photographers have captured the heartbreaking destruction through powerful before-and-after images.
The Jewish Temple in Pasadena was destroyed by the Eaton fire. The Centre’s website says it has been in use since 1941 and has a congregation of more than 400 families.
As authorities continue working to contain the fires, the full extent of the damage is still being revealed, but the losses are expected to be among the costliest in U.S. history, with damages already predicted to surpass $135 billion (£109.7 billion).
There is some hope for firefighters, as the fire weather outlook for Southern California has been downgraded from “extremely critical” to “critical.”
However, BBC weather forecaster Sarah Keith-Lucas warns that no rain is expected in the area for at least the next week, meaning conditions will still be conducive to fire.