Thousands of acres burned in LA
BBCFirefighters in Los Angeles are battling several fires on the city’s outskirts, as tens of thousands of residents were forced to evacuate.
The situation is changing rapidly with the addition of Santa Ana winds and extremely dry conditions. Currently, authorities say it is not possible to control some fires.
The Palisades fire, closest to the coast and also the largest, devastated picturesque suburbs home to many Hollywood stars. More than 1,000 buildings were destroyed.
Here’s how the fires spread and affected the Los Angeles area.
Currently 7 fires are being resolved.
the Fence The fire was first reported at 10:30 (18:30 GMT) on Tuesday and grew in just 20 minutes from a 20-acre blaze to more than 200 acres, and by Wednesday evening had reached nearly 16,000 acres. So far, at least 30,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes.
the Eaton The fire grew to 1,000 acres within the first six hours of its outbreak. It started in Altadena in the hills above Pasadena at about 6:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday. By Wednesday evening, five deaths had been reported and it had spread to more than 10,000 acres.
the Hurry up The fire is located just north of San Fernando. According to local officials, it started burning around 10:10 p.m. local time on Tuesday, covering an area of 850 acres. It triggered an evacuation order in neighboring Santa Clarita.
the Woodley The fire broke out in Woodley Park at around 06:15 local time on Wednesday. The LA Fire Department (LAFD) said the fire is now under control.
ONE Olivas The fire broke out in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, and is burning about 11 acres of land, although it has now been contained.
the Lydia The fire broke out around 2 p.m. Wednesday in the mountainous Acton area north of Los Angeles and spread to nearly 350 acres. As of 9:00 p.m., it was 40% contained.
the Sunset The fire broke out around 6 p.m. in Hollywood Hills, a residential area overlooking the city’s historic Hollywood district. It currently covers approximately 50 acres and is 0% contained. Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued.
How did the Palisades fire spread?
The map above shows how quickly the Palisades fire spread and grew more intense over several hours. Just after 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, it covered 772 acres and within four hours it had expanded to almost its current size.
Thousands of people were forced to evacuate while more than 1,400 firefighters tried to extinguish the blaze.
How big is the Palisades fire compared to New York and London?
To give an idea of the scale of the Palisades fire, we overlaid it on maps of New York and London.
As you can see, it is comparable in size to the UK’s metropolitan area or to large areas of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.
What the fire looks like from space
Another indication of the scale of the Palisades fire comes from Nasa’s Earth Observatory.
Images taken Tuesday show a huge plume of smoke coming from California and drifting out to sea.
Impact of the Eaton fire
The Palisades fire was not the only fire that severely affected residential areas in Los Angeles.
The images above show the Jewish Temple in Pasadena before and during the Eaton fire.
The Jewish Temple and Center’s website says it has been in use since 1941 and has a congregation of more than 400 families.
