Where are the fires still burning in Los Angeles and why are they so devastating? | Climate crisis news
More than a week in forest fires in Los Angeles, the blaze has already become the most destructive in the history of the California county and is on track to become among the deadliest ever in the state.
The fires have so far destroyed at least 12,300 buildings and killed 24 people, according to local authorities authorities.
Officials are gearing up for more strong winds which is expected to last until Wednesday.
Where are the fires burning worse in LA?
As of Tuesday morning, three of the six major fires in Los Angeles County were still burning. They include:
- Palisade fire – 9,596 hectares (23,713 hectares) burned, 14 percent localized.
- Eaton fire – 5,713 hectares (14,117 acres) burned, 33 percent localized.
- Open fire – 323 hectares (799 acres) burned, 97 percent contained.
The Kenneth, Lidia and Sunset fires are now 100 percent contained.
How big are the fires in Los Angeles?
The LA fires have burned 16,425 hectares (40,588 acres) of land so far. That’s about the same size as Washington, DC, about half the size of Philadelphia, one-eighth the size of Los Angeles, or about 30,000 football fields.
California typically experiences thousands of wildfires each year. These fires range from small brush fires to large, devastating fires that burn tens of thousands of hectares.
In 2020, California recorded the largest forest fire in history. The August Complex firewhich was caused by a lightning strike, burnt more than 400,000 hectares (million hectares) in several districts. The fire, fueled by dry conditions and extreme heat, was not fully contained until late October.
Next year, Dixie fire burned at least 380,000 acres (960,000 hectares) destroying 1,300 structures, including much of the city of Greenville in Plumas County.
Despite both fires being the size of the US state of Rhode Island, the fires caused only two deaths, largely because authorities issued early evacuation orders in mostly sparsely populated areas.
The most destructive fires in California
The Palisades and Eaton fires are the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles County history, having combined to destroy more than 10,000 structures since January 14. Together, their destruction has been surpassed in California only once, in 2018.
These fires are burning in densely populated Los Angeles County, California, unlike many much larger fires in less populated areas.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Palisade firewhich swept through the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood nestled between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, destroying at least 5,300 homes and forcing more than 100,000 residents to evacuate.
About 40 km (25 mi) to the east, the Eaton fire also consumed large parts of the Altadena area, destroying more than 5,000 structures.
AccuWeather estimated that the fires could have a total damage and economic loss of between $135 billion and $150 billion.
The deadliest wildfires in California
In 2018, 85 people died in California the deadliest and the most destructive fire. The Camp fire, which started near the Butte County town of Paradise, was caused by faulty power lines. The fire, which covered an area of 62,000 hectares (153,000 acres), destroyed almost the entire city and burned more than 18,000 structures.
The fire broke out in the early hours of the morning while many residents were still sleeping, leaving them little time to react and evacuate as flames quickly engulfed the city.
The second deadliest wildfire in California history is the Griffith Park fire, which occurred on October 3, 1933 in Los Angeles. The fire killed 29 people, most of whom were workers clearing brush in the park when it broke out.
According to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, 16 of the 24 deaths recorded so far in the current fires have occurred in the Eaton Fire in the foothills east of Los Angeles, with the remaining eight attributed to the Palisades Fire on the city’s west side.
