Fueled by high winds and dry conditions, a series of intense wildfires swept through the Los Angeles area on Tuesday, destroying hundreds of homes and killing at least 16 people, including some who died trying to prevent the fires from reaching their houses would be flooded.
A Los Angeles County fire official said an untold number of significant injuries were linked to two of the fires, and a Los Angeles city official described Tuesday night as “one of the most devastating and terrifying” she had seen on her street corner. city.
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“This is looking worse and worse as we get more information,” says climate scientist Daniel Swain.
Here’s what we know about the fires.
Where are the fires?
The Palisades Fire broke out like a wildfire in Pacific Palisades, a Los Angeles neighborhood east of Malibu, on Tuesday morning. The fire had grown to more than 23,654 acres by Saturday night, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire. It was 11% contained and Cal Fire said the fire likely damaged or destroyed 5,316 buildings.
A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon in Los Angeles on Saturday.
The Eaton Fire ignited Tuesday evening near a gorge in the vast national forest lands north of downtown Los Angeles. According to Cal Fire, by Saturday night the area had expanded to 14,117 acres and was 15% contained. The agency said more than 7,800 structures were likely damaged or destroyed in the fire.
The Hurst Fire Tuesday evening started as a forest fire in Sylmar, a suburb north of San Fernando. By Friday evening, Cal Fire said it had expanded to 779 acres and was 76% contained. Cal Fire said two structures were likely damaged or destroyed in the fire.
The Kenneth Fire According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the fire started Thursday evening in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles, near Calabasas. It covered 1,052 hectares and was 90% covered by Friday evening. Officials quickly halted the fire’s progress Thursday evening.
As firefighters battled the largest blazes, additional fires broke out in the Los Angeles area on Wednesday and Friday. Crews were able to stop the forward spread and contain the fires. As of Saturday evening, the Lidia Fire, Archer Fire, Woodley Fire and Sunset Fire were 100% contained and are no longer considered active, according to Cal Fire. Together, the fires scorched 487 hectares.
How many people are affected?
The fires have forced 180,000 people from their homes since Tuesday.
More than 150,000 people have been evacuated, a number that has grown to nearly 200,000 people at times as crews battle the fires.
The fires have destroyed entire neighborhoods and blocks, leaving an unknown number of people homeless.
Have there been any deaths or injuries?
At least 16 people had died in the fires as of Friday afternoon, according to Los Angeles County officials.
The county medical examiner’s office is still investigating many of the deaths. The department noted that it cannot confirm human remains until it processes them at its facility.
At least 11 of the deaths occurred in the Eaton Fire and five in the Palisades Fire, officials said.
The medical examiner’s office said it could take weeks to confirm the identities of the dead.
Officials just began entering areas Thursday for welfare checks and missing person reports, and they warned the death toll could rise.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said a significant number of people who did not heed evacuation orders were injured in the Palisades Fire. He also said there were significant injuries in the Eaton fire.
How much damage did the fires cause?
Insured losses from this week’s fires could exceed $20 billion, and total economic losses could reach $50 billion, according to estimates published Thursday by JPMorgan.
These losses would easily exceed the $12.5 billion in insured damages from the 2018 Camp Fire, which was the costliest fire in the country’s history to date, according to Aon data.
What led to the fires?
The official cause of the fires has not yet been determined.
The combination of drought-like conditions — Southern California has received less than 10% of average rainfall since Oct. 1 — and strong offshore winds that hit the region Tuesday caused firefighters to say, in the words of the National Weather Service, “ about as bad as it is.”
Kevin Marshall searches his mother’s fire-ravaged home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Saturday.
The agency has issued a red flag warning to 19 million people, indicating an increased risk of fire danger. Wind gusts of more than 120 km/h were recorded at several locations in the region.
Swain pointed to the weather conditions California has experienced in recent years — oscillating between drought and heavy rain — and said such swings are a key element of the firefighting response that has gripped the region.
“It’s not just that drier conditions are consistently more likely in a warming climate,” he said, according to Inside Climate News. “It’s that this swing back and forth between states is something that particularly impacts wildfire risk in Southern California.”
When will the fire brigade end?
Round Santa Ana winds are expected in Los Angeles and Ventura counties on Saturday.
A vehicle is covered in fire retardant as crews battle the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon on Saturday in Los Angeles.
On its heels, another round of Santa Ana winds is expected Tuesday through Wednesday, which could be stronger than the initial winds that saw the start and spread of the two largest fires, the National Weather Service said.
Winds could reach 50 to 80 km per hour until Tuesday and the very dry weather is expected to continue.
“The very dry vegetation combined with the prolonged extreme fire conditions will support rapid spread and erratic behavior of new or existing fires,” the weather service said in a Saturday forecast discussion.
A red flag warning is in effect for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties until 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
No significant rain is expected in the area in the near term, although there is a chance of slightly higher humidity, lighter winds and a chance of light rain late next week, according to the discussion.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
