Where else are the fires burning in LA and why are they so destructive? | Climate Crisis News

More than a week after the Los Angeles wildfires began, the blazes are already the most devastating in the California county’s history and are on track to become the deadliest ever in the state.

According to local authorities, the fires have so far destroyed at least 12,300 buildings and killed 24 people.

Authorities expect further strong winds, which are expected to continue until Wednesday.

Where else are the fires burning in LA?

As of Tuesday morning, three of the six major fires were still raging in Los Angeles County. This includes:

• Palisade fire – 9,596 hectares (23,713 acres) burned, 14 percent contained.
• Eaton Fire – 5,713 hectares (14,117 acres) burned, 33 percent contained.
• Hurst 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 size of Washington, DC, about half the size of Philadelphia, one-eighth the size of Los Angeles, or about 30,000 football fields.

Typically, thousands of wildfires occur in California each year. These fires range from small bushfires to large, destructive fires burning tens of thousands of acres.

In 2020, California recorded the largest wildfire in history. The August Complex Fire, caused by a lightning strike, burned more than 400,000 hectares (one million acres) in several counties. The fire, fueled by drought and extreme heat, was not fully contained until late October.

The following year, the Dixie Fire burned at least 380,000 hectares (960,000 acres) and destroyed 1,300 structures, including much of the city of Greenville in Plumas County.

Although both fires were about the size of the US state of Rhode Island, the fires claimed only two lives, largely due to authorities issuing early evacuation orders in the mostly sparsely populated areas.

California’s most devastating wildfires

The Palisades and Eaton fires are the most devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County history and have destroyed a total of more than 10,000 structures as of January 14th. Combined, California’s destruction figure has only been exceeded 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, the Palisades fire, which swept through the wealthy Pacific Palisades neighborhood between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, destroyed at least 5,300 homes and forced more than 100,000 residents to evacuate.

About 40 km (25 miles) to the east, the Eaton Fire also devastated much of the Altadena area, destroying more than 5,000 structures.

AccuWeather estimates the fires could cause total damage and economic loss between $135 billion and $150 billion.

California’s Deadliest Wildfires

In 2018, 85 people died in California’s deadliest and most destructive fire. The Camp Fire, which started near the town of Paradise in Butte County, was caused by faulty power transmission lines. The fire, which covered 62,000 hectares (153,000 acres), destroyed almost the entire city and burned more than 18,000 buildings.

The fire broke out in the early hours of the morning when 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 that broke out in Los Angeles on October 3, 1933. The fire killed 29 people, most of whom were workers clearing bushes in the park at the time of the outbreak.

According to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, 16 of the 24 deaths recorded so far in the current fires occurred in the Eaton fire in the foothills east of Los Angeles, while the remaining eight were attributed to the Palisades fire on the city’s west side .