Fueled by powerful winds and dry conditions, a series of ferocious wildfires erupted Tuesday and roared across the Los Angeles area, destroying hundreds of homes and killing at least 16 people, including some who died trying to prevent the fires from engulfing their homes.
A Los Angeles County fire official said an untold number of significant injuries were linked to two of the fires, and a city official in Los Angeles described Tuesday night as “one of the most devastating and terrifying” that she had seen in her corner of the city.
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“This is looking worse and worse the more information we get,” climate scientist Daniel Swain said.
Here’s what we know about the fires.
Where are the fires?
The Palisades Fire erupted Tuesday morning in Pacific Palisades, a Los Angeles neighborhood east of Malibu, as a brush fire. The blaze had grown to more than 23,713 acres by Sunday evening, 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 structures.
The Eaton Fire ignited Tuesday night near a canyon in the sprawling national forest lands north of downtown Los Angeles. It had exploded to 14,117 acres by Sunday evening and was 27% contained, according to Cal Fire. The agency said more than 7,800 structures were likely damaged or destroyed in the blaze.
The Hurst Fire started Tuesday night in Sylmar, a suburban neighborhood north of San Fernando, as a brush fire. As of Saturday night it had expanded to 799 acres and was 89% contained, according to Cal Fire. Cal Fire said two structures were likely damaged or destroyed in the fire.
As firefighters were battling the largest blazes, additional fires broke out Wednesday and Friday in the Los Angeles area. Crews were able to stop the forward spread and contain the blazes. As of Sunday evening, the Lidia, Archer, Woodley, Sunset and Kenneth fires were 100% contained and no longer considered active, according to Cal Fire. Between them, the fires scorched 1,539 acres.
How many people are affected?
More than 150,000 are under evacuation notices, a number that has grown close to 200,000 people at times as crews battle back the fires.
The fires have destroyed entire neighborhoods and blocks, leaving an unknown number of people homeless.
Have there been deaths and injuries?
As of Sunday evening, at least 16 people had died in the fires, according to the 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 were in the Eaton Fire and five in the Palisades Fire, officials have said.
The medical examiner’s office said it could take weeks to confirm the identities of those killed.
Officials were just beginning to access areas for welfare checks and missing person reports on Thursday, and they warned that the death toll could grow.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said a significant number of people who did not heed evacuation orders have been injured in the Palisades Fire. He also said there have been significant injuries in the Eaton Fire.
How much damage have the fires done?
The insured losses from this week’s fires may exceed $20 billion, and total economic losses could reach $50 billion, according to estimates published by JPMorgan on Thursday.
Those losses would far exceed the $12.5 billion in insured damages from the 2018 Camp Fire, which until now was the costliest blaze in the country’s history, according to data from Aon.
What led to the fires?
The official cause of the fires has not been determined.
The combination of drought-like conditions — Southern California has had less than 10% of average rainfall since Oct. 1 — and powerful offshore winds that hit the region Tuesday prompted fire weather that was, in the words of the National Weather Service, “about as bad as it gets.”
The agency issued a red flag warning — indicating an increased risk for fire danger — to 19 million people. Wind gusts topping 70 mph were recorded at several locations across the region.
Swain pointed to the weather whiplash California has experienced in recent years — lurching between drought and heavy rainfall — and said such swings are a key element of the fire weather gripping the region.
“It’s not just that drier conditions are perpetually more likely in a warming climate,” he said, according Inside Climate News. “It’s that this oscillation back and forth between states is something that is particularly consequential for wildfire risk in Southern California.”
When will the fire weather end?
Another round of Santa Ana winds is expected Tuesday into Wednesday and could be stronger than the initial winds that saw the start and spread of the two biggest fires, according to the National Weather Service.
Winds could gust to 30 to 50 mph through Tuesday, and the very dry weather was expected to persist.
“The very dry vegetation combined with the prolonged extreme fire weather conditions will support rapid spread and erratic behavior of any new or existing fires,” the weather service said in a Saturday forecast discussion.
A red flag warning is in effect through 6 p.m. local time Wednesday for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
No significant rain is forecast for the area anytime soon, though there is a chance for slightly increased humidity, lighter winds and a chance of light rain at the end of the next week, according to the discussion.
