Where are the Los Angeles fires still burning, and why are they so devastating? | Climate crisis news

More than a week in forest fires In Los Angeles, the fires have already become the most destructive in California county history and are 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 residents. authorities.

Officials are preparing for more Strong winds Which is expected to continue until Wednesday.

Where are the Los Angeles fires still burning?

As of Tuesday morning, three of the six major fires in Los Angeles County were still burning. They include:

• Barrier fire – 9,596 hectares (23,713 acres) burned, 14 percent contained.
• Eaton fire – 5,713 hectares (14,117 acres) burned, 33 percent of which is contained.
• Hearst fire – 323 hectares (799 acres) burned, 97 percent contained.

The Kenneth, Lydia and Sunset fires are now 100 percent contained.

How big are the Los Angeles fires?

The Los Angeles fires have so far burned 16,425 hectares (40,588 acres) of land. That’s roughly the same area as Washington, D.C., 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 forest fires to large, devastating fires that burn tens of thousands of hectares.

In 2020, California recorded the largest wildfire in history. the August Complex Firewhich was caused by a lightning strike, burned more than 400,000 hectares (1 million acres) across several provinces. The fire, fanned by dry conditions and extreme heat, was not completely contained until late October.

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

Although the two fires were the size of the US state of Rhode Island, the fires caused only two deaths, largely due to authorities issuing early evacuation orders in sparsely populated areas.

The most destructive wildfires in California

The Palisades and Eaton fires are among the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles County history, having collectively destroyed more than 10,000 structures as of January 14. Together, their destruction has been exceeded in California only once, in 2018.

These fires are burning in California’s densely populated Los Angeles County, unlike many much larger fires in less populated areas.

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection,… Barrier fireThe hurricane, which tore through the affluent 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 kilometers (25 miles) to the east, the Eaton Fire also swept through large parts of the Altadena area, destroying more than 5,000 structures.

AccuWeather estimated that the fires could cause total damage and economic losses of between $135 billion and $150 billion.

Deadliest wildfires in California

In 2018, 85 people died in California The deadliest And the most destructive fire. The Camp Fire broke out near the town of Paradise in Butte County, and was caused by faulty electrical transmission lines. The fire, which engulfed an area of ​​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 while many residents were still asleep, leaving them little time to react and evacuate as the flames quickly swept through 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 them tree removal workers 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 occurred in the Eaton Fire in the foothills east of Los Angeles, while the remaining eight deaths were attributed to the Palisades Fire on the city’s west side.