The BBCFirefighters are battling wildfires in Los Angeles that have killed at least 16 people, destroyed thousands of buildings and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.
It’s a rapidly changing situation – these maps and images show the scale of the challenge, where the fires are and the damage they’re causing.
The largest fire in the Pacific Palisades area is the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history. So far more than 23 thousand acres have been burnt.
Placing the affected area on maps of New York and London gives an idea of how large it is, stretching from Clapham to Greenwich in the UK capital, or across large areas of Lower Manhattan and Queens.
Where are the Los Angeles fires burning?
Four fires are currently burning in the Los Angeles area.
- The Palisades Fire: The largest active fire is burning between Santa Monica and Malibu. Area burned: 23,706 acres.
- Eton Fire: The second largest fire is burning north of Pasadena. Area burned: 14,117 acres.
- Kenneth Fire: In the West Hills area, just north of Palisades. It started Thursday afternoon and has burned 1,052 acres so far.
- Hurst Fire: Northeast of town. Area burned: 799 acres.
Getty ImagesBut the other five fires have been brought under control.
Lydia Fire: Reported in hills north of Los Angeles. Area burned: 395 acres.
Archer fire: The small fire that started on Friday has burned 19 acres.
Woodley Fire: Small fire reported in local parkland. Burned area: 30 acres.
Olivas Fire: The small fire was first reported in Ventura County, 50 miles (80 km) east of Los Angeles. Burned area: 11 acres.
sunset Fire: Reported in the historic Hollywood Hills area near several famous landmarks, including the Hollywood sign. Area burned: 43 acres.
Huge fires have burned thousands of buildings.
Officials say more than 10,000 structures have been destroyed by the two largest fires — about 5,000 each in the Palisades and Eaton blazes.
As the maps below show, the fire is burning largely uninhabited areas but has spread into populated areas and many buildings may be at risk depending on how the fire spreads.
Among the buildings already destroyed in the Palisades fire are many exclusive properties that line the Malibu waterfront.
Slide your cursor over the image below to see an aerial view of what the area looked like before and how it looks now.
Both the Palisades and Eaton fires can be seen from space, as shown in the satellite image below.
A combination of an unusually dry period — downtown Los Angeles has received just 0.16 inches (0.4 cm) of rain since October — and powerful sea breezes known as the Santa Ana winds fueled the wildfires. Conditions have been created.
According to the National Weather Service, Santa Ana winds blow from east to west through the mountains of Southern California.
By blowing deserts further inland, they create conditions where moisture is reduced, which dries out vegetation. If a fire starts, winds can blow smoky embers into flames within minutes.
How did the Palisades fire spread?
The map below shows how quickly the Palisades Fire spread, intensifying in a matter of hours. After 14:00 on Tuesday it covered 772 acres and almost tripled in size within four hours.
The Palisades fire now covers nearly 20,000 acres and has forced thousands to evacuate the area, as more than 1,400 firefighters battle the blaze.
The Eaton fire also grew from about 1,000 acres to more than 13,000 acres Tuesday, forcing thousands more to evacuate.
Photographers are also capturing the heartbreaking level of fire damage on the ground – as these before-and-after photos show.
The Jewish Temple Eaton in Pasadena was destroyed by fire. The center’s website says it has been in use since 1941 and has a congregation of more than 400 families.
With authorities still working to contain the fires, the extent of the damage is still emerging but it is on track to be the costliest in US history, with losses already at $135bn (£109.7bn). ) is expected to be greater than
There is a glimmer of hope for firefighters, as the fire season outlook for Southern California has been upgraded from “extremely critical” to “critical.”
But BBC weather forecaster Sarah Keith Lucas says there is no rain forecast in the area for at least next week, so conditions are ripe for fire.