BBCFirefighters are struggling to control the massive wildfires in Los Angeles that have killed at least 16 people, engulfed thousands of buildings and forced tens of thousands of people from 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’ve caused.
The largest fire in the Pacific Palisades area is the most destructive fire in the history of Los Angeles. More than 23,000 hectares have now burned.
Placing the affected area on maps of New York and London gives an impression 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 fires burning in Los Angeles?
Four fires are currently raging in the Los Angeles area.
- The palisades fire: The largest active fire is burning between Santa Monica and Malibu. Area burned: 23,706 hectares.
- Eaton fire: The second largest fire is burning north of Pasadena. Area burned: 14,117 hectares.
- Kenneth fire: In the West Hills area, north of the Palisades. It started Thursday afternoon and has burned 1,052 hectares so far.
- Hurst fire: Northeast of town. Area burned: 799 hectares.
Getty ImagesBut the other five fires were localized.
Lydia fire: Recorded in the hills north of Los Angeles. Area burned: 395 hectares.
Sagittarius fire: A small fire that broke out on Friday and covered 19 hectares.
Woodley fire: small fire reported in local park. Area burned: 30 hectares.
Olives fire: A small fire first reported in Ventura County about 50 miles (80 km) east of Los Angeles. Area burned: 11 hectares.
Sunset fire: reported in the Hollywood Hills Historic Area near many famous landmarks, including the Hollywood sign. Area burned: 43 hectares.
The biggest fires burned thousands of buildings
Officials say more than 10,000 structures were destroyed in the two largest fires – about 5,000 each in the Palisades and Eaton fires.
As the maps below show, the fires mostly burned unpopulated areas, but they have spread into populated areas and many more buildings could be at risk, depending on how the inferno spreads.
Among the buildings already destroyed in the Palisades fire are many of the exclusive properties that line Malibu’s coastline.
Hover over the image below to see an aerial view of what the area looked like then and how it looks now.
Both the Palisades and Eaton fires can be seen from space, as shown in the satellite image below.
The combination of an exceptionally dry period — central Los Angeles has received only 0.16 inches (0.4 cm) of rain since October — and powerful offshore gusts known as Santa Ana winds have created the conditions for wildfires.
Santa Ana winds flow from east to west through the Southern California mountains, according to the National Weather Service.
Blowing across deserts further inland, they create conditions in which moisture decreases, which dries out vegetation. If a fire does break out, winds can blow the smoldering embers into an inferno in minutes.
How did the Palisades fire spread?
The map below shows how quickly the Palisades fire spread, intensifying within hours. A little after 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, it covered 772 hectares and within four hours had roughly tripled in size.
The Palisades Fire now covers nearly 20,000 acres, and thousands of people have been forced to evacuate the area as more than 1,400 firefighters try to extinguish the blaze.
The Eaton fire also quickly grew from about 1,000 acres on Tuesday to more than 13,000 acres, forcing thousands more to flee.
Photographers also captured the heartbreaking level of damage the fires caused on the ground – as these before-and-after photos show.
The Pasadena Jewish Temple was destroyed by the Eaton fire. The Center’s website states that it has been in use since 1941 and has a congregation of more than 400 families.
As authorities continue to work to contain the blaze, the extent of the damage is yet to be revealed, but it is on track to be among the costliest in US history, with losses already expected to top $135bn (£109.7bn).
There is a glimmer of hope for firefighters, as the fire forecast for Southern California has been downgraded from “extremely critical” to “critical.”
However, the BBC’s weather forecaster Sarah Keith-Lucas says no rain is forecast in the area for at least the next week, so conditions remain fire-ready.