A series of fierce wildfires that raged across the Los Angeles area on January 7 were fueled by strong winds and dry conditions. They destroyed hundreds of buildings and killed at least 29 people, some of whom perished attempting to stop the fires from devouring their houses.
Two of the fires were linked to an undetermined number of serious injuries, according to a Los Angeles County fire official, while a city official in Los Angeles called the night of January 7 one of the most terrible and catastrophic she had ever witnessed in her area of the city.
What we know about the flames is as follows.
Where are the fires?
On the morning of January 7, a brush fire broke out in Pacific Palisades, a suburb in Los Angeles east of Malibu. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said that the fire, which had spread to 23,448 acres, was 96% contained.According to Cal Fire, the fire destroyed or seriously damaged around 6,800 buildings.
Near a canyon in the large national forest areas north of downtown Los Angeles, the Eaton Fire started just hours after the Palisades Fire. Cal Fire reported that it was 99% contained and had exploded to 14,021 acres. According to the agency, the fire damaged or destroyed 9,418 buildings.
The Hughes Fire quickly spread to more than 10,000 acres after starting on January 22 near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County. It was 98% contained and had spread across 10,425 acres.
Other fires erupted in the Los Angeles region while firefighters battled the biggest blazes. Crews were successful in containing the fires and halting their further progress.
According to Cal Fire, the fires—which included the Lidia, Archer, Woodley, Sunset, Kenneth, Hurst, and Auto fires—have been completely contained and are no longer regarded as active. The fires burned 2,399 acres between them.
Have there been deaths and injuries?
Officials from Los Angeles County say the flames had claimed the lives of at least 29 individuals.
Many of the deaths are still under investigation by the county medical examiner’s office. The government stated that unless the remains are processed at its facilities, it is unable to verify if they are human remains.
According to the medical examiner’s office, the Palisades Fire claimed 12 lives while the Eaton Fire claimed at least 17.
The identities of those slain may not be confirmed for weeks, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Authorities have cautioned that the number of fatalities may increase.
According to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, the Palisades Fire has harmed a sizable number of persons who disregarded evacuation orders. He added that the Eaton Fire has resulted in serious injuries.
How many people are affected?
As crews attempted to contain the fires, nearly 200,000 people were at one time under evacuation orders. Officials have recently declared that there will be restricted repopulation in some areas that were evacuated due to the Palisades and Eaton fires.
Residents will be permitted to return to all burn zones in the city’s portion of the Palisades Fire, according to a Monday announcement from the City of Los Angeles Joint Information Center. However, the overnight curfew will still be in effect. Previously, evacuations were lifted in the communities of Malibu and Santa Monica, as well as in Los Angeles County-controlled sections of the Palisades Fire.
Last week, residents in the Eaton Fire area were also permitted to return, but the zone’s overnight curfew was maintained.
Unknown numbers of individuals are now homeless as a result of the fires destroying entire blocks and neighborhoods.
How much damage have the fires done?
According to estimates released by JPMorgan, the insured losses from the fires could surpass $20 billion, and the total economic losses could amount to $50 billion.
According to Aon data, the losses would significantly outweigh the $12.5 billion in insured damages from the 2018 Camp Fire, which was the most expensive fire in the nation’s history up to that point.
What led to the fires?
The fires’ official cause has not yet been identified.
Southern California has experienced less than 10% of its usual rainfall since October 1st due to drought-like conditions, and this week’s strong offshore winds caused fire weather that the National Weather Service described as “about as bad as it gets.”
A red flag warning was issued by the government to 19 million individuals, signifying a higher risk of fire danger. At many sites throughout the region, wind gusts above 70 mph were observed.
Daniel Swain, a climate scientist, said that California has recently been experiencing weather whiplash, lurching between periods of drought and heavy rains. He claimed that these fluctuations are a major factor in the fire weather that is affecting the state.
According to Inside Climate News, he stated, “It’s not just that drier conditions are perpetually more likely in a warming climate.” The risk of wildfires in Southern California is especially affected by this back-and-forth between states.
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