A string of fierce wildfires that raged over the Los Angeles area on Tuesday were fueled by strong winds and dry conditions. The fires destroyed hundreds of homes and killed at least 11 people, some of whom perished attempting to stop the fires from engulfing their homes.
A city official in Los Angeles called Tuesday night “one of the most devastating and terrifying” that she had seen in her area of the city, while a Los Angeles County fire official stated that two of the fires were responsible for an unspecified number of serious injuries.
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According to climate scientist Daniel Swain, “the more information we get, the worse this looks.”
What we know about the flames is as follows.
Where are the fires?
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The Palisades Fire
erupted Tuesday morning in Pacific Palisades, a Los Angeles County neighborhood east of Malibu, as a brush fire. The blaze had grown to more than 20,400 acres by Friday afternoon,according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
, known as Cal Fire. It was 8% contained,
andCal Fire said
the fire likely damaged or destroyed 5,316 structures.
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The Eaton Fire
ignited Tuesday night near a canyon in the sprawling national forest lands north of downtown Los Angeles and had exploded to nearly 14,000 acres by Friday and was 3%, according to Cal Fire. Theagency said
more than 5,000 structures were likely damaged or destroyed in the blaze.
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The Hurst Fire
started Tuesday night in Sylmar, a suburban neighborhood north of San Fernando, as a brush fire and quickly grew to 500 acres, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristen Crowley said. By Thursday night it had expanded to 771 acres and was 37% contained, according toCal Fire.
Cal Fire said
two structures were likely damaged or destroyed in the fire.
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The Lidia Fire
broke out near the community of Acton in a region between the Sierra Pelona and San Gabriel mountains Wednesday afternoon. By Friday afternoon, it was 395 acres with 75% containment, according to Cal Fire. -
The Kenneth Fire
started burning Thursday evening in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles, near the Calabasas neighborhood, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. It covered 1,000 acres and was 35% contained Friday afternoon. Officials quickly stoppedforward progress
of the fire Thursday night.
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The Archer Fire
began
Friday in Granada Hills, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. By Friday afternoon, it covered 19 acres and was 0% contained.