Multiple fires have stretched the region’s firefighting resources The two largest rank among the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles.
The wildfires burning in and around Los Angeles have razed neighborhoods, killed at least 29 people and forced desperate evacuations. The two largest rank among the most deadly and destructive blazes in California history.
The sights of thick columns of smoke, eerie orange skies and beloved landmarks in ashes have instilled a new sense of vulnerability in residents, many of whom are used to fires but unaccustomed to so much destruction.
Firefighters have been able to contain the smaller blazes and make steady progress on the two largest, and the latest round of dangerous winds subsided on Tuesday. But it could take weeks before people can return to the hardest-hit areas, according to experts.
Where are the fires burning?
In early January, a series of large and small fires began to form a ring of blazes around Los Angeles.
The largest is the Palisades fire, along the Pacific Coast west of downtown, which as of Tuesday had burned more than 23,400 acres and was 65 percent contained, according to Cal Fire. The fire forced evacuations along Pacific Coast Highway, including in Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Santa Monica.
The next largest fire is to the east: the Eaton fire in the San Gabriel Mountains, north of Pasadena. It has burned more than 14,000 acres, destroyed thousands of homes and displaced tens of thousands of people in evacuations. Containment had reached 89 percent by Tuesday.
In the past two weeks, fire crews also contained a number of smaller blazes: the Kenneth fire, which broke out in the West Hills neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley; the Lidia fire, in the Angeles National Forest; the Sunset fire, which ignited in the Hollywood Hills; the Auto fire in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles; the Hurst fire, which started near Sylmar; and the Archer fire, which broke out Friday morning in Granada Hills.
How many homes have been destroyed?
Preliminary estimates of the scale of damage wrought by the Palisades and Eaton fires put each among the five most destructive in California history. The Palisades fire has destroyed more than 6,000 structures, according to Cal Fire, and the Eaton fire has destroyed over 9,000 structures, a category that includes homes, garages and businesses.
The Eaton fire devastated an enclave in Altadena, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, that has long been a magnet for middle-class Black families.
The Palisades fire destroyed local landmarks in some of the most affluent areas of Los Angeles. They include Palisades Charter High School, the alma mater of numerous celebrities and a filming location for many television shows, including “Modern Family.”
The fire also destroyed the ranch house that the entertainer Will Rogers owned until his death in 1935, and the Topanga Ranch Motel, which appeared in a number of films over the decades.
The National Guard and local law enforcement agencies have been enforcing curfews and trying to keep evacuated neighborhoods locked down until residents can safely return.
At least 100 people had been arrested in evacuation zones across all of the fires, officials said. Charges have included looting, identity theft, possession of narcotics and possession of burglary tools, according to officials.
The Los Angeles County district attorney has announced several prosecutions related to the fires, primarily on charges of looting.
