What to know about LA fire evacuation, maps, what caused it, who is affected and more

Where are the fires?

• The Palisades Fire broke out Tuesday morning in Pacific Palisades, a Los Angeles County neighborhood east of Malibu, as a brush fire. The fire had grown to more than 15,000 acres by Wednesday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
• The Eaton fire ignited Tuesday night near a canyon in the sprawling national forest area north of downtown Los Angeles and had exploded to more than 10,000 acres by Wednesday, according to the US Forest Service.
• 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.
• The sunset fire triggered in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles near Runyon Canyon shortly before 18 on Wednesday, leading to mandatory evacuations.

How many people are affected?

More than 100,000 people have been evacuated, Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo told reporters Wednesday when discussing the Eaton fire, and 100,000 have been told they may need to evacuate because they live in a danger zone.

About 37,000 people headed for the Palisades fire were ordered to leave their homes in the cities of Calabasas, Malibu and Los Angeles, police and fire officials said.

More than 3,000 people in the Sylmar area were also under emergency evacuation orders, Crowley said.

Have there been deaths and injuries?

There has been a significant amount of damage in the Eaton fire, according to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.

Luna said five people have died in the fire. He had no further information about their deaths.

Marrone said a significant number of people who did not follow evacuation orders have been injured in the Palisades fire.

How much damage have the fires done?

“There’s a lot of injuries out there,” Luna told reporters.

Marrone estimated that 1,000 homes and businesses have burned in the Palisades fire and that 100 more have been destroyed in the Eaton fire. Video from NBC Los Angeles showed several businesses in a busy commercial area of ​​Altadena in flames, and the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center burned overnightinforms the station.

Video from Malibu showed beachfront houses reduced to rubble.

A preliminary review by JP Morgan insurance analysts estimated that losses from the fires could top $10 billion.

The deadliest wildfire in California history — 2018’s Camp Fire, which burned more than 13,000 buildings and killed 85 people — caused losses of about $15 billion, the report’s authors said.

What led to the fires?

The combination of drought-like conditions — Southern California has had less than 10% of average precipitation since Oct. 1 — and strong offshore winds that hit the region Tuesday led to fire weather that was, in the words of the National Weather Service“about as bad as it gets.”

The agency issued a red flag warning – indicating an increased risk of fire danger – to 19 million people. Wind gusts of over 70 mph were recorded in several places in the region.

Swain pointed to the vagaries of weather California has experienced in recent years — between drought and heavy rainfall — and said such fluctuations are a key element of the fire weather gripping the region.

“It’s not just that drier conditions are ever more likely in a warming climate,” he said, according to Inside Climate News. “It’s that this oscillation back and forth between states is something that is particularly consequential for wildfire risk in Southern California.”

When will the fire weather end?

Red flag warnings will remain in effect for parts of Southern California until Friday. Marrone warned residents on Wednesday that they are still in danger.

“Please prioritize your safety, as well as the well-being of those around you, as we come together to continue to get through this widespread disaster,” he said.