LA fires: How would a blaze of this size affect where you live?

The fires that swept across Los Angeles County in the past week have burned more than 40,000 acres, an area roughly equivalent to 1,800 Alcatraz islands or 400 Disneylands, or slightly larger than Washington, DC

A dry fall and winter has parched vegetation after two wetter-than-average years and fueled a windstorm, with hurricane-force winds of up to 100 miles per hour, sweeping across the region. Wind-whipped flames quickly spread across most of the county.

The Palisades Fire, which burned through the LA community of Pacific Palisades and parts of Malibu, and the Eaton Fire, which burned Altadena, have damaged or destroyed an estimated 12,000 houses and other structures. In any case 24 people are dead, making 2025 one of the deadliest and most destructive years on record, less than two weeks after the year started.

Two other fires in the area — the Kenneth Fire near Hidden Hills and the Hurst Fire in the San Fernando Valley — have been largely contained, according to CalFire.

It is difficult to visualize how dramatically Los Angeles – California’s largest city in both physical size and population – has been affected. But to get a sense of the extent, you can enter a California address into the tool below to compare fire extent to any area across the country.

For Apple News readers, explore the tool here.