What's the latest on Los Angeles wildfires and how did they start?

Published on 13 January 2025 at 10:36

At least 24 people have died in the Los Angeles fires as two major blazes continue to burn across the sprawling Californian city.

Firefighters made progress over the weekend in containing the Palisades and Eaton fires but warn that the return of high winds - forecast until Wednesday - could see them spread again.

They are already among the most destructive in LA's history in terms of buildings destroyed.


The largest fire is in the Palisades and it has burnt through more than 23,000 acres. But over the weekend thousands of firefighters made progress in containing about 14% of it.

The blaze is moving east, threatening the exclusive neighbourhood of Brentwood, home to the Getty Center, a world-famous art museum that has now evacuated its staff.

A red flag warning - indicating a high level of fire danger - will be in place until 18:00 (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday, with the strongest Santa Ana winds expected on Tuesday.

 

The other fire, Eaton, is more deadly than Palisades so far - responsible for 16 of the 24 dead, with many more still missing.

The number of people under evacuation orders in LA County has decreased since Saturday, but the destruction is immense.

More than 12,000 structures - homes, outbuildings, sheds, mobile homes and cars -have been destroyed including 7,000 in the Eaton fire.

The fires could turn out to be the costliest in US history, with damage projected at up to $150bn, according to a preliminary estimate by AccuWeather.

Celebrities who have lost their homes include Mel Gibson, Leighton Meester and Adam Brody, who attended the Golden Globes lat week , and Paris Hilton.

Tens of thousands of homes are also without power.

 

LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said detectives are continuing to investigate the possible causes.

"Everything is absolutely on the table," he said.

Lightning - the most common source of fires in the US - has been ruled out as a cause for the Palisades and Eaton fires.

Nor has there been any official indication so far that arson or utility lines - the next two biggest culprits in sparking fires - caused any of the conflagrations.

California's very wet years of 2022-23 brought about a huge growth of vegetation, which dried out in the drought of last year, creating abundant kindling.

A combination of an exceptionally dry period - downtown LA has only received 0.16 inches (0.4cm) of rain since October - and powerful offshore gusts known as the Santa Ana winds have also created ripe conditions for wildfires.

 

No one can say when the Los Angeles fires will finally go out.

In the next few days, the city is bracing for continued burning and a possible spread.

The Santa Ana winds that fanned the flames and ground firefighting aircraft are set to strengthen, with strong gusts on Tuesday and then the severity decreasing. There are now new red flag warnings for dangerous wind storms.

The other conditions that fed the fire - dry brush and lack of precipitation - continue, as well.

 


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