Los Angeles fires are expected to be the costliest in US history, with losses exceeding $200 billion.

In the United States, the death toll from the fires that are devastating the city of Los Angeles has reached 24. Residents evacuated from the path of the flames are crowding at checkpoints set up by law enforcement, hoping to recover belongings from their homes or simply to see if their homes are still there. The fires could become the most expensive in US history.

The fires displaced thousands of people, destroyed over 12,000 structures, and forced the evacuation of 100,000 people.

The wind is picking up again. Forecasters are predicting more wind gusts of up to 40 mph (64 km/h) and gusts of 65 mph (105 km/h) in the mountains through Wednesday. Winds picked up Monday and are expected to pick up Tuesday, said Dennis Burns, a fire behavior analyst. As Los Angeles holds its breath in anticipation of stronger winds, more and more stories are emerging of victims who have lost their lives, residents whose homes have been destroyed, and historic structures and businesses that have been set on fire.

The fires broke out last Tuesday, fueled by strong winds. The Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth and Hurst fires were reported to have burned about 62 square miles (160 square km). The Palisades Fire, located along the coast, is responsible for eight deaths, while the Eaton Fire, located further inland, has killed 16 more people, the LA County medical examiner's office said. At least 23 people are missing, and authorities said they expect that number to rise.

Residents evacuated from the path of the flames are crowding at checkpoints set up by law enforcement, hoping to recover belongings from their homes or simply to see if their homes still exist. Firefighters, however, estimate that evacuees will not be able to return home until Thursday. "Our number one priority is to get residents back home as quickly as possible," the Los Angeles County Fire Chief said at a news conference, "but that won't be possible until the high winds are over, which is expected to last until Wednesday." "I know many people in my district are disappointed and frustrated, but safety remains our top priority," added a city councilwoman in Los Angeles. The fire chief added that a system would be put in place to allow residents to check online whether their homes had been destroyed or damaged. Many areas still look as if they were bombed, the international press reports, and power lines and gas pipelines continue to pose a major danger. They could be the most expensive in the country's history. Investigators are still trying to determine what started the fires, which could be the most costly in the country's history. Government agencies have not yet provided preliminary damage estimates, but AccuWeather, a company that provides weather data and its impact, estimates the damage and economic losses at between $250 billion and $275 billion. The speed and intensity of the fires ravaging the city have strained firefighting infrastructure and prompted criticism of the state of disaster preparedness. President-elect Donald Trump has launched a new attack on California leaders: "'This is one of the worst disasters in the history of our country. Fires are raging in Los Angeles, and incompetent politicians have no idea how to put them out," he wrote on the Truth Social platform. A week before his return to the White House, Republican Trump is once again criticizing Democrats, this time California Governor Gavin Newsom. In response, the latter invited the president to visit Los Angeles and see the damage with his own eyes. European reinsurance companies could be affected Berenberg analyses estimate that European reinsurance companies could also be affected, with possible total losses of approximately $1 billion (980 million euros), euronews.com reports, quoted by News.ro. According to Berenberg estimates, Swiss Re, for example, could suffer losses of 160 million euros, Munich Re of 220 million euros, Hannover Re of 180 million euros, and SCOR could lose 50 million euros. The share prices of these companies fell significantly on Monday: Swiss Re (-1.37%), Munich Re (-2.04%), Hannover Re (-3.06%) and SCOR (-1.98%). However, Berenberg stresses that these losses are within the risk budgets set by reinsurers and, while they could affect earnings in 2025, should not trigger an immediate crisis. California's insurance crisis, exacerbated by the 2018 wildfires and climate change, has led major companies like State Farm and Allstate to pull out of the market. This has pushed the percentage of uninsured homeowners to 10.5%, according to LendingTree. In areas like the Palisades, the FAIR Plan system spreads losses across multiple insurers, reducing individual burden. While the challenges are significant, insurance and reinsurance companies are better prepared to manage current risks than they were in the 2018 fires, due to higher attachment thresholds and the concentration of impact on residential properties. Reinsurance attachment points, which represent the threshold at which insurance policies begin to provide coverage for losses, are now much higher than they were in 2018, providing these companies with a greater safety net.