Firefighters are battling to control huge wildfires in Los Angeles that have killed at least 24 people, devoured thousands of buildings and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.

It's a rapidly changing situation - these maps and pictures show the scale of the challenge, where the fires are and the damage they have caused.

The largest blaze, in the Pacific Palisades area is the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history. More than 23,000 acres have now burnt.

Placing the area affected on to maps of New York and London gives a sense of how big that is, stretching from Clapham to Greenwich in the UK's capital, or across large areas of lower Manhattan and Queens.

Three fires are currently burning in the Los Angeles area.

Palisades fire: The largest active fire is burning between Santa Monica and Malibu. Burnt area: 23,713 acres.

Eaton fire: Second largest fire burning north of Pasadena. Burnt area: 14,117 acres.

Hurst fire: To the north east of the city. Burnt area: 799 acres. It's 89% contained, according to LA officials.

But six other fires have been contained.

Kenneth fire: In the West Hills area, just north of the Palisades. It was contained on Sunday afternoon, after burning through 1,052 acres since Thursday.

Lidia fire: Reported in the hills north of Los Angeles. Burnt area: 395 acres.

Archer fire: Small fire that started on Friday and burned through 19 acres.

Woodley fire: Small fire reported in local parkland. Burnt area: 30 acres.

Olivas fire: Small fire first reported in Ventura county about 50 miles (80km) east of Los Angeles. Burnt area: 11 acres.

Sunset fire: Reported in the historic Hollywood Hills area near many famous landmarks, including the Hollywood sign. Burnt area: 43 acres.

Largest fires have burnt thousands of buildings

Officials say more than 12,000 structures have been destroyed by the two biggest fires - about 5,000 each in the Palisades and Eaton blazes.

As the maps below show, the fires are largely burning uninhabited areas but they have spread into populated areas.

Analysis of satellite data by experts from CUNY Graduate Center and Oregon State University shows some buildings escaped damage within the fire zone, but many were damaged or destroyed. More could be at risk depending on how the infernos spread.

Among the buildings already destroyed in the Palisades blaze are many of the exclusive properties that line the Malibu waterfront to the west.

Slide your cursor across the image below to see an aerial view of what the area used to look like and what it looks like now.

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

Santa Ana winds flow east to west through southern California's mountains, according to the National Weather Service.

Blowing across the deserts further inland, they create conditions where humidity drops, which dries out vegetation. If a fire does start, the winds can fan smouldering embers into an inferno in minutes.

How did the Palisades fire spread?

The map below shows just how rapidly the Palisades fire spread, intensifying in a matter of hours. At just after 14:00 on Tuesday it covered 772 acres and within four hours it had approximately tripled in size.

The Palisades fire now covers more than 23,000 acres and thousands of people have been forced to evacuate the area, as more than 1,400 firefighters try to tackle the blaze.

The Eaton fire has also grown rapidly from about 1,000 acres on Tuesday to more than 14,000 acres, forcing thousands more people to flee.

Photographers have also been capturing the heartbreaking level of damage the fires have caused on the ground - as these before-and-after photos demonstrate.

With authorities still working to contain the fires, the scope of the losses is still unfolding but they are on track to be among the costliest in US history, with losses already expected to exceed $135bn (£109.7bn).

Urgent preparations are now being made in Ventura, about 50 miles (80km) along the coast, after the National Weather Service forecasted strong winds which could spark new fires across the region.

The winds in Los Angeles itself are not expected to be as strong. The BBC's John Sudworth says firefighters there are reasonably optimistic they can cope.

Source:
courtesy of BBC NEWS

by Visual Journalism Team

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