The wildfires that have hit Los Angeles are the worst in the city’s recent history.
The wildfires that started on January 7 have razed the nation’s second-largest city, killing at least 11 people and destroying more than 10,000 structures. Approximately 150,000 Los Angeles County residents remain under evacuation orders.
The region is used to fast-moving wildfires, but the fires that have engulfed much of the metropolis are among the worst in Southern California, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). being done. In just three days, it burned an area roughly twice the size of Manhattan.
Fires alone are huge.
The first and largest fire, the Palisades, is spreading west of Los Angeles. The fire, burning 21,317 acres, was only 8% contained as of Friday afternoon. This means that firefighters have set control lines (usually wide trenches) around 8% of the time. Officials said initial estimates indicate at least 5,300 structures were destroyed between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Firefighters estimate it to be the third deadliest wildfire in California history.
The Eaton Fire, burning in the Pasadena and Altadena areas of the Northeast, has burned nearly 14,000 acres and is only 3% contained. It has destroyed 5,000 structures and ranks as the fourth most destructive wildfire in California history.
Other fires currently burning across Los Angeles include Kenneth, Hearst, and Lydia. The Kenneth Fire, which broke out in the Woodlands Hills area on Thursday, has burned 1,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. As of Friday morning, it was 35% contained. Meanwhile, the Hearst Fire, burning 771 acres in Los Angeles’ northernmost suburbs, was 37% contained as of Friday morning. In the Antelope Valley, the Lydia Fire has burned 395 acres and is 75% contained as of Friday morning.
California has experienced several large and deadly wildfires in recent years as the climate crisis makes wildfires more frequent, intense and unpredictable. The deadliest wildfire in California history was the Camp Fire, which destroyed the town of Paradise in November 2018. 85 people lost their lives in this inferno, and more than 18,000 structures were destroyed.
The previous year, the Tubbs Fire swept through Napa and Sonoma counties, destroying 5,600 structures, burning approximately 36,810 acres and costing the state $11.1 billion.
Preliminary estimates of economic losses from the Los Angeles wildfires are between $52 billion and $57 billion, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday. By comparison, Hurricane Katrina, a tropical storm that struck the southeastern United States in 2005, caused more than $158 billion in damages and ranks as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
As wildfires continue to blaze, many insurance companies are considering whether to further increase premiums across the state.
Douglas Heller, director of insurance at the Consumer Federation of America, told the Guardian: No matter what they say, they have the wherewithal to pay the insurance claims…Now we must prevent a second economic tragedy from occurring after a physical catastrophe. ”
On Thursday, Joe Biden announced that the federal government would pay 100% of fire response costs for 180 days. “It will pay for things like debris and heavy equipment removal, temporary shelter, first responders, salaries, and all the steps necessary to protect life and property,” Biden said. He added that he has directed Governor Gavin Newsom and local officials to: No expense will be spared in doing what needs to be done to extinguish the fire. ”
Cecilia Nowell contributed reporting
