Thousands of acres on fire in LA

Firefighters in Los Angeles are battling several wildfires in rural areas, while tens of thousands of people are fleeing.

The rapidly changing conditions are compounded by Santa Ana winds and extremely dry weather. At the moment, the authorities say that there is no possibility to put an end to some of the fires.

The Palisades Fire, the closest to the coast and the largest, has swept through beautiful villages that are home to many Hollywood stars. More than 1,000 houses have already been destroyed.

This is how the fire has spread and is affecting the Los Angeles area.

Currently 7 fires are being responded to.

The Palisades The fire was first reported at 10:30 (18:30 GMT) on Tuesday, and grew in just 20 minutes from a 20-acre fire to more than 200 acres, and by Wednesday night was approaching 16,000 acres. About 30,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes so far.

The Eaton the fire grew to 1,000 acres within the first six hours of the outbreak. It started in Altadena in the mountains above Pasadena around 18:30 local time on Tuesday. As of Wednesday night, five people had died and it had spread over 10,000 acres.

The Pain the fire is north of San Fernando. It started burning on Tuesday around 22:10 local time, growing to 850 hectares, according to the authorities. It has caused people to move to neighboring Santa Clarita.

The Woodley A fire broke out in Woodley Park at around 06:15 local time on Wednesday. The LA Fire Department (LAFD) says it has now been found.

A Olives A fire broke out in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, and was burning about 11 acres of land, although it has now been contained.

The Lydia The fire started around 14:00 on Wednesday in the mountainous area of ​​Acton, north of Los Angeles, and grew to cover about 350 acres. By 21:00, it was 40% contained.

The Sunset The fire broke out around 18:00 in the Hollywood Hills, a residential area overlooking the city’s historic Hollywood. It is currently about 50 acres and has 0% occupancy. A plan for forced migration is in place.

The map above shows how quickly the Palisades fire spread, growing in hours. Just before 14:00 on Tuesday it covered 772 acres and within four hours it had grown to almost its original size.

Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate, while more than 1,400 firefighters are trying to battle the blaze.

To determine the extent of the Palisades fire, we’ve superimposed it on maps of New York and London.

As you can see, its size is comparable to the central area of ​​the capital of the UK, or to the large areas of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Another indication of the size of the Palisades fire comes from NASA’s Earth Observatory.

Pictures taken on Tuesday show huge plumes of smoke coming from California and moving towards the ocean.

The Palisades fire is not the only one that could have devastating effects on Los Angeles.

The photos above show the Pasadena Temple before and during the Eaton fire.

The Jewish Temple and Center’s website says it has been in operation since 1941 and has a congregation of over 400 families.