Wildfires have caused chaos in Los Angeles and nearby areas, destroying 10,000 homes, businesses, and other structures. The fires have claimed at least 10 lives and forced over 180,000 residents to evacuate.
Firefighters are overwhelmed as they work to contain several fires, and new blazes broke out Thursday evening, increasing concerns that the situation could escalate further in the coming days.
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Several fires raging across Los Angeles
The Pacific Palisades Fire, which has scorched over 19,000 acres, is among the most devastating wildfires in Los Angeles history. Firefighters reduced entire blocks to smoldering ruins, leaving only the outlines of homes and chimneys. In Malibu, charred palm trees remained above the rubble where oceanfront dwellings once stood.
At least five churches, a synagogue, seven schools, and two libraries, along with boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks, and grocery stores were destroyed. Also lost were the Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House and Topanga Ranch Motel, both local landmarks from the 1920s. The government has yet to provide details on the cost of the damage or the exact number of burned structures.
On Thursday, AccuWeather, a private company that tracks weather and its effects, revised its estimate of the damage and economic loss to between $135 billion and $150 billion.
The fire has destroyed homes in affluent neighborhoods and wiped out several landmarks, such as the Topanga Ranch Motel and Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House, both from the 1920s. In Malibu, wildfires reduced once beautiful beachfront homes to rubble, leaving only charred remains.
Another significant fire, the Eaton Fire near Pasadena, has destroyed over 5,000 structures since it began on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, the rapidly spreading Kenneth Fire ignited in the late afternoon in the San Fernando Valley, just 3.2 kilometers from a school sheltering fire evacuees. By evening, it spread into neighboring Ventura County.
Extensive firefighting efforts underway
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass cautioned that the high winds predicted for Thursday evening would escalate the fires and make it even harder to control them.
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