The death toll from devastating Los Angeles wildfires rose to 24 over the weekend, with more than 10,000 structures inside the city’s metro area damaged or destroyed. Officials say the fires may be the costliest in US history—the cause of the fires has not yet been identified.
The two primary fires (see map) are the Palisades Fire to the west and the Eaton Fire on the city’s east side. The former—around 10% contained as of this morning—destroyed the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood and left parts of nearby Malibu and Santa Monica under evacuation orders. The latter was close to 30% contained but had burned through the suburb of Altadena and surrounding areas. See photos here and here.
Strong Santa Ana winds—blowing westward from the desert down the San Gabriel Mountains (how they work)—are expected to return today and tomorrow, threatening to spread the flames toward the city.
Check out a visual explainer on how firefighters battle flames from the sky and what is in the flame retardant being dropped from planes.
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