California wildfires

Firefighters were able to take advantage of relaxed weather conditions over to help their efforts to contain major wildfires around Los Angeles County but warned that an increase in winds was expected as we begin a new workweek.

Six major wildfires around the Los Angeles area have consumed more than 43,000 acres and destroyed at least 12,000 structures, with authorities paying close attention to the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have caused most of the destruction.

According to the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner, at least 16 people have died, with homicide detectives still unable to reach thousands of piles of rubble due to broken gas lines and debris.

The National Weather Service in Oxnard issued a Fire Weather Warning through at least Wednesday, with Monday and Tuesday potentially seeing the most hazardous weather.

The Palisades Fire is the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles’ history, far surpassing historical events.

Estimated structures damaged/destroyed: 7,000
Acreage: 14,117 (15% containment)
Cause: Under investigation.

Wildfires are raging in several areas of Los Angeles, with high winds and extremely dry conditions fuelling their progress across thousands of acres of land.
Firefighters are so far unable to contain them.

The largest fire, in the Pacific Palisades area where many celebrities live, is the most destructive fire in the history of Los Angeles. More than 1,000 buildings have been destroyed.


Five fires continue to grow in the Los Angeles area:
Palisades fire: The largest active fire is burning between Santa Monica and Malibu. Burnt area: more than 17,000 acres. At least 30,000 people evacuated.

Eaton fire: Second largest fire burning north of Pasadena. Burnt area: more than 10,000 acres. At least five deaths were reported.

Hurst fire: To the northeast of the city. Burnt area: 850 acres.

Lidia fire: Reported in the hills north of Los Angeles. Burnt area: 350 acres.

Sunset fire: Reported in the historic Hollywood Hills area near many famous landmarks, including the Hollywood sign. Burnt area: 50 acres. 

Two fires have been contained:
Woodley fire: A small fire was reported in local parkland. Burnt area: 30 acres.
Olivas fire: A small fire was first reported in Ventura County about 50 miles (80km) east of Los Angeles. Burnt area: 11 acres.

A fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills area, overlooking Hollywood.
Many of the roads near the fire were blanketed with thick smoke and Hollywood Boulevard, home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, was gridlocked with traffic as people tried to leave.

Cooling weather gave firefighters a boost in their battle against three large Southern California wildfires that have scorched more than 100,000 acres, displaced thousands of residents in mountain communities and burned dozens of homes.

The largest of the blazes, the week-old Bridge fire, forced thousands to flee as it ripped through Mount Baldy Village and Mountain High ski resort, consuming nearly 53,000 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. At least 33 homes were destroyed. Evacuations largely remain in effect.

Farther east and south, firefighters were gaining more control. Evacuation orders were beginning to lift for the arson-sparked Line fire, which has chewed through 38,000 acres in the San Bernardino Mountains between Highland and Big Bear Lake.

The Airport fire swept through 23,000 acres in Orange and Riverside counties and destroyed 89 homes and two businesses.

“The cooler weather and higher relative humidity are allowing firefighters to increase these containment lines,” said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi, who was working on the Airport fire.

The pollution has eased in many areas. However, communities in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains were still experiencing unhealthful air quality, according to the air district.

The first wildfire death of the 2024 season was reported as California sweltered through scorching temperatures.
The Mina fire burned almost 100 acres.
The recent heat wave has taken a heavy human toll throughout the state.

So far, the 2024 wildfire season has resulted in more than 3,600 blazes that have burned more than 228,000 acres, scorching a far greater swath of land than the average for this point in the year. 
Fires have destroyed or damaged at least 148 structures, officials said. 

The Bluff fire erupted suddenly near Banning in Riverside County, burning 50 acres and prompting an evacuation warning. 

The blaze was first reported near Bluff Street and Mias Canyon Road, near the Banning Sportsman’s Club, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

In San Bernardino County, the Vista fire had scorched more than 2,800 acres, according to Cal Fire. The blaze first ignited July 7 around 10 a.m. near Lytle Creek; evacuation orders were issued for the Mt. Baldy Ski Resort and the Pacific Crest Trail from Lytle Creek to Mt. Baldy.

The Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District warned about poor air quality in the Victor Valley area due to smoke from the Vista fire.

The fire had consumed 14,000 acres as of evening, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The flames were 50% contained, the department said on X. The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to the department.

The fire forced evacuations in Tracy, California, and some surrounding areas, but the evacuation orders were downgraded to warnings in the afternoon.

But the evacuees were warned that the situation could change again as gusty winds and hotter temperatures return.

A section of I-580 was closed in both directions due to the “major grass fire, smoke, and zero visibility,” according to the California Department of Transportation. It has since reopened.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection recently suspended all residential outdoor burning of landscape debris such as branches and leaves in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and western San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.

The Corral Fire began in the City of Tracy around 2:30 p.m. 

Firefighters got the upper hand on a grass fire in San Joaquin County, California, but dangerous heat threatens to worsen the situation in the coming days.

The 2022 California wildfire season is an ongoing series of wildfires burning throughout the U.S. state of California. As of 5 September 2022, a total of 6,055 fires have been recorded, totaling approximately 241,074 acres (97,559 ha) across the state. The 2022 season follows the 2020 and 2021 California wildfire seasons, with the highest and second-highest (respectively) number of acres burned in the historical record.

Several significant wildfires have burned already in California this year, including the destructive Oak Fire in Mariposa County, which burned over 180 structures, and the destructive and fatal McKinney Fire in Siskiyou County, which caused 4 fatalities

In terms of the devastating effects of wildfires, 2021 is considered a terrifying year in the American West. In the first nine months of 2021, there have already been 11 wildfires in the U.S. with more than 100,000 acres. The Dixie Fire razed the city of Greenville to the ground. The Caldor Fire forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate Lake Tahoe. Some fires released plumes so high into the atmosphere that toxic air reached the East Coast - thousands of miles away from the blaze.

The severe wildfires that swept across the U.S. state of California in the summer of 2020 destroyed approximately 10-14% of all giant sequoias that existed in the world. The loss of 7,500 to 10,600 giant sequoias, many likely thousands of years old, is devastating. Giant sequoias, the oldest of which are over three thousand years old, grow naturally only on the U.S. Pacific Coast. They reach up to 90 meters in height with a trunk diameter of up to eight meters.