The fires that have raged across Los Angeles for the last week and a half have consumed an area nearly the size of Washington, D.C., resulting in at least 25 deaths so far, authorities said.
The fires have damaged or destroyed more than 12,000 homes and other structures, and forced as many as 200,000 people from their homes. Some 82,400 people were under evacuation orders and another 90,400 faced evacuation warnings as of Wednesday, County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
Entire neighborhoods have been levelled, leaving smoldering ash and rubble. Many homes only have a chimney stack left standing.
Some 8,500 firefighters from the western United States, Canada and Mexico have kept the growth of the fires in check for three days.
The Palisades Fire on the west edge of the city held steady at 96 sq km burned, and containment nudged up to 21 per cent – a measurement of how much of the perimeter was under control. The Eaton Fire in the foothills east of the city stood at 57 sq km with containment at 45 per cent.
