BBCWildfires 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, with one fire official telling the BBC on Thursday that they are still rapidly expanding.
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.
It’s a rapidly changing situation – these maps and pictures chart how the fires have spread, where they are located and what they look like from space.
On Wednesday, 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.
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 reported.
- Hurst fire: To the north east 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.
Getty ImagesTwo fires have been contained:
Woodley fire: Small fire reported in local parkland. Burnt area: 30 acres.
Olivas fire: Small fire first reported in Ventura county about 50 miles (80km) east of Los Angeles. Burnt area: 11 acres.
How did the Palisades fire spread?
The map above shows how rapidly the Palisades fire spread, intensifying in a matter of hours. At just after 14:00 on Tuesday it covered 772 acres and within four hours it had approximately tripled in size.
It now covers more than 17,000 acres and thousands of people have been forced to evacuate the area, as more than 1,400 firefighters try to tackle the blaze.
How does the Palisades fire compare in size with New York and London?
To give an idea of the size of the Palisades fire, we have superimposed it on to maps of New York and London.
As you can see by 23:00 PST, 8 January, (07:00 GMT, 9 January), it was comparable in size with an area stretching from Clapham to Greenwich in the UK’s capital, or with large areas of lower Manhattan and Queens.
How the fires look from space
Another indication of the scale of the Palisades fire comes from Nasa’s Earth Observatory.
The images captured on Tuesday show a huge plume of smoke emanating from California and drifting out to sea.
Effects of the Eaton fire
The Palisades fire is not the only one to have a devastating effect on neighbourhoods of Los Angeles.
Theses images show the extent of the destruction caused by the Eaton fire in the neighbourhood of Altadena.
The Jewish Temple in Pasadena was destroyed by the Eaton fire. The Centre’s website says it has been in use since 1941 and has a congregation of more than 400 families.
