The scale of the wildfires is nearly incomprehensible.
Since Tuesday, January 7, nine fires in and around Los Angeles County—five of which continue to burn—have consumed approximately 29,000 acres, according to CAL FIRE, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection web service.
This area is roughly double the size of Manhattan—or the equivalent of about 22,000 football fields, or nearly 200 golf courses.
Fueled by extreme weather conditions, including high winds, the fires continue to spread. Over 10,000 structures have been destroyed, according to CAL FIRE, and at least 10 people have perished, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department—with the death toll expected to climb.
As of 2 a.m. Pacific Time, Friday, January 10, CAL FIRE reported the following: the Palisades Fire, the first to ignite, has impacted 19,978 acres in the Pacific Palisades coastal area; the Eaton fire, further east in LA County near Altadena, has burned 13,690 acres; the Kenneth fire in Woodland Hills has consumed 960 acres; the Hurst fire in the San Fernando Valley, 771 acres; and the Lidia fire near Antelope Valley, 394 acres; the contained Sunset, Woodley, Olivas, and Tyler fires totaled 95 acres.
While on track to be the most destructive this week, these California fires are far from the largest the state has seen—a record held, according to CAL FIRE, by the August Complex fire, which scorched over a million acres.