The Eaton Fire started on Tuesday night near a canyon in the expansive national forest lands north of downtown Los Angeles. As of Saturday night, it had grown to 14,117 acres and was 15% contained, as reported by Cal Fire. The agency estimated that more than 7,800 structures may have been damaged or destroyed by the fire.
In Sylmar, the Hurst Fire ignited on Tuesday night as a brush fire in a suburban neighborhood north of San Fernando. By Saturday night, it had spread to 779 acres and was 76% contained, according to Cal Fire. Two structures were believed to have been affected by the fire.
The Kenneth Fire began burning on Thursday evening in the Woodland Hills area near Calabasas, confirmed by the Los Angeles Fire Department. It covered 1,052 acres and was 90% contained by Saturday night, with officials halting its forward progress on Thursday night.
In addition to these fires, new blazes erupted on Wednesday and Friday in the Los Angeles region. Fire crews successfully stopped the spread of the Lidia Fire, Archer Fire, Woodley Fire, and Sunset Fire by Saturday night, with Cal Fire reporting all of them as 100% contained, covering a total of 487 acres.
The fires have impacted a significant number of people, forcing 180,000 individuals to evacuate their homes since Tuesday. Over 150,000 individuals remain under evacuation notices, with the total nearing 200,000 at times as firefighting efforts continue. Entire neighborhoods and blocks have been destroyed, resulting in an unknown number of people being displaced.
As of Saturday evening, at least 16 fatalities have been reported due to the fires by Los Angeles County officials. The county’s medical examiner’s office is investigating the deaths, and the identification process may take weeks. The Eaton Fire accounts for 11 deaths, and the Palisades Fire for five.
The insured losses from this week’s fires are projected to surpass $20 billion, with total economic losses potentially reaching $50 billion, according to estimates by JPMorgan. These figures would exceed the $12.5 billion in insured damages from the 2018 Camp Fire, previously the costliest wildfire in the nation’s history.
The fires’ official cause is yet to be determined. The combination of drought-like conditions and powerful offshore winds in Southern California has created severe fire weather conditions, prompting a red flag warning for 19 million people issued by the National Weather Service.
Wind speeds of up to 50 mph were registered at various sites throughout the region. Swain highlighted the erratic weather patterns California has endured in recent years, swinging between periods of drought and heavy precipitation. He emphasized that these fluctuations are a critical factor contributing to the current fire conditions in the area. “It’s not solely the increased likelihood of dry conditions in a warming climate,” Swain explained to Inside Climate News. “It’s the back-and-forth oscillation between these states that significantly heightens the wildfire risk in Southern California.”
When will the fire weather subside? Crews battled the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon on Saturday in Los Angeles, with a vehicle coated in fire retardant as a precaution. The anticipation of another bout of Santa Ana winds on Tuesday and Wednesday raises concerns, as they are projected to be even stronger than the initial winds that fueled the beginnings and rapid spread of the two largest fires, as forecasted by the National Weather Service. Wind gusts could range from 30 to 50 mph until Tuesday, and the persisting very dry conditions are anticipated to continue to exacerbate fire dangers.
“The extremely dry vegetation, coupled with the prolonged period of severe fire weather conditions, will facilitate the rapid propagation and unpredictable behavior of both new and existing fires,” the weather service declared in a discussion on Saturday. A red flag warning remains in effect until 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday for large parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Despite a lack of significant rainfall in the foreseeable future, there is a possibility of a slight uptick in humidity, lighter winds, and a chance of minor rainfall by the end of the upcoming week, according to the weather discussion.
