Thousands of acres on fire in LA

Firefighters in Los Angeles are battling a series of fires in the city’s suburbs as tens of thousands of residents are forced to flee.

The rapidly changing situation is exacerbated by Santa Ana winds and extremely dry conditions. Currently, authorities say there is no way to bring some of the fires under control.

The Palisades fire, which is closest to the coast and also the largest, has torn through picturesque suburbs that are home to many Hollywood stars. More than 1,000 buildings have already been destroyed.

Here you can see how the fires have spread and are affecting the Los Angeles area.

Seven fires are currently being fought.

The Palisades The fire was first reported at 10:30 a.m. (18:30 GMT) Tuesday, growing in just 20 minutes from a fire of 20 acres to more than 200 acres, and by Wednesday evening it was approaching 16,000 acres. At least 30,000 people have so far been ordered to leave their homes.

The Eaton the fire grew to cover 1,000 acres within the first six hours after it broke out. It started in Altadena in the hills above Pasadena around 6:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday. By Wednesday night, five deaths had been reported and it had spread to more than 10,000 acres.

The Hurst the fire is just north of San Fernando. It started burning Tuesday around 10:10 p.m. local time and grew to 850 acres, according to local officials. It has triggered evacuation orders in neighboring Santa Clarita.

The Woodley fire broke out in Woodley Park at approximately 06:15 local time on Wednesday. The LA Fire Department (LAFD) says it has now been contained.

ONE Oliva’s the fire broke out in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, burning about 11 hectares of land, although it has also now been contained.

The Lydia fire broke out around 2:00 p.m. Wednesday in the mountainous Acton area north of Los Angeles, growing to cover nearly 350 acres. 21:00 it had been 40% contained.

The Sunset fire broke out around 18:00 in the Hollywood Hills, a residential neighborhood overlooking the historic Hollywood area of ​​the city. It currently covers about 50 acres and is 0% contained. A mandatory evacuation order is in place.

The map above shows how quickly the Palisades fire spread and intensified in a matter of hours. Just after 2 p.m. Tuesday, it covered 772 acres and within four hours had expanded to about its current size.

Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate as more than 1,400 firefighters try to tackle the blaze.

To give an idea of ​​the size of the Palisades fire, we’ve superimposed it on maps of New York and London.

As you can see, it is comparable in size to the central area of ​​the UK capital or to large areas of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Another indication of the extent of the Palisades fire comes from NASA’s Earth Observatory.

The images taken on Tuesday show a huge plume of smoke coming from California and drifting out to sea.

The Palisades fire isn’t the only one having a devastating effect on Los Angeles neighborhoods.

The above photos show the Pasadena Jewish Temple before and during the Eaton fire.

The Jewish Temple and Center’s website says it has been in use since 1941 and has a congregation of more than 400 families.