Fires still raging in the Los Angeles area have reduced some 12,000 structures to ash and rubble, killed at least 11 and displaced thousands of others.
The magnitude? The blazes have spread over an area larger than the city of San Francisco.
Flames began to spread Tuesday, powered by gusts from Santa Ana winds, which slackened Thursday and Friday, though forecasters warn they could pick back up later this weekend.
Los Angeles city and county officials said Friday that the blazes ravaging the Palisades and Altadena were just 8% and 3% contained, respectively.
The L.A. County medical examiner’s office said at least 11 have died, with five from the Palisades Fire along the coast and six from the inland Eaton Fire.
Still unclear is the financial impact from the damage, though an estimate from AccuWeather, a private firm that provides weather data, placed the toll between $135 billion and $150 billion. Government officials haven’t given an estimate yet.
Here’s a closer look the fires on the fourth day of the crisis.
Historic destruction hits neighborhoods
More than 5,300 structures have been damaged or destroyed in the hilly coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, making it the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history.
Dozens of blocks are now just smoldering rubble, with only the outlines of homes and their chimneys left. Among those whose homes were destroyed were a number of celebrities, including Jamie Lee Curtis and Billy Crystal.
The wreckage surpassed that of the Sayre Fire of November 2008, which destroyed 604 structures in Sylmar, the northernmost suburb of the city, according to statistics kept by the Wildfire Alliance, a partnership between the city’s fire department and MySafe:LA.
The Eaton Fire north of Pasadena burned more than 7,000 structures, including homes, apartment or commercial buildings and vehicles. It also substantially damaged five schools in Altadena and scorched more than 21 square miles.
A newer blaze, the Kenneth Fire, was 50% contained Friday, one day after the Los Angeles Fire Department issued evacuation orders. It broke out near West Hills, a neighborhood densely packed with homes in the San Fernando Valley.
Flames that threatened the Hollywood Hills Wednesday evening were under control and evacuation orders were lifted Thursday morning.
Altogether, the fires have consumed about 56 square miles.
Returning to devastation
Bridget Berg, who was at work when she saw on TV her house in Altadena erupt in flames, came back for the first time with her family two days later “just to make it real.”
Their feet crunched across the broken bits of what had been their home for 16 years.
“It’s OK. It’s OK,” Berg said as much to herself as others as she took stock of the destruction, remembering the deck and pool from which her family watched fireworks. “It’s not like we just lost our house — everybody lost their house.”
In Pacific Palisades, Greg Benton surveyed where he lived for 31 years, hoping to find his great-grandmother’s wedding ring in the wreckage.
“We just had just had Christmas morning right over here, right in front of that chimney. And this is what’s left,” he said, pointing to the blackened rubble that was once his living room. “It’s those small family heirlooms that are the ones that really hurt the most.”
Anna Yeager said she and her husband agonized over going back to their beloved Altadena neighborhood near Pasadena after fleeing with their 6-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son, their two dogs and some clothes. A neighbor told them their house was gone.
When they walked up to their home “it was just dust,” she said. Charred grapefruits littered their yard around a blackened tree, a few still hanging from its branches.
The neighborhood of Tudor homes was planning to celebrate its 100th anniversary in May.
“You build a world for yourself and your family, and you feel safe in that world and things like this happen that you cannot control,” she said. “It’s devastating.”
Houses of worship hit
The fires destroyed a mosque, a synagogue, a Catholic parish and a half-dozen Protestant churches.
Sacred Torah scrolls were all that’s left of Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, an 80-year-old synagogue. The cantor, Ruth Berman Harris, and three companions rushed in to rescue the scrolls when flames already were attacking the campus.
The Masjid Al-Taqwa mosque also burned. It was started as an African American place of worship, and in the past 20 years had attracted diverse young families as well as professionals and college students.
The wildfires destroyed Altadena Community Church, known for its colorful stained glass and for hosting a popular choir. Altadena United Methodist Church and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Altadena were also leveled.
In Pacific Palisades, Corpus Christi Catholic Church and Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church were destroyed.
Investigators are studying the cause of the fires
Officials have identified the origin of the Palisades blaze fire behind a home on Piedra Morada Drive, which sits above a densely wooded arroyo.
The National Fire Protection Association says lightning is the most common source of fires in the U.S. but investigators were able to rule that out quickly. There were no reports of lightning in the Palisades area or the terrain around the Eaton Fire.
The next two most common causes are fires intentionally set and those sparked by utility lines. So far there has been no official indication of arson in either blaze and utility lines have not been identified as a cause.
National Guard arrives to protect property
California National Guard troops arrived on the streets of Altadena before dawn Friday to help protect property in the Eaton evacuation zone. At least 20 arrests have been made for looting.
Officials promised looters will be prosecuted.
“This is simply unacceptable,” Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said. “I promise you, you will be held accountable.”
Officials said Friday that National Guardsman will be deployed to the Palisades Fire area to manage traffic.
Thousands have been ordered to evacuate
More than 150,000 people still were under evacuation orders Friday, officials said.
The flames threatened highly populated and affluent neighborhoods, including Calabasas and Santa Monica, communities that include California’s rich and famous. Hollywood stars including Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore and James Woods were among those forced to flee. Moore later said she lost her home in Altadena.
Several events have been canceled and postponed
The Critics Choice Awards rescheduled Sunday ceremonies in Santa Monica for Jan. 26.
The organization that puts on the Oscars extended the voting window for Academy Award nominations and delayed next week’s planned nominations announcement.
Film studios canceled two movie premieres and Universal Studios canceled shooting for numerous series.
The Universal Studios Hollywood theme park closed for the day, but Disneyland, in Anaheim, 40 or more miles south of the fires, was open.
All schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District remained closed Friday.
The NFL moved the Los Angeles Rams’ wild-card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings to Arizona because of the fires. The game will be played Monday night. And the NBA postponed the Lakers’ game against the Hornets.
Many people are without power and water
More than 175,000 customers were without electricity in Southern California, nearly half of them in Los Angeles County, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide.
Sewer, water and power infrastructure across the region also has been significantly damaged, officials said.
