What we know about the LA fires

Wildfires across Los Angeles have claimed at least five lives and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes. Some blazes are threatening to engulf parts of Hollywood.

Here is what we know about the disaster.

- Record damage -

The two main outbreaks, Palisades and Eaton, have already destroyed 1,000 buildings each.

That makes them the two most destructive in the history of Los Angeles County, according to data from the California Fire Department.

- Causes of the fires -

Last year's El Nino weather system brought heavy rains that fueled excessive vegetation growth in the first half of 2024. Then in the second half of the year there was drought across southern California, with only 4 mm (0.15 inches) of rain in central LA.

Those dry conditions combined with strong winds, which fanned the five outbreaks ravaging Los Angeles.

In addition, the temperature -- around 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) in the Californian megacity in the middle of the day -- is high for the start of winter.

"We see these fires spread when it is hot and dry and windy, and right now all of those conditions are in place in southern California," Kristina Dahl, vice president for science at Climate Central, told AFP.

- The toll so far -

The fires have killed five people, but the city authorities fear they will find more bodies in the charred debris.

Compared to other fires that have ravaged California in recent years, which sometimes extended over several thousand square kilometres, the current outbreaks are small: nearly 120 square kilometers (close to 30 acres).

What sets them apart from previous wildfires is how destructive they have been, despite being located in residential areas.

They have around 2,000 houses or buildings since Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of more than 100,000 Los Angeles residents, including in the historic Hollywood district, whose famous Boulevard is threatened by flames.

The flames have destroyed a hundred luxury residences costing millions of dollars, which means it the fire could be the costliest ever recorded: damage was estimated at $57 billion (55 billion euros) by AccuWeather.

- Disruption -

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden was in Los Angeles, where he had been expected to announce the creation of two new national monuments.

Strong winds forced the cancellation of that announcement, and several other scheduled events were either cancelled or postponed due to the wildfires.

These included the annual Critics Choice Awards gala, a televised Hollywood ceremony that had been set for the weekend normally attended by many A-list stars.

Next week's unveiling of the Oscar nominations was also pushed back, to January 19.

Filming of LA-based shows such as "Grey's Anatomy," "Hacks" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live" has also been paused, and the Universal Studios theme park has closed.

Biden cancelled his upcoming trip to Italy, which would probably have been his final overseas trip as president, to focus instead on the federal response to the fires.

© Agence France-Presse