At least 1,000 buildings have been burned by the wind-blown fires that have swept across vast areas of Los Angeles County, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes. There are two confirmed deaths.
As three large flames broke out—the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires—new satellite photos aid in creating a more coherent timeline of the mayhem.
California
5 dead, more than 1,100 structures destroyed as firestorm besieges L.A. County
This is one of the most deadly firestorms to ever impact the area, with over 1,100 buildings destroyed and at least five people killed in wildfires raging throughout L.A. County.
11 a.m. Tuesday Palisades fire is visible from space
At 10:41 a.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department initially reported a brush fire in Pacific Palisadeson X. After a little over two hours, the fire had grown so large that it could be seen from space.
The video below, which was provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Colorado State University’s Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRRA), depicts the fire spreading and releasing a smoke plume over the Pacific Ocean.
Just west of Los Angeles, in the Pacific Palisades, the Palisades Fire starts.Strong Santa Ana winds and catastrophic fire weather conditions are currently affecting southern California.Wrwydo Jaov’s picture on Twitter
4 p.m. Tuesday Palisades fire expands as the sun sets
On Tuesday, a trail of smoke from the Palisades fire was visible over the Pacific as the sun started to set over Los Angeles.
For a number of hours, evacuation orders had been in force throughout the Palisades.
California
Fire hydrants ran dry as Pacific Palisades burned. L.A. city officials blame tremendous demand
Firefighters fighting the Palisades fire had to contend with hydrants that were leaking little or no water. According to a LADWP spokesman, all of the hydrants ran out of water around 3 a.m. on Wednesday.
7 p.m. Tuesday Eaton fire is visible from space
At 6:38 p.m., officials from the Angeles National Forest reported that the service’s firefighters were assisting Los Angeles County Fire in putting out a brush fire in Altadena close to Eaton Canyon.
First responders would be overworked if several large fires broke out: The Los Angeles Fire Department declared that all off-duty personnel should call in to indicate their availability for recall at 6:26 p.m.
The Eaton fire was visible from space by 7 p.m. Evacuation orders were issued for X at 7:25.
CIRA footage shows the two fires growing as the night went on.
With wildfires raging in Southern California tonight, a catastrophic situation is developing.The Palisades and Eaton Fires still have a major effect on communities.PVo24l6.pic.twitter.com
11 p.m. Tuesday Hurst fire becomes visible
As winds howled, a third fire broke out close to Sylmar, adding to the two large fires that officials were already rushing to contain.
At 10:31 p.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department issued an alert on a brush fire in Sylmar. Soon after, it would be nicknamed the Hurst fire.
At 11 p.m. on Tuesday, the three fires were first spotted from space, and they would all remain visible until dawn.
9 a.m. Wednesday Palisades and Eaton fires rage on in daylight
Due to strong wind gusts during the night, the two larger flames, Palisades and Eaton, had developed considerably by daylight.
They produced a smoke trail that was visible over the Pacific Ocean and deteriorated the air quality over a large portion of Los Angeles.
Wednesday at 1 p.m. Smoke wafts across the Pacific.
505 acres had been burned by the Hurst fire, 10,600 acres by the Eaton fire, and 15,832 acres by the Palisades fire as of Wednesday at 2:00 p.m.
Officials cautioned that the incident was still out of control and that strong gusts were predicted to last into the evening.
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