BBCWildfires are raging through several areas of Los Angeles, with high winds and extremely dry conditions fueling their progress across thousands of acres.
Firefighters have so far been unable to contain many of them, with a fire official telling the BBC on Thursday that they were still expanding rapidly.
The largest fire in the Pacific Palisades area, where many celebrities live, is the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history. Over 5,300 buildings were destroyed.
It's a rapidly changing situation – these maps and images chart how wildfires have spread, where they're located and what they look like from space.
Among the already demolished buildings are many exclusive properties lining the Malibu waterfront
Slide your cursor across the image above to see an aerial view of what the area looked like before and now.
Five fires are still burning in the Los Angeles area.
- The Palisades Fire: The largest active fire is burning between Santa Monica and Malibu. Area burned: Over 20,000 acres. More than 5,300 structures were destroyed. At least 30,000 people have been evacuated.
- Eton Fire: Second largest fire burning north of Pasadena. Area burned: At least 13,690 acres. Potentially more than 4,000 structures were damaged or destroyed. Five deaths were reported.
- Hearst Fire: Northeast of town. Area burnt: 850 acres.
- Lydia Fire: Reported in mountains north of Los Angeles. Area burnt: 350 acres.
- Kenneth Fire: In the West Hills area, just north of the Palisades. As of Thursday afternoon, 960 acres have burned so far.
Getty ImagesThree fires have been brought under control.
Woodley Fires: Small fires have been reported in local parklands. Area burnt: 30 acres.
Olivas Fire: The first small fire was reported in Ventura County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Los Angeles. Area burned: 11 acres.
sunset Fires: Reported in the historic Hollywood Hills area near many famous landmarks, including the Hollywood Sign. Area burnt: 43 acres.
How did the Palisades fire spread?
The map above shows how quickly the Palisades fire spread, intensifying within hours. It covered 772 acres just after 14:00 on Tuesday and nearly tripled in size within four hours.
It now covers about 20,000 acres and thousands of people have been forced to evacuate the area, as more than 1,400 firefighters try to contain the blaze.
The Eaton fire quickly grew from about 1,000 acres on Tuesday to more than 13,000 acres, forcing thousands more to flee.
Thousands of buildings have been destroyed in major fires
As the maps below show, around 20,000 buildings may already be damaged or destroyed – and many more could be at risk depending on how the fire spreads.
How does the size of the Palisades fire compare to New York and London?
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 by 23:00 PST, January 8, (07:00 GMT, January 9), it was comparable in size to an area stretching from Clapham to Greenwich in the UK capital, or large areas of lower Manhattan and Queens. .
Effects of the Eaton fire
The Palisades fire is not the only one to have a devastating impact on neighborhoods around Los Angeles.
Theses images show the extent of destruction caused by the Eaton fire around Altadena.
The Jewish Temple in Pasadena was destroyed in the Eaton fire. The center's website says it has been in use since 1941 and has a congregation of more than 400 families.
