Los Angeles fire: Relief in sight for Palisades wildfire, Eaton fire during weekend but how?

Winds were expected to drop Friday around Los Angeles, bolstering a huge firefighting effort at the five major blazes wreaking havoc around America's second biggest city.

The five separate fires have so far burned more than 35,000 acres (14,160 hectares) in Los Angeles, the state's fire agency reported.

The biggest of the blazes has ripped through almost 20,000 acres of the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, where firefighters said they were starting to get a handle on the fire. By Friday morning six percent of its perimeter was contained -- meaning it can't spread any further in that direction.


But the Eaton fire in the Altadena area remained entirely unchecked, with almost 14,000 acres scorched and key infrastructure -- including communication towers at Mount Wilson -- threatened.

A third fire that exploded Thursday afternoon near Calabasas and the wealthy Hidden Hills enclave, home to celebrities like Kim Kardashian, added to the feeling of encirclement.

But after a huge response to the blaze, including retardant drops from planes and helicopters dumping vast quantities of water, the fire was 35 percent surrounded, firefighters said on Friday.

The fires could be the costliest ever recorded, with AccuWeather estimating total damage and loss between $135 billion and $150 billion. Beyond the immediate carnage, life for millions of people in the area was disrupted: schools were closed, hundreds of thousands were without power and major events were canceled or, in the case of an NFL playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings, moved somewhere else.

Meteorologists have warned that 'critical' windy and dry conditions, though abated, were not over. A National Weather Service bulletin said "significant fire growth" remained likely "with ongoing or new fires" into Friday.

Wildfires occur naturally, but scientists say human-caused climate change is altering weather and changing the dynamics of the blazes. Two wet years in Southern California have given way to a very dry one, leaving ample fuel dry and primed to burn.

FAQs

Q1. How many fires are raging in Los Angeles?
A1. The five separate fires have so far burned more than 35,000 acres (14,160 hectares) in Los Angeles, the state's fire agency reported.

Q2. What will be the cost of Los Angeles?
A2. The fires could be the costliest ever recorded, with AccuWeather estimating total damage and loss between $135 billion and $150 billion.