Thousands of acres are on fire in LA.

Wildfires are raging in many parts of Los Angeles, with high winds and extremely dry conditions causing them to spread across thousands of acres of land.

Firefighters have so far been unable to contain them, and a fire official told the BBC on Thursday that they were still spreading rapidly.

The largest fire that occurred in the Pacific Palisades area, where many celebrities live, was recorded as the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history. More than 1,000 buildings were destroyed.

This is a rapidly changing situation. These maps and photos show how the fire spread, where it is located, and what it looks like from space.

More fires broke out on Wednesday, including in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood overlooking Hollywood.

Many roads near the fire were covered in thick smoke, and traffic was backed up on Hollywood Boulevard, home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as people tried to leave.

There are five fires burning in the Los Angeles area.

• brow Fires: The largest fires are currently burning between Santa Monica and Malibu. Area burned: More than 20,000 acres. More than 5,300 structures were destroyed. At least 30,000 people have been evacuated.

• Eton FIRE: Second largest fire north of Pasadena. Area burned: At least 13,690 acres. Potentially more than 4,000 structures were damaged or destroyed. Five deaths were reported.

• forest Fire: Northeast of the city. Area burned: 850 acres.

• lydia Fire: Reported in the hills north of Los Angeles. Area burned: 350 acres.

• sunset Fire: Reported in the historic Hollywood Hills area near many famous landmarks, including the Hollywood Sign. Area burned: 50 acres.

Two fires have been extinguished:

woodley Fire: A small fire was reported in a local park. Area burned: 30 acres.

olive Fire: A small fire was first reported in Ventura County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Los Angeles. Area burned: 11 acres.

The map above shows how quickly the Palisade Fire spread and intensified in a matter of hours. Just after 14:00 on Tuesday, it covered 772 acres, nearly tripling in size in four hours.

It now covers more than 17,000 acres, more than 1,400 firefighters are working to contain the fire, and thousands of people have been forced to evacuate the area.

The Eaton Fire also rapidly expanded Tuesday from about 1,000 acres to more than 10,000 acres, forcing thousands of people to evacuate.

As you can see in the map below, approximately 20,000 buildings may have already been damaged or destroyed, and many more could be at risk depending on how the fire spreads.

To give you an idea of ​​the scale of the Palisades fire, I’ve overlaid it on maps of New York and London.

As seen by 23:00 PST on January 8 (07:00 GMT on January 9), it was similar in size to an area stretching from Clapham to Greenwich in the British capital, or to large areas of Lower Manhattan and Queens. .

The Palisades Fire is not the only fire having a devastating impact on areas near Los Angeles.

This image shows the extent of damage from the Eaton Fire near 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.