18.01.2025 13:50
The wildfires that started on January 7 in Los Angeles, California, have caused the greatest destruction in 40 years and are still not under control. The fires, which have turned more residential areas to ash than any other fire since the 1980s, are estimated to have caused total damages between 250 and 275 billion dollars.
The fires that started on January 7 in Los Angeles, California, spread to many cities due to strong winds. An analysis by the Associated Press (AP) using data from the Silvis Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin in Madison revealed the extent of the destruction caused by the fires that turned the country into hell.
THE LARGEST DESTRUCTION IN 40 YEARS
According to the analysis, the area of urban land destroyed in the fires that have been ongoing for about 10 days in the Palisades and Eaton areas within the city limits of Los Angeles is greater than any fire that has occurred in the state since the mid-1980s.
RESIDENTIAL AREAS TURNED TO ASHES
Compared to other fires in California over the past 40 years, the current fires have turned more urban land to ashes, and as they grow due to the strong and persistent winds coming from the Pacific Ocean, more homes and businesses have been engulfed in flames.
According to measurements, the Palisades and Eaton fires have turned approximately 10.36 square kilometers of residential area to ashes in the densely populated areas of Los Angeles. This amount is recorded as more than twice the urban area destroyed by the Woolsey Fire in the region in 2018.
WHAT HAPPENED?
In Los Angeles, the forest fires that started in the Pacific Palisades area on the morning of January 7 quickly spread to surrounding areas, including Eaton, Hurst, Sunset, and Woodley, resulting in at least 25 fatalities to date.
The total damage and economic loss caused by the fires, which led to thousands of acres being turned to ashes, is estimated to be between 250 and 275 billion dollars.