The fires sweeping across Los Angeles County for the past week have burned more than 50,000 acres, an area roughly equivalent to 2,200 Alcatraz Islands or 500 Disneylands, or larger than Washington, D.C.
An arid fall and winter has dried out vegetation after two wetter-than-average years, providing fuel as a windstorm, with hurricane-force gusts topping 100 miles per hour, swept across the region. Wind-whipped flames spread rapidly throughout much of the county.
The Palisades Fire, which burned through the L.A. community of Pacific Palisades and parts of Malibu, and the Eaton Fire, which burned Altadena, have damaged or destroyed an estimated 16,000 houses and other structures. At least 28 people have died, making 2025 one of the deadliest and most destructive years on record less than two weeks after the year started.
A new wildfire, the Hughes Fire, started near Castaic on Jan. 22, and after just one day is already larger than 10,000 acres in size.
It’s difficult to visualize how dramatically Los Angeles — California’s largest city in both physical size and population — has been affected. But to get a sense of the scope, you can enter an address into the tool below to compare the fire perimeters to any area statewide.
For Apple News readers, you can explore the tool here.
