The devastating wildfire raging in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles has now destroyed more than 1,000 structures and is growing, while the Eaton Fire, burning in the Angeles National Forest, the Altadena area of Los Angeles County and Pasadena, has now destroyed more than 100 structures, according to LA County Fire Chief, Anthony Marrone.
The Palisades fire is the largest of the wildfires tearing through Los Angeles County on Wednesday. The cause remains unknown but under investigation as firefighters struggle to tackle the flames amid very strong winds and extremely dry conditions.
Marrone said today that the Palisades fire has now burned more than 5,000 acres, is growing and is 0% contained.
The Eaton fire, while currently smaller, has claimed the lives of two people. Their causes of death are currently unknown but there’s also been reports of “a number of significant injuries” as well as the more than 100 structures being destroyed. It’s been reported that more than 13,000 structures remain at risk from the Eaton fire.
With the fires still burning and growing, being fuelled by the Santa Ana winds and dry conditions, it seems inevitable that the number of structures destroyed will continue to rise as the extent of the damage is understood. But insurers and reinsurers will be watching closely as the fires continue to burn and impact more and more structures and livelihoods.
Providing some useful context, Guy Carpenter, the reinsurance broking arm of Marsh McLennan, explained today that since 1980, a total of six fires have impacted the geography of the Palisades Fire, although none of these encompassed the municipalities of Pacific Palisades or Brentwood. Of these six fires, the most damaging was the Woolsey Fire in 2018, which occurred west of Malibu, compared to the Palisades Fire, which is located to the east of Malibu. The Woolsey Fire was the third-highest insured loss in California history, amounting to $5.5 billion, and led to the loss of 1,650 structures.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Jim McDonnell, Los Angeles Police Department Chief, urged residents to heed the evacuation order that’s been put in place for tens of thousands of people.
“That makes the difference between living and not, so I would ask you to take these warnings, these orders to evacuate, very seriously. When we believe that you’re in the path of the fire, we’re going to order that evacuation, and we really, really need your compliance on that, because if we have to send people in to try and make the rescues, those people are putting their lives on the line directly for something that could have been avoidable,” said McDonnell.
The LA City County President, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, has described fire “literally jumping roads” and “taking out structures,” noting the event as a “historically horrifying moment.”
LA Fire Chief, Kristin Crowley, said today that the two fires are “stretching the capacity of emergency services to their maximum limits,” but that despite the extreme and severe conditions, “our department remains fully committed to safeguarding lives and property.”
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