The Palisades Fire, which is 8% contained, ranks among California’s top five most destructive fires|Toastt21|CC BY-SA 4.0

The wildfires burning around Los Angeles have scorched over 35,000 acres—an area bigger than the size of San Francisco, Boston or Miami—and claimed at least 11 lives.

The devastating fires have displaced 100,000 residents, reduced roughly 12,000 structures to ash, and left more than 450,000 without power.

Status of the fires
Firefighters were able to make some progress in battling the fires. The Palisades Fire, which is 8% contained, ranks among California’s top five most destructive fires. The Eaton Fire near Pasadena is 3% contained, while a newer Kenneth Fire was 50% contained on Friday.

Dry, windy conditions continue to fuel the blazes, with power lines suspected as a possible ignition source. The government has not given any damage estimates yet, but AccuWeather projects the devastation to be about $135 billion to $150 billion.

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced an independent review after firefighters ran out of water early on, calling it “deeply troubling.” President Joe Biden warned of potential rises in the death toll and pledged federal support for rebuilding efforts.