At least five people have been killed and thousands of homes have been gutted in wildfires that have ravaged multiple parts of Los Angeles in California – the most populous state of the United States.More than 130,000 residents in different neighbourhoods of Los Angeles city have been ordered to evacuate as the fires, which erupted on Tuesday, continue to rapidly spread, fuelled by high winds.
So how big are the fires at present, and how did they begin?
What started the California wildfires?
The first fire started in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles at 10:30am (18:30GMT) on Tuesday, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
Investigators are still trying to find out the exact trigger for the worst firestorm in recent memory, but a combination of factors might have created conditions optimal for a fire.
California generally experiences wildfires during June and July, and they can run until October, but the blaze has defied the calendar this year, erupting in January – the coldest of the winter months. Advertisement
Southern California, the site of the fires, has been experiencing drought conditions and had not seen significant rainfall for months. Last year less than four percent of California was affected by drought compared …
