In maps: Thousands of acres on fire in LA

Multiple fires have recently broken out in the suburbs of Los Angeles, with firefighters working tirelessly to extinguish them, forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate their homes. The Santa Ana winds and extremely dry weather have exacerbated the spread of the fires, and authorities currently state that they are unable to control the blazes.

Among these, the Palisades fire, the largest and closest to the coast, has ravaged the picturesque suburbs, home to many Hollywood stars. Over 1,000 buildings have been destroyed. There are currently four major fires being fought.

The Palisades fire was first reported at 10:30 PM (18:30 GMT) on Tuesday and rapidly spread from 20 acres to over 200 acres in just 20 minutes. By Wednesday night, the fire had grown to nearly 16,000 acres. At least 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes. The Eaton fire rapidly spread to 1,000 acres within six hours of breaking out. It erupted around 6:30 PM local time on Tuesday in Altadena, in the mountains above Pasadena. By Wednesday night, five deaths had been reported, and the fire had spread to over 10,000 acres.

The Hurst fire, located north of San Fernando, began burning around 10:10 PM local time on Tuesday and, according to local officials, has expanded to 500 acres. It has triggered evacuation orders in neighboring Santa Clarita. The fourth fire, the Woodley fire, which has been reduced to 30 acres, broke out around 6:15 AM local time on Wednesday.

The Palisades fire spread rapidly, expanding dramatically within hours. Just after 2:00 PM on Tuesday, the fire was 772 acres, and it grew to its current size within four hours. Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate, and over 1,400 firefighters are working to put out the blaze. To demonstrate the scale of the Palisades fire, we have overlaid it on maps of New York and London. As you can see, its size is comparable to the central area of the British capital, or a large area of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.

NASA's Earth Observatory has also provided another indicator of the scale of the Palisades fire. Images taken on Tuesday show huge plumes of smoke rising from California and drifting out to sea. The Palisades fire is not the only one having a devastating impact on the Los Angeles community. The images above show the Pasadena synagogue before and after the Eaton fire. The synagogue and center website state that the church has been in use since 1941 and has a congregation of over 400 families.