Thousands of acres are on fire in LA.

Firefighters are fighting to contain massive wildfires in Los Angeles that have killed at least 24 people, burned thousands of buildings and forced tens of thousands of people from their homes.

This is a rapidly changing situation. These maps and photos show the scale of the challenge, where the fire occurred and the damage it caused.

The largest fire in the Pacific Palisades area is the most destructive in Los Angeles history. More than 23,000 acres have now burned.

Placing the affected area on a map of New York and London shows how large it is, spanning from Clapham to Greenwich in the British capital, or across large swaths of Lower Manhattan and Queens. You can see that it exists.

There are currently four fires burning in the Los Angeles area.

• brow Fires: The largest active fires are burning between Santa Monica and Malibu. Area burned: 23,713 acres.

• Eton FIRE: Second largest fire north of Pasadena. Area burned: 14,117 acres.

• forest Fire: Northeast of the city. Area burned: 799 acres. According to LA officials, 97% have been quarantined.
• automatic Fire: West of town in Venture County. Area burned: 56 acres.

However, six other fires were extinguished.

Kenneth Fire: In the West Hills area just north of Palisades. It was contained Sunday afternoon after burning 1,052 acres since Thursday.

lydia Fire: Reported in the hills north of Los Angeles. Area burned: 395 acres.

Archer Fire: Small fire that started Friday and burned 19 acres.

woodley Fire: A small fire was reported in a local park. Area burned: 30 acres.

olive Fire: A small fire was first reported in Ventura County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Los Angeles. Area burned: 11 acres.

sunset Fire: Reported in the historic Hollywood Hills area near many famous landmarks, including the Hollywood Sign. Area burned: 43 acres.

Officials said the two largest fires destroyed more than 12,000 structures. About 5,000 were each destroyed in the Palisades and Eaton fires.

As you can see in the map below, the fire is burning primarily uninhabited areas, but has spread into populated areas.

An analysis of satellite data by experts from the CUNY Graduate Center and Oregon State University found that while some buildings escaped damage within the fire zone, many were damaged or destroyed. Depending on how Infernos spreads, you may be at more risk.

Among the buildings already destroyed by the Palisade fire are many exclusive properties lining the west Malibu waterfront.

Slide your cursor over the image below to get an aerial view of what the area used to be and what it looks like now.

As you can see in the satellite image below, both the Palisades and Eaton fires are visible from space.

An unusually dry period (only 0.16 inches (0.4 cm) of rain has fallen in downtown Los Angeles since October), combined with strong offshore gusts known as Santa Ana winds, has created conditions ripe for wildfires.

Santa Ana winds flow from east to west through the mountains of southern California, according to the National Weather Service.

As it blows inland across the desert, it creates conditions of lower humidity and dries out vegetation. When a fire breaks out, smoldering embers blown by the wind can turn into an inferno in a matter of minutes.

The map below shows how quickly the Palisades Fire spread and intensified in a matter of hours. Just after 14:00 on Tuesday, it covered 772 acres, nearly tripling in size in four hours.

The Palisades Fire has now engulfed more than 23,000 acres, forcing thousands of people to evacuate the area as more than 1,400 firefighters battle the blaze.

The Eaton Fire also rapidly expanded Tuesday from about 1,000 acres to more than 14,000 acres, forcing thousands of people to evacuate.

Photographers have also been capturing the heartbreaking level of damage the fires have caused on the ground. These before and after photos show.

The Jewish Temple in Pasadena was destroyed in the Eaton Fire. The center’s website says it has been in use since 1941 and has a congregation of more than 400 families.

The extent of the damage is still unfolding as authorities continue to work to extinguish the fires, but losses are already expected to exceed $135 billion (£109.7 billion), making it the costliest in US history.

Firefighters are facing a big day as forecasters warn that particularly dangerous winds in northwest Los Angeles could spread the flames.

A red flag weather warning was issued for wind gusts up to 70 mph, and residents of other parts of Los Angeles were told to stay indoors to avoid dust and ash.