(NewsNation) — Several fast-moving wildfires continue to devastate the Los Angeles area, and investigators are working around the clock to figure out exactly what sparked the ferocious blazes.
Thousands of acres have been scorched as wildfires continue to rip through parts of Los Angeles County. Five people have died, according to Nicole Nishida, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Officials said 130,000 residents are under evacuation orders because of the fires, and thousands have been displaced.
What do we know about the start of the fires?
Little is still known about how the fires started.
The Los Angeles Fire Department’s arson investigation team is currently investigating the cause, Margaret Stewart, Los Angeles Fire Department public information officer, told NewsNation on Thursday.
Online chatter, including from Elon Musk, has circulated speculation that arson could be the cause of the Sunset fire that sparked in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, but Stewart said that is still unknown.
“The cause of the fire will be investigated. Whether that’s arson or not, that is to be determined,” she said. “Our arson investigators are the ones that investigate the cause of the fire. That doesn’t mean that it’s an arson fire, it’s a cause investigation.”
Though it’s unclear what started the fires, it is more clear how they spread so quickly.
Weather conditions determine how much a wildfire grows, according to National Geographic.
Wind, high temperatures and little rainfall can all leave trees and limbs dried out and primed to fuel a fire. Topography plays a big part, as well, as flames burn uphill faster than they burn downhill.
The Los Angeles wildfires are being fueled by what the National Weather Service said could be the strongest Santa Ana windstorm in over a decade, coupled with a prolonged drought in the area.
“It’s been bone dry from about Santa Barbara southward, only a few sprinkles since last season. So we’re going on 9 to 10 months now without meaningful rain,” Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, told NewsNation affiliate KTLA.
What is being done to find out the cause of the fires?
Stewart said the fire department is employing all resources to stop the fires and determine their cause, but winds have been challenging.
“The wind conditions that we are facing prevented us from being able to use all of our resources in the way that we would aim to use them, specifically our air assets. Since yesterday morning, all of our fast air assets have been working, and we’ve been in 24-hour operations, and so that will continue,” she said.
How long could the fires last?
While some of the five separate fires have been contained, it is still unknown how long the larger ones could last.
The Sunset fire is “under control,” Stewart said, adding that there are no more evacuations in the areas affected.
The Woodley fire, which has burned 30 acres, is “controlled,” and the Lidia Fire was 40% contained by Thursday morning.
But it could be days and even weeks before the monstrous Palisades fire is taken down. As of Wednesday afternoon, the rapidly moving wildfire in the Pacific Palisades area has spread to more than 17,234 acres.
