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A walk-through of downtown Palisades destruction
Fox 11 Los Angeles reporter Gigi Graciette walks through downtown Palisades to show what's been destroyed by fire.
OAKLAND, Calif. - California is no stranger to wildfires, with blazes sprouting up more frequently and outside of what was traditionally considered "wildfire season." But as Gov. Gavin Newsom underlined, wildfires aren't limited to one season.
Wildfires are year-round
What they're saying:
"November, December, now January − there’s no fire season, it’s fire year. It’s year-round," California Gov. Gavin Newsom said at press conference on Tuesday regarding the destructive Palisades Fire raging in Los Angeles County.
The Palisades Fire
What we know:
The Palisades Fire is among a series of fierce blazes currently sweeping through Los Angeles County that have killed five people and forced over 180,000 residents to flee.
Firefighters began to slow the spread of the fires on Thursday after powerful Santa Ana winds that drove the fast-moving flames diminished, but the Palisades Fire, the largest blaze, still burned out of control. In some areas, winds gusted to more than 70 mph.
While the winds dropped, the National Weather Service warned that even reduced gusts could still spread fire rapidly. The weather agency said the wind is expected to strengthen again Thursday evening, with another round of strong winds possibly forming Tuesday.
Most destructive CA wildfires
Big picture view:
The Palisades Fire is already deemed the most destructive in Los Angeles history and the third most destructive in state history, with at least 5,316 structures destroyed in the coastline neighborhood of Pacific Palisades as of Thursday afternoon, according to Cal Fire. That figure could change as the fire continues to grow.
The state fire agency determines the most destructive fires based on the number of structures, including homes, outbuildings (bars, garages and sheds), and commercial properties destroyed.
Here's a look at the 20 most destructive fires in California history:
The Source: Information for this story was obtained from information from Cal Fire.