California Wildfires Maps: Tracking Evacuations, Smoke and Wind in Los Angeles

Major fires, driven by fierce winds, have scorched the Los Angeles area, destroying homes and businesses and prompting thousands to flee as officials issued evacuation orders for many residential areas.

The largest is the Palisades fire. It started on Tuesday and had burned more than 15,000 acres as of early Thursday morning, according to Cal Fire, the state fire agency.

Other fires erupted in the hours after the Palisades fire started burning near Santa Monica.

One of them, the Eaton fire, erupted in the San Gabriel Mountains. It quickly grew to more than 10,000 acres and became deadly.

The fires have spread quickly, propelled by the heavy Santa Ana winds that generally flow out of the Mojave Desert toward the coast. The winds push desert air over the mountains and accelerate as they blow into canyons and valleys.

Gusts have reached over 90 m.p.h. over some mountain peaks.

Satellite images show extensive damage.

Along the Pacific Coast Highway near Tuna Canyon Park, homes have been destroyed.

Northeast of L.A., a neighborhood in Altadena in the foothills of Angeles National Forest appears completely burned.

As winds push wildfire smoke across the Los Angeles area, air quality has become hazardous in some places.

Here’s where smoke is expected to migrate in the coming hours:

The causes of the fires remain under investigation, according to Cal Fire. Low water supply and dry conditions have made the firefighting effort extremely challenging. Officials have warned that more destruction could follow.

“This is going to be devastating, a devastating loss, for all of Los Angeles,” said Traci Park, a Los Angeles city councilwoman whose district includes Pacific Palisades, the site of the biggest fire.