With thousands of Los Angeles County residents forced to evacuate as the Palisades fire, Eaton fire and the Hurst fire burn through the region, local organizations are mobilizing to help displaced

Multiple major wildfires are leaving a trail of destruction and death in the Los Angeles area. A handful of wildfires that kicked up Tuesday, powered by high winds and dry conditions, have exploded in size.

Though the Palisades and Eaton fires are smaller, they rank high in structures burned. Combined, they would equal the second-most destructive California wildfire in history, with more than 9,000 structures burned, according to early Cal Fire estimates. A more detailed analysis of the total number of destroyed structures is still underway.

Chart showing structures destroyed by Los Angeles County's most destructive wildfires. Palisades Fire far exceeds damage from previous fires. The most destructive fires in Los Angeles County history

Unprecedented wildfires in Los Angeles County in California are decimating thousands of structures and displacing thousands of residents.

The state of California announced a one-year moratorium on the cancellation or non-renewal of homeowners insurance policies in zip codes affected by the Los Angeles-area wildfires.

In 2019, the number of homeowners’ policies in California that were not renewed jumped by more than thirty per cent. In 2023, two giant insurers, State Farm and Allstate, announced that they would stop writing new policies for various forms of property insurance in California.

The wind-driven wildfires burning out of control in the Los Angeles area couldn't have emerged at a more perilous moment for California's homeowners, as officials try to rehab what they concede is a deepening "insurance crisis.