The fires that have been raging in Los Angeles County this week could be the "most destructive" in modern US history. In just three days, the blazes have covered tens of thousands of acres of land and could potentially have an economic impact of up to about $150bn (£123bn), according to private forecaster Accuweather.
Sky News has used a combination of open-source techniques, data analysis, satellite imagery and social media footage to analyse how and why the fires started and work out the scale of their economic and environmental impact. More than 1,000 structures have been damaged so far, local officials have estimated. The real figure is likely to be much higher.
"In fact, it's likely that perhaps 15,000 or even more structures have been destroyed," said Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at Accuweather. These include some of the country's most expensive real estate, as well as critical infrastructure. Accuweather has estimated the fires could have a total damage and economic loss of between $135bn and $150bn.
"It's clear this is going to be the most destructive wildfire in California history, and likely the most destructive wildfire in modern US history," said Mr Porter. "That is our estimate based upon what has occurred thus far, plus some considerations for the near-term impacts of the fires," he added.
