The death toll from wildfires raging in Los Angeles has risen to 25, thousands of homes and buildings have been destroyed, and the damage caused by the fires has exceeded $250 billion, according to AccuWeather estimates, CNN reports that according to California Governor Gavin Newsom, the number of victims could be much higher.
More than 92,000 residents in Los Angeles County were ordered to evacuate. An area of more than 155 square kilometers was burned. Firefighters have been fighting the fire for more than a week, which is fueled by strong winds. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power announced that in the coming days, due to strong winds, it may intentionally turn off the electricity as a preventive measure to help prevent the spread of wildfires.
According to AccuWeather, wildfires in the Los Angeles area cost the state of California between $250 billion and $275 billion, more than Hurricane Helen in 2024 and the entire 2020 wildfire season combined.