The fire is burning thousands of acres in Los Angeles

Los Angeles firefighters are battling a number of fires on the outskirts of the city, while tens of thousands of residents are forced to flee.

The rapidly changing situation is exacerbated by Santa Ana winds and extremely dry conditions. Authorities currently say there is no way to control some fires.

The Palisades fire, closest to the coast and also the largest, swept through the picturesque suburbs home to many Hollywood stars. More than 1,000 buildings have already been destroyed.

Here's how the fires are spreading and impacting the Los Angeles area.

Seven fires are currently being dealt with.

the Barriers First reported at 10:30 (18:30 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire expanded in just 20 minutes from 20 acres to more than 200 acres, and by Wednesday night was approaching 16,000 acres. At least 30,000 people have so far been ordered to leave their homes.

the Eaton The fire grew to cover 1,000 acres within the first six hours of its outbreak. It began in Altadena in the hills above Pasadena at around 18:30 local time on Tuesday. By Wednesday night, five deaths had been reported and the disease had spread to more than 10,000 acres.

the Hurst The fire is located just north of San Fernando. The fire started Tuesday at around 10:10 p.m. local time and has spread to 850 acres, according to local officials. It has sparked evacuation orders in neighboring Santa Clarita.

the Woodley A fire broke out in Woodley Park at around 06:15 local time on Wednesday. The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) says it is now contained.

A olive The fire broke out in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, and spread across 11 acres of land, though it was also contained.

the Lydia The fire broke out at about 14:00 on Wednesday in the mountainous Acton area north of Los Angeles, and has spread to cover about 350 acres. As of 21:00, 40% of it was contained.

the sunset The fire broke out at around 18:00 in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, a residential neighborhood overlooking the city's historic Hollywood district. It currently covers about 50 acres and is 0% contained. There is a mandatory evacuation order.

The map above shows how quickly the Palisades Fire spread, intensifying within hours. Just at 14:00 on Tuesday, it covered an area of ​​772 acres and within four hours had expanded almost to its current size.

Thousands of people were forced to evacuate, while more than 1,400 firefighters were trying to tackle the fire.

To give an idea of ​​the size of the Palisades Fire, we have placed it on maps of New York and London.

As you can see, it is comparable in size with the central area of ​​the UK capital, or with large areas of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Another indication of the size of the Palisades Fire comes from NASA's Earth Observatory.

Images taken Tuesday show a huge plume of smoke billowing out of California and drifting out to sea.

The Palisades Fire isn't the only one that has had a devastating impact on Los Angeles neighborhoods.

The photos above show the Pasadena Synagogue before and during the Eaton Fire.

The synagogue and Jewish center's website says it has been in use since 1941 and is home to more than 400 families.