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.

The blaze began shortly after the start of a Santa Ana windstorm that the National Weather service warned could be the strongest to hit Southern California in more than a decade.

We need to make it incredibly expensive to build in these kinds of environments,’ one expert told The Independent. ‘If the insurance industry refuses to sell policies, maybe people won’t risk it’