Over the last few days, the numerous wildfires plaguing Southern California have ravaged the communities of Kenneth, Hurst, Lidia, Eaton, and Pacific Palisades. Since Jan. 7, the fires have progressed, spreading to new areas throughout the Los Angeles area and showing no signs of ending. Although the cause of many of the fires is still unknown, The New York Times states that electrical infrastructure could have been the leading cause of at least one of the fires. According to The Independent, AccuWeather has reported that scientists believe that the ongoing drought in California combined with hurricane-grade winds played a large part in the spread of the individual fires.

Though the fires began less than a week ago, the true extent to which the damage the fire has done to Los Angeles County has come into question. AP News reports that an early estimate of damages caused by the fire totals between $135 and $150 billion. The fires will leave a lasting impact on Los Angeles County and surrounding communities for an extended duration. Rebuilding efforts will be extremely difficult financially and physically. The county will inevitably change with added fire protection measures taken to ensure stability during rebuilding efforts. Additionally, the impact of these fires will not be forgotten and will be taken into consideration when modeling infrastructure and rebuilding the cities for years to come.