As you’ve probably heard, the city of Los Angeles is being devastated by a series of wildfires that started between December 31 and January 7. Fueled by strong winds and dry conditions, the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, and Hurst Fire have caused more than 150,000 people to evacuate their homes. 

Many well-known celebrities in the area have lost their homes. The star from the hit show Gossip Girl, Leighton Meester, and her husband Adam Brody’s $6.5 million home burned the ground in the Palisades fire. Celebrities like Britney Spears and Chrissy Teigen and her husband John Legend have had to evacuate from their homes in the past month as the fire spreads. Model Bella Hadid’s childhood home is now at risk.

It’s hard to comprehend just how dire the situation is, but the

numbers can give you at least a sense of how much destruction Californians are dealing with. As of January 17, the Palisades Fire covers nearly 24,000 acres–that’s the equivalent of 1,818 football fields!–near Malibu and Santa Monica. This active fire has burned about 5,300 buildings, and only 22% (last week is was only 13%) is contained by firefighters. The Eaton Fire, burning 14,100 acres in size, is smaller than the Palisades Fire but still covers a good amount of the city just four miles from the site of the Rose Bowl Stadium. While it has ruined 5,000 structures in LA, 27% of the fire has been contained. The Hurst Fire is the smallest fire and exists just outside of the city. It has burned about 800 acres, but 95% is contained, unlike the other fires.

While these fires are still under investigation, citizens of LA have their own theories. Some think the fires were started intentionally. For instance, LA officials recently arrested a man who was seen lighting a fire on a hiking trail. Some people speculate he could have started these fires, but he has not been charged because there’s no proof linking the man to the wildfires. Another thought is that power lines–combined with windy conditions–might have started the blazes because the strong winds can cause the lines to rub together and spark; there is also video footage showing a blaze at the foot of a transmission power line. Still others believe that something as simple as a camping stove or a lawn mower started a spark that turned into a fire due to wind and low humidity.

Whatever the cause, the reality is that firefighters have what seems like an impossible job ahead of them. LA is in such need of help they are bringing in firefighters from Texas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, and even Mexico. Their goal, though, isn’t to put out the fire but to evacuate anyone at risk and then contain the fire. This goal of containment simply means not letting the fire spread. Firefighters do that by digging trenches to create containment lines around the fire to stop the flames from spreading. They also sometimes light small, controlled fires to burn trees and brush so that–if the wildfire heads that way–it won’t have any fuel and will burn out. 

Officials are expecting better weather–meaning less wind–this weekend (January 17-19) that should help firefighters have a better shot at controlling the fires.