The total damage and economic loss attributed to the Los Angeles-area wildfires is estimated between $52 billion and $57 billion, according to preliminary AccuWeather figures.

Those projections may be raised if the wildfires spread to densely populated neighborhoods, the forecaster🌌 said.

"Should a large number of additional structures be burned in the coming days, it may become the worst wildfire in modern California history based on the number of structures burned and economic loss," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.

According to AccuWeather, the total damage and economic loss from the Maui wildfires in 2023 was $13 billion to $16 billion, while those in the western United States in 2020 had an impact of $130 billion to $150 billion. The 2024 hurricane season, including Helene and Milton, caused damages worth nearly a half-trillion dollars, it said.&🅺nbsp;

At least five people have died and tens of thousands of residents have been ordered to evacuate because of the wildfires, which started Tuesday. Around 170,000 Southern California Edison customers are without power early Thursday morning.