What to know about the devastation from the Los Angeles-area fires [Video]

Fires burning homes and businesses in Los Angeles for a week have killed at least 24 people, displaced thousands of others and destroyed more than 12,000 buildings in what might be the most expensive set of conflagrations in the nation’s history.The blazes started Jan. 7, fueled by fierce Santa Ana winds that have posed problems for the large forces of firefighters deployed across several areas of the sprawling city. Cal Fire reported that the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth and Hurst fires have consumed about 63 square miles (163 square kilometers). Cal Fire reported containment of the Palisades Fire at 17% and the Eaton Fire at 35% on Tuesday.The Palisades Fire, along the coast, has been blamed for eight deaths, while the Eaton Fire farther inland has been blamed for 16 others, the LA County medical examiner’s office said. At least 23 people are missing.Investigators are still trying to determine what sparked …