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Los Angeles fire losses expected to top $20bn, JPMorgan says

More than 130,000 people have been forced to evacuate as out-of-control blazes rage through Los Angeles.

Firefighters respond to homes ablaze while a helicopter drops water as the Palisades Fire grows in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Firefighters respond to homes ablaze while a helicopter drops water as the Palisades Fire grows in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Photo: David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images

Insured losses from the wildfires that have devastated parts of Los Angeles are expected to top $20 billion, which would make them the biggest such losses in California history, surpassing the 2018 wildfires that previously held that record, according to analysts at JPMorgan.

The analysts said their estimated insured losses from the L.A. fires doubled from their calculations just a day earlier as the wildfires worsened, with little progress on containment efforts.

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