Evacuation orders throughout the Los Angeles area cover 153,000 residents, with 57,000 structures at risk.
Firefighters are working quickly to contain spreading wildfires around Los Angeles before potentially strong winds return, while new evacuation warnings have put more homeowners on edge.
An intense effort is underway in the upscale Los Angeles neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades, after the wildfire there expanded into additional areas overnight.
Residents have been cautioned about potential worsening weather conditions in the coming days that could further fuel the blaze.
Cal Fire official Todd Hopkins, in a news conference, reported that the Palisades Fire had spread into the Mandeville Canyon neighbourhood and posed a threat to jump into Brentwood, an upscale neighbourhood.
Cal Fire Operations Chief Christian Litz stated that a main focus on Saturday would be the Palisades Fire burning in the canyon area, not far from the UCLA campus.
“We need to be aggressive out there,” Litz emphasized.
Meanwhile, evacuation orders now cover 153,000 residents throughout the Los Angeles area, with 57,000 structures at risk. Another 166,000 residents have been advised that they may need to evacuate, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
Luna also mentioned that his agency has sent 40 search-and-rescue team workers to collaborate with other agencies, including using cadaver dogs to search for remains of victims and to aid in reuniting families that have been separated.
At least 11 killed
Six simultaneous blazes that have ripped across Los Angeles County neighbourhoods since Tuesday have claimed at least 11 lives and damaged or destroyed 10,000 structures – including homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings, and vehicles.
Approximately 13 people are currently unaccounted for. The death toll is poised to rise as firefighters conduct house-to-house searches.
The fierce Santa Ana winds that fueled the infernos have subsided. However, the Palisades Fire on the city’s western edge has changed course as winds come from the Pacific Ocean, posing a threat to the densely populated San Fernando Valley foothills.
The fire, the most devastating in Los Angeles history, has leveled entire neighbourhoods, leaving behind only smouldering remnants of what were once people’s homes and belongings.
Prior to this recent escalation, progress had been reported in subduing the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire in the foothills east of the metropolis after they raged out of control for days.
As of Saturday, the Palisades Fire is 11 percent contained and the Eaton Fire in the east is 15 percent contained, according to state agency Cal Fire.
The two major fires combined have consumed over 36,000 acres (14,500 hectares), equivalent to 56 square miles (145.6 sq km) – 2.5 times the land area of Manhattan.
Neighbouring states, the federal government, and Canada have provided assistance to California, bolstering aerial teams dropping water and fire retardant on the burning hills and ground crews attacking fire lines with hand tools and hoses.
Winds predicted to slow
The National Weather Service has forecasted improving conditions in the Los Angeles area over the weekend, with sustained winds slowing to about 20mph (32km/h) and gusts between 35mph and 50mph (56-80 km/h).
“It’s not as windy, so that should aid firefighters,” NWS meteorologist Allison Santorelli noted, mentioning that conditions remain critical with low humidity and dry vegetation.
Authorities have declared a public health emergency due to the dense, toxic smoke.
Private forecaster AccuWeather has estimated the damage and economic loss at $135bn to $150bn, suggesting a challenging recovery and soaring homeowners’ insurance costs.
President Joe Biden has declared the fires a major disaster and committed to reimbursing 100 percent of the recovery costs for the next six months.
