Officials say at least 16 people are dead as the two largest wildfires ripping across the Los Angeles area remain mostly uncontained.
Firefighters are winning the battle against two other wildfires in the nation’s second-largest city.
Cadaver dogs and search crews are scouring the scorched rubble of neighbourhoods after the most destructive wildfire in the city’s history.
Residents have been told to stay out of the water on beaches across a swathe of the coastline because of contamination from the fires.
The largest is the Palisades fire, which is 11% contained and covers 23,654 acres and threatening the affluent enclave of Brentwood, as well as parts of Encino and Mandeville Canyon.
The second largest is the Eaton fire in the north of the city around Pasadena, covering 14,118 acres of which 15% is contained.
The Kenneth fire is 1,052 acres and 90% contained, while the Hurst fire is 799 acres and 76% contained.
Five fires are still burning in the Los Angeles
Palisades Fire
The Palisades Fire, which has ravaged the coastal Pacific Palisades area between Santa Monica and Malibu and prompted evacuation warnings from the Santa Monica Mountains to the west to areas along Interstate 405 to the east, had scorched over 22,600 acres by midday Saturday. The blaze was 11% contained, according to CalFire, up from 0% on Thursday.
A smouldering house is seen on Jan. 10, 2025, along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, from the Palisades Fire that started on Jan. 7.
“As efforts continue to combat the Palisades Fire and to ensure the safety of residents, additional support, including resources from out of state are helping to provide much-needed relief for our initial responders,” the agency posted on Facebook. “These reinforcements are critical to sustaining our firefighting efforts, addressing the evolving challenges posed by this fire, and allowing our local crews the opportunity to rest and recover.”
Eaton Fire
To the east, the Eaton Fire had stretched to more than 14,000 acres in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, where it scorched entire neighbourhoods and killed at least five people in Altadena and Pasadena.
That blaze was 15% contained as of midday Saturday, up from 0% on Thursday morning, burning in an area with steep, inaccessible terrain and critically dry vegetation, according to CalFire.
“Evacuation orders remain in place for the affected cities due to continued fire activity, numerous downed trees, downed power lines, gas leaks and power outages,” the agency said in a status update.
Kenneth Fire
The Kenneth blaze, which ignited Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles’ northern Woodland Hills neighbourhood, had been 80% contained as of Saturday afternoon after burning more than 1,000 acres in the area. According to the Ventura County Fire Department, nearly 250 fire personnel remained committed to the effort, though all related evacuation orders had been lifted.
Hurst Fire
The Hurst Fire ignited Tuesday night near Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles’ Sylmar neighbourhood, burning 799 acres. The blaze had been 76% contained as of Saturday.
Four fires have been contained.
Woodley fire: A small fire was reported in local parkland. Burnt area: 30 acres.
Olivas fire: A small fire first reported in Ventura county about 50 miles (80km) east of Los Angeles. Burnt area: 11 acres.
Sunset fire: Reported in the historic Hollywood Hills area near many famous landmarks, including the Hollywood sign. Burnt area: 43 acres
Lidia fire: Reported in the hills north of Los Angeles. Burnt area: 350 acres.
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Los Angeles: Three contained, five wildfires still burning in the US
