At least 10,000 buildings have been destroyed and entire neighbourhoods have been wiped out by wildfires that have been fanned by strong flames, ITV News Correspondent Robert Moore reports from Los Angeles
- There are six active wildfires in the suburbs of Los Angeles
- At least 11 people have died and more than 150,000 residents are under evacuation orders
- Archer fire is the newest blaze which started on Friday
- Around 12,000 homes, buildings and vehicles have been destroyed
- At least 20 people have been arrested for looting or similar acts, with the National Guard coming in
- A night-time curfew is in place in mandatory evacuation zones to protect houses which remain
At least 11 people have died and thousands of homes, buildings and vehicles have been destroyed by wildfires raging across America’s second-largest city.
The disaster unfolding in Los Angeles has affected everyone from waiters to movie stars, with the cost of the damage set to climb into the tens of billions of dollars.
More than 150,000 people remain under evacuation orders and the fires have burnt through about 56 square miles. A centre has been set up where people can report those who are missing.
So far, five people are known to have died from the Palisades Fire and six from the Eaton Fire, according to the LA County medical examiner’s office.
Officials said they expected that number to rise as cadaver dogs go through the devastated neighbourhoods.
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley warned that strong winds would continue to hamper firefighting efforts, with five fires still not fully contained. “We are not out of danger,” she said.
Allegations of leadership failures and political blame have begun and so have investigations.
Governor of California Gavin Newsom has ordered state officials to determine why a 117 million-gallon reservoir was out of service and some hydrants ran dry, calling it “deeply troubling.”
Meanwhile, Fire Chief Crowley said city leadership failed her department by not providing enough money for firefighting. She also criticised the lack of water.
“When a firefighter comes up to a hydrant, we expect there’s going to be water,” she said.
The National Guard has joined the security effort, manning all entrances to the fire zone, to help protect the area from looting.
Who are the victims of the fires?
Rodney Nickerson, 83, was among the victims. His remains were discovered amid the charred remnants of his home after the Eaton Fire swept through his Altadena neighbourhood.
His daughter, Kimiko Nickerson, told US news outlet KCAL: “We found his bones; his whole body was intact”.
Despite local evacuation orders, Nickerson chose to remain in his home.
“My son tried to get him to leave, my neighbours and myself, and he said he’ll be fine,” Kimiko said.
Other victims Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy, were waiting for an ambulance to come but did not make it out, Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White, told The Washington Post.
Good Morning Britain Correspondent Noel Phillips has spoken to first responders and victims in the LA neighbourhood of Eaton
Shari Shaw told KTLA she tried to get her 66-year-old brother, Victor Shaw, to evacuate Tuesday night but he wanted to stay and fight the fire. Crews found his body with a garden hose in his hand.
On Thursday, recovery crews pulled a body from the rubble of what was a beachfront residence in Malibu on the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. A charred washer and dryer were among the few things that remained.
A local Los Angeles resident appeared to be away when their home security camera system recorded footage of their property catching fire Tuesday night
Earlier in the week, hurricane-force winds blew embers, igniting the Southern California hillsides, with fans flaming through the famed Hollywood Hills and a number of other neighbourhoods.
Right now, it’s impossible to quantify the extent of the destruction other than “total devastation and loss,” said Barbara Bruderlin, head of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce.
“There are areas where everything is gone, there isn’t even a stick of wood left, it’s just dirt, she added.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Los Angeles Lord Mayor Karen Bass told a press conference on Friday pledged to “aggressively rebuild” after devastating wildfires
Firefighters have managed to fully control a fire that ripped through the Hollywood Hills, named the “Sunset Fire”, but four other named fires spanned tens of thousands of acres and continue to devastate the region.
However, on Thursday, their efforts were hampered when an emergency aircraft, used to drop litres of water on active flames in Los Angeles, collided with a drone and was then grounded.
The collision also caused the temporary grounding of all aircraft responding to the fire in.
Satellite imagery reveals the extent of the devastation in Pacific Palisades, where the first wildfire in Los Angeles’ suburbs began
Where are the active fires?
Kenneth: The latest fire Burning in the West Hills of Los Angeles County and rapidly spreading, covering at least 1,000 acres with firefighters containing 35% of the blaze so far. One man has been arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with this latest blaze.
Lidia – This fire near Acton, north of Los Angeles, has burned more than 340 acres and is 75% contained.
Hurst – Located just north of San Fernando, the fire began on Tuesday night and has since spread to 771 acres. Firefighters have contained 37% of the blaze.
Eaton – Burning in the northern parts of Los Angeles County, the Eaton fire has now scorched nearly 14,000 acres with 3% containment, according to authorities. More than 4,000 structures to 5,000 structures “may be damaged or destroyed” according to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.
Palisades – This is the first fire to break out on Tuesday that has burned more than 20,000 acres in Los Angeles, including areas in Pacific Palisades, with 8% containment. Arson investigators are currently looking into the start of the fire.
Archer – Started in the Granada Hills area on Friday, consuming over 31 acres before containment.
Eaton and Palisades, the two biggest wildfires ravaging the LA area have burned at least 10,000 homes, buildings and other structures, officials said, urging more people to take heed of evacuation orders after a new blaze ignited and quickly spread.
“We are expecting this fire to rapidly spread due to high winds,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said, echoing the forecast that called for winds to strengthen through Friday.
LA County has requested support from the California National Guard and is issuing stern warnings to potential looters, with at least 20 arrests made so far.
Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna has said a curfew on all mandatory evacuation zones will start again on Friday evening for houses which remain.
Officials had imposed a curfew overnight on Thursday after a number of people were arrested for looting in burned areas.
210 officers have been deployed to maintain “law and order” in parts of Los Angeles which are affected by the fires.
‘It feels like my heart has shattered into a million pieces’: Paris Hilton shares video of Malibu home reduced to rubble by fire
“I implore everyone to not disable the messages on your phone”
Residents in the Los Angeles-area received an erroneous emergency alert on Thursday night.
Kevin McGowan, the LA County Office of Emergency Management Director has said his team are working to resolve the issue and find the root cause.
“I implore everyone to not disable the messages on your phone” McGowan urged.
“This is extremely frustrating, painful and scary, but these alert tools have saved lives during this emergency. Not receiving an alert can be a consequence of life and death.”
President Biden has described the fires as the “worst in California history” saying “we still got a long way to go.”
The White House has announced it will increase funding to help with wildfire recovery costs.
The money will be used to help with recovery including temporary shelters, salaries for first responders and the removal of debris.
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