Monday 13 / January / 2025
Los Angeles: The Palisades Fire on the western edge of Los Angeles has turned towards a densely populated area, leading to further evacuations.
The Los Angeles coroner's daily update has seen the number of deaths attributed to the ongoing wildfires rise to 24.
Of the fatalities, 16 were recorded to be in the Eaton Fire zone, while eight were from the Palisades Fire zone.
Teams with cadaver dogs are continuing to carry out grid searches with the expectation that the death toll will still rise.
Better weather conditions and efforts from firefighters have restricted the spread of the Palisades Fire, which was moving towards Brentwood and the densely populated San Fernando Valley.
However, conditions are due to worsen again, with "extreme fire behavior and life threatening conditions" over the coming days.
With the Palisades Fire now compassing 23,713 acres, it remains just 13% contained.
Winds up to 70 miles (110 kilometres) per hour mean a "particularly dangerous situation" is expected to be declared from early Tuesday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld.
Firefighters battled five separate blazes on Sunday that continued to encroach on Los Angeles.
In an interview with NBC's Meet the Press, California Governor Gavin Newsom said the wildfires could amount to the worst natural disaster in US history.
"I think it will be in terms of just the costs associated with it, in terms of the scale and scope," he said.
Newsom added that he was launching a "Marshall Plan" to rebuild the city.
"We already have a team looking at reimagining LA 2.0," he said.
Firefighters attempted to contain the Palisades blaze on Sunday as winds pushed the fire eastward, threatening previously untouched neighborhoods in the San Fernando Valley.
"LA County had another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak," Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said.
Cal Fire official Todd Hopkins said that the fire had spread into Mandeville Canyon and threatened to jump into Brentwood, an upscale neighbourhood that is home to many celebrities. The famous Getty Center and UCLA campus are nearby.
Forecasters have warned that high winds would likely feed the blaze for days to come.
"Critical fire-weather conditions will unfortunately ramp up again today for southern California and last through at least early next week," the National Weather Service said.
"This may lead to the spread of ongoing fires as well as the development of new ones."
Toxic smoke a threat to health
Residents in Los Angeles who have not been evacuated have been warned to stay indoors due to the smoke from the wildfires.
The blazes are pushing toxic clouds into the air and are blanketing the region with fumes, health authorities have said.
"We are all experiencing this wildfire smoke, which is a mix of small particles, gasses and water vapors," Anish Mahajan of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health told a press conference.
"It's those small particles that get into our noses and throats and cause those sore throats and headaches. Everyone in the areas where there's visible smoke or the smell of smoke, and even where you don't see that, we know that the air quality is poor, so you should limit outdoor exposure as much as possible."
While healthy individuals have been advised to stay inside and use some form of an air filtration system, the young, the old and the sick have been told to especially careful.
An N95 mask has been suggested for those working outside as it filters out small particles to stop them entering the body.
"Those who are at higher risk for bad health effects... children, the elderly, those with respiratory and heart conditions, and people with immunocompromised states, they may have worse symptoms like shortness of breath, wheezing, cough and chest pain," Mahajan explained.
That means plastics, chemicals, fuel and building materials that have burned and turned into smoke are hanging in the air.
On Friday, Los Angeles County declared a public health emergency because of the smoke, and banned the use of machines like leaf blowers that can whip up dangerous ashes.
