Firefighters race to beat LA blazes as winds grow, death toll hits 16

Firefighters fought on into the night on Saturday in a bid to get on top of massive wildfires around Los Angeles as winds ramped up, pushing the blazes towards previously untouched neighbourhoods.

At least 16 people have now been confirmed dead from fires that have ripped through the city, leaving communities in ruins and testing the mettle of thousands of firefighters — and millions of California residents.

Despite heroic efforts, including precision sorties from aerial crews, the Palisades Fire continued to grow on Saturday, pushing east towards the priceless collections of the Getty Center art museum and north to the densely populated San Fernando Valley.

"We're a nervous wreck," Sarah Cohen told the Los Angeles Times of the threat to her Tarzana home.

"Every time they drop water, it gets better. But then it gets worse again," she said.

"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," it added.

Row

The Palisades fire was 11% contained on Saturday but had grown to 23,600 acres (9,500 hectares), while the Eaton Fire was at 14,000 acres and 15% contained.

Official figures show more than 12,000 structures burned, but Cal Fire's Todd Hopkins said not all were homes, and the number would also include outbuildings, recreational vehicles and sheds.

The sudden rush of people needing somewhere new to live in the months ahead looked set to make life hard for already-squeezed renters in the city.

With reports of looting and a nighttime curfew in place, police and National Guard have mounted checkpoints to prevent people getting into the disaster zones.

City officials put on a united front on Saturday after reports of a behind-the-scenes row and suggestions that Mayor Karen Bass had sacked her fire chief.

"As you see here, the chief and I are lock-step in our number one mission, and that mission is to get us past this emergency," Bass told reporters.

Teams with cadaver dogs were combing through the rubble, with several people known to be missing and fears that the death toll will grow.

Investigation

A huge investigation was underway to determine what caused the blazes, involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with local authorities, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

"We are not going to leave any rock unturned," he said.

"If this is a criminal act — I'm not saying it's going to be — if it is, we need to hold whoever did this, or groups responsible," Luna added, appealing for anyone who had information to come forward.

While the ignition of a wildfire can be deliberate, they are often natural, and a vital part of an environment's life cycle.

But urban sprawl puts people more frequently in harm's way, and the changing climate — supercharged by humanity's unchecked use of fossil fuels — is exacerbating the conditions that give rise to destructive blazes.