Two wildfires in the Los Angeles area have killed at least 10 people and burned about 10,000 homes and buildings, local officials said, as a third blaze prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents.
The latest fire, the Kenneth fire, broke out in the West Hills, neighboring San Fernando Valley, Thursday afternoon as firefighters battled the Palisades and Eaton fires.
“We expect this fire to spread quickly because of the strong winds,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
The latest evacuation orders came as officials confirmed that the Palisades and Eaton fires have each destroyed more than 5,000 structures, including homes and others such as cars and sheds.
The two fires have burned more than 30,000 hectares (12,000 acres) of land between them, according to the state fire agency Cal Fire.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna earlier told a press conference that he expected the death toll that was reported at the time to rise to seven.
“It looks like an atomic bomb was dropped in these areas. I don’t expect good news, and we don’t expect these numbers,” said Luna.
About 180,000 people are under evacuation orders due to the fire, and another 200,000 residents are under evacuation warnings, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
More than 285,000 residents are without power in Southern California, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages across the state, while water and sewer infrastructure across the state suffered heavy losses.
Dozens of blocks have been reduced to ashes in the affluent communities of Malibu and Pacific Palisades since the fires started Tuesday amid winds of more than 70 mph (112 kph).
The National Weather Service warned that winds are expected to pick up Thursday evening after dropping earlier in the day.
Celebrities including James Woods, Paris Hilton and Billy Crystal are among those who lost their homes due to the fire.
“There are places where everything is gone, there’s not even a stick of wood left, it’s just dirt,” said Barbara Bruderlin, head of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce.
Reporting from Pacific Palisades, Al Jazeera’s Rob Reynolds said the scale of the devastation was “hard to fathom”.
“The mountains have burned. There is a high school … that is very damaged. You can see houses where there is nothing left but the chimney left,” he said.
“It goes on – literally – mile after mile, block after block after block.”
Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the fire but are investigating a possible cause of the fire.
Although lightning is the most common cause of wildfires in the US, according to the National Fire Protection Association, there were no reports of lightning in the area when the fire started.
Other common causes include arson and power lines.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said the Department of Homeland Security was dispatched at the request of the LA County Sheriff’s Department to assist with rescue efforts and help maintain order amid reports of looting.
“We’re throwing everything we have — including our National Guard members — into protecting communities in the days ahead,” Newsom said.
“And for those who want to take advantage of displaced communities, let me be clear: looting will not be tolerated.”
US President Joe Biden, who will be replaced by President-elect Donald Trump in the White House on January 20, said the federal government will pay 100 percent of the cost of California’s recovery efforts for the next 180 days.
“I told the governor, the local officials, to not pay the cost of doing what they need to do and stop these fires,” Biden said after meeting with top advisers at the White House.
“I pray to God that they will,” he said.
Biden urged Congress to provide assistance to cover the damage once a full assessment of the damage has been done.
“I hope they’re ready to step up because we can afford it,” Biden said, adding that he hopes lawmakers “don’t make a political deal on this.
“I’m going to leave this office very soon, but it’s not about politics,” Biden said.
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