Firefighters race to contain Los Angeles wildfires as winds grow and death toll hits 16

Firefighters in Los Angeles are bracing for another day of strong winds as the death toll from the city's wildfires has risen to 16, with entire neighborhoods reduced to ruins. The Palisades Fire continued to spread on Saturday, local time, pushing eastward towards the Getty Center art museum's collections and northward into the densely populated San Fernando Valley.

The blaze has become the most destructive in the city's history, currently only 11% contained, having burned 9,572 hectares of land. In addition, there are three other major fires still burning in the city. The Eaton Canyon Fire is 15% contained, having burned 5,712 hectares; the Hurst Fire is 89% contained after burning over 323 hectares; and the Kenneth Fire was 90% contained by firefighters on Sunday morning, after burning 425 hectares.

Video from the Mandeville Canyon area showed one home being consumed as flames crept up hillsides, threatening other houses. Since January 1st, there have been more than 101 wildfires in California. The state's fire department has deployed what is claimed to be "the largest civilian air firefighting force in the world" to combat the flames. Winds briefly subsided in the early hours of Saturday but quickly picked up again, with forecasters warning that they could fuel the fires in the coming days.

“Unfortunately, Southern California will again experience critical fire weather conditions today and lasting at least into early next week. This could lead to the spread of ongoing fires and the ignition of new ones,” the US National Weather Service said. The agency also stated that local time winds are expected to "briefly diminish" on Sunday night, before picking up again and remaining strong until at least Wednesday. Official figures show that over 12,300 structures have been destroyed in the wildfire disaster, but Todd Hopkins of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said that not all of the structures were homes, with the figure also including outbuildings, recreational vehicles, and sheds.

The sudden influx of people needing new accommodation in the coming months looks set to exacerbate the city’s already strained rental market. “I’m back in the market, and so are thousands of other people,” a man named Brian told AFP, whose rent-controlled apartment had been burned down. With reports of looting and a nighttime curfew in place, local police and the US National Guard have set up mounted police checkpoints to keep people out of the disaster zone. This has frustrated residents who have waited in lines for up to 10 hours to try and go back and see what, if anything, is left of their homes.

A woman named Janelle told local broadcaster KTLA that she knew her house was gone, but she needed “closure.” “I’ve seen the pictures, I’ve seen the videos, I just want to see it for myself,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. The long lines have also angered some people over mismanagement, the latest in a series of complaints from the public, who initially faced dry fire hydrants when the fires first broke out. City officials presented a united front on Saturday after reports of infighting behind the scenes and suggestions that Mayor Karen Bass had fired the fire chief.

“As you see here, the chief and I are steadfastly executing our number one priority, and that is to get us through this emergency,” Ms. Bass said at a press conference. This came after fire chief Kristin Crowley had complained about the lack of funding for her fire department. Among those who have died in the tragedy is former Australian child star Rory Sykes, who appeared in the UK TV show “Kiddy Kapers” in the 1990s. His mother, Shirley Sykes, wrote on social media: “It is with the deepest sadness that I announce my beautiful son @Rorysykes passed away yesterday in the Malibu fire. My heart is broken.”

Search dog teams are sifting through the rubble, with several people known to be missing and fears that the death toll will rise. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said that local authorities have announced a major investigation to determine the cause of the fires, with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) also involved. “We’re not going to leave any stone unturned,” he said. “If this is a criminal act – I’m not saying it is – if it is, we need to hold the perpetrator or the parties responsible,” Luna added.

While wildfires can be started by humans, they are usually natural occurrences and are an important part of the environmental life cycle. However, urban sprawl is putting people in danger more frequently, and climate change – fueled by humanity’s uncontrolled use of fossil fuels – is exacerbating the conditions that lead to destructive fires.