Wildfires continue burning in Los Angeles as death toll rises to 10 

Firefighters in Los Angeles battled flames for a fourth straight day Friday, trying to get control of wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 10 people.

Officials have warned the death toll, updated late Thursday, could increase once the multiple fires have been brought under control and workers can comb through the ruins.

Firefighting operations continued overnight into Friday morning, with water-dropping helicopters taking advantage of a temporary lull in winds.

The White House says President Joe Biden will convene key officials Friday to discuss the federal government’s response to the wildfires.

Biden told a White House briefing Thursday afternoon that federal resources and additional funding have been made available to California to fight the wildfires that he described as the "worst fires to ever hit Los Angeles."

The money will be used, the president said, to cover all of the costs for 180 days for temporary shelters, the removal of hazardous materials, first responder salaries and measures to protect life.

Vice President Kamala Harris, a former U.S. senator for California, also spoke at the briefing.

Harris described the situation in California as "apocalyptic" and "something that is going to have an impact for months and years to come."

The vice president has a home in an evacuation zone, but it was not immediately clear whether her house sustained any damage.

Authorities said the wildfires burning in and around the city of Los Angeles have prompted the evacuation of nearly 180,000 people, destroyed thousands of homes and burned tens of thousands of hectares of land.

"This is absolutely an unprecedented, historic firestorm," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said.

At a news briefing Thursday, Los Angeles city and county officials provided an update on the fires and the efforts to bring them under control.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told reporters the fierce winds that had driven the fires calmed enough to allow firefighters to increase containment and air operations to resume.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said it is fighting five active wildfires in the Los Angeles area: the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia and Sunset fires, with the Palisades and Eaton fires being the largest.

The sparking of a sixth fire — the Kenneth wildfire, near Woodland Hills — was announced Thursday.

Some people are apparently preying on the devastated neighborhoods, and at least 20 people have been arrested in recent days for looting.

"I promise you, you will be held accountable," Los Angeles Supervisor Kathryn Barger said at a press conference Thursday.

"Shame on those who are preying on our residents during this time of crisis," Barger said, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst and Lidia fires have prompted the evacuation of nearly 180,000 residents, and another 200,000 residents are under evacuation orders.

Fire Chief Crowley called the Palisades fire alone "one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles." Officials said Thursday that more than 5,000 homes and other structures have been lost in Palisades.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.