Damaged structures are burned from the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, Jan. 10, 2025.

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

by · Voice of America

Firefighters in Los Angeles battled flames for a fourth straight day Friday, trying to get the upper hand on 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 was to convene key officials Friday to discuss the federal government’s response to the wildfires.

As of Friday morning, the largest blaze, the Palisades fire, was only 8% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It has burned through more than 8,000 hectares of land.

Remains of the Palisades Branch Library following the Palisades fire at the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, Jan. 10, 2025.

Meanwhile, the second-largest blaze, the Eaton fire, was 3% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. That one has burned through 5,000 hectares of land.

The Palisades and Eaton fires already rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles history. Together, they have burned through about 85 square kilometers of land, and destroyed or damaged about 10,000 structures.

"It looks like an atomic bomb dropped in these areas," Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a press conference late on Thursday.

U.S. President Joe Biden attends a briefing on the federal response to the wildfires across Los Angeles, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Jan. 10, 2025.

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.

“I told the governor, local officials, spare no expense to do what they need to do and contain these fires,” Biden said Thursday.

In this aerial view taken from a helicopter, burned homes are seen from above during the Palisades fire near the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on Jan. 9, 2025.

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.

Bass has faced criticism for being absent from Los Angeles when the Palisades fire erupted Tuesday. She was in Ghana attending the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama as part of a U.S. presidential delegation.

Bass returned the following day. On Thursday, she highlighted the “unprecedented” nature of the fires and defended her leadership.

“My focus right now is on the lives and the homes,” Bass said.

Fire crews battle the Kenneth fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Jan. 9, 2025.

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 is fighting five active wildfires in the Los Angeles area: the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia and Kenneth fires, with the Palisades and Eaton fires being the largest.

As of Friday morning, the Kenneth fire was 35% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Hurst fire was 37% contained, and the Lidia fire was 75% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Los Angeles firefighters achieved 100% containment of the Sunset fire on Thursday. That fire triggered mandatory evacuation orders in Hollywood and the Hollywood Hills.

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.

Cars are left charred inside a dealership in the aftermath of the Eaton fire, in Altadena, California, Jan. 10, 2025.

Meanwhile, California’s insurance commissioner has blocked insurance companies from canceling or not renewing the policies of customers in the areas of the Palisades and Eaton fires for a one-year period. Concerns have increased that this week’s fires could hasten the flow of insurers out of California.

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."

Fern Robinson and Chris Hannas contributed to this report. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.