Calmer winds help Los Angeles firefighters as death toll hits 10

• US agency declares California wildfires a public health emergency
• Death toll in fires stands at 10, expected to rise
• More than 10,000 structures destroyed
• 'It looks like an atom bomb' dropped, LA County Sheriff says
• Firefighters report progress in controlling some fires
• Wildfires claim Will Rogers ranch, other landmarks

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Friday (local time) have declared a public health emergency for California to address the health impacts of the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles County.

The declaration gives the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) health care providers and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs of people enrolled under Medicare and Medicaid insurance plans, said the HHS.

HHS said its Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is prepared to deploy responders, along with medical equipment and supplies if requested by the state.

A pause in the fierce winds that super-charged the ring of wildfires that devastated Los Angeles this week helped crews make progress in bringing the infernos under control on Friday, but strong gusts could return over the weekend, forecasters said.

The fires, which have devastated Los Angeles neighbourhoods on the east and west sides of the city, have so far killed 10 people and destroyed nearly 10,000 structures, with those figures expected to grow.

"It looks like an atomic bomb dropped in these areas. I don't expect good news, and we're not looking forward to those numbers," Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a press conference late on Thursday, referring to Pacific Palisades in the west and Altadena in the east.

Wind conditions in the Los Angeles area will improve Friday through the weekend to about 32 kilometres per hour with gusts between 56 and 80 kilometres per hour, according to the National Weather Service, a far cry from days ago when wind gusts blasted at upwards of 128 kilometres per hour.

"It's not as gusty so that should help firefighters, hopefully," NWS meteorologist Allison Santorelli said, adding that conditions were still critical with low humidity and dry vegetation.

Even as red flag wind conditions were expected until Friday afternoon, any periods of easing would allow crucial support from the air for firefighters on the ground for aircraft can dropping water and fire retardant on the flaming hills.

"There's a bit of good news, if there can be," Santorelli said.

Farther south in San Diego, winds will pick up, with sustained winds of 60 kilometres per hour and gusts up to 112 kilometres per hour, creating dangerous fire conditions there over the weekend, she added.

As of early Friday, three major fires were still burning in Los Angeles.

The Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire already rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles history, consuming more than 34,000 acres - 2 1/2 times the land area of Manhattan - and turning entire neighbourhoods to ash.

The Palisades Fire is now 6 percent controlled, while the Eaton Fire still blazed out of control, according to California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Some Pacific Palisades residents ventured back to areas where the fire had already swept through. Brick chimneys loomed over charred waste and burnt-out vehicles.

"I can't describe it," the 44-year-old psychiatrist Kelly Foster said as she combed through the ashy rubble where her home once stood with her children while smoke rose from neighbouring homes and planes dropped water nearby. "I have no words."

One rapidly growing blaze that broke out on Thursday near Calabasas, a wealthy enclave home to numerous celebrities and gated communities, was 35 percent under control by early Friday, fire officials said. The so-called Kenneth Fire had expanded to 960 acres in a matter of hours.

US media outlets said the Los Angeles Police Department was investigating the Kenneth Fire as a possible case of arson and had taken a suspect into custody. An LAPD spokeswoman confirmed that an arson suspect was being held but would not comment on which fire was involved.

Smaller fires were also putting pressure on overstretched firefighting resources. The Hurst Fire was 37 percent contained, while the Lidia Fire was 75 percent contained.

Firefighting crews managed to bring the Sunset Fire in the atop the Hollywood Hills fully under control on Thursday, after flames had engulfed a ridge overlooking Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame on Wednesday night.

Officials said the Eaton Fire had damaged or destroyed 4,000 to 5,000 structures while the Palisades Fire destroyed or damaged another 5,300 structures, including many homes of movie stars and celebrities.

In Altadena, a racially and economically diverse community near Pasadena, many residents said they were concerned government resources would be channelled toward wealthier areas and insurance companies might short-change less affluent households who lacked the means to contest fire claims.

"They're not going to give you the value of your house ... if they do you really have to fight for it," said Kay Young, 63, as she tearfully looked over the smoking rubble of a house that she said had been in her family for generations.

Officials said they were establishing curfews for areas affected by mandatory evacuation orders to prevent looting and had requested California National Guard support to help local law enforcement with traffic control and infrastructure protection.

About 20 people had been arrested for looting so far, according to the LA County Sheriff's Department.

Billions in losses

The catastrophic losses are already weighing on insurers, which are bracing for billions of dollars in potential claims.

Private forecaster AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic loss at US$135 billion to US$150 billion, portending an arduous recovery and soaring homeowners' insurance costs.

President Joe Biden, who will hold a briefing on the fire response later on Friday, has declared the fires a major disaster and said the federal government would reimburse 100 percent of the recovery for the next six months.

The Democratic president hands over the government 20 January to his successor Republican Donald Trump, who along with his allies have sought to blame Democratic state and local officials as well and environmentalists for the deadly disaster.

This week's fast-moving blazes swept across Southern California at a time when the region has not seen any significant rainfall for months and were fanned by unrelenting Santa Ana winds.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and fire officials have said water hydrants in the urban area were not designed to deal with such a massive, unprecedented wildfire.

Officials are still investigating what ignited the blazes.

Edison International (EIX.N), opens new tab unit Southern California Edison on Friday said insurers had asked it to preserve evidence related to the Eaton Fire but that no fire agencies have cited any connection by the utility to the blaze.

Wildfires claim Will Rogers ranch, other landmarks

Raging wildfires that continue to burn a path of destruction through Southern California claimed the Will Rogers ranch along with a number of other local landmarks in what is already the most damaging fire in Los Angeles history.

Some monuments remain unscathed, such as the famous Hollywood sign that looms above the city in the Santa Monica mountains, and the Getty Villa, a museum named for billionaire oilman J. Paul Getty that houses a collection of artefacts and antiquities.

State parks employees were able to remove some of the cultural and historical artefacts from the Rogers home, though the 31-room ranch house and stables are gone. All that remains are two chimneys.

It is unclear whether touchstones from Rogers' life, such as a light fixture made from a wagon wheel and a stuffed calf that a friend gave him so he could rope on rainy day, were recovered.

Another casualty of the fire was the Topanga Ranch Motel once owned by publisher William Randolph Hearst.

In Altadena, the Eaton Fire claimed the Bunny Museum, the quirky home to more than 46,000 rabbit-themed objects that owners Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski collected over four decades. The museum, which earned a Guinness world record for amassing the most bunny-related items, was levelled by fire on Wednesday, despite attempts by Lubanski to save it.

The Reel Inn, a seafood shack on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, was heavily damaged by the Palisades Fire. The restaurant known for its kitschy decor of faux sea creatures and twinkling lights was a local favourite, according to one review from Travel + Leisure.

The Queen Anne Victorian-style mansion Rand McNally co-founder Andrew McNally built in the late 1800s in Altadena was among the homes destroyed on Wednesday, according to video of the fire captured by ABC News.

- Reuters