At least five dead as LA wildfires spread

Raging wildfires surrounded Los Angeles on Wednesday, killing at least five people, destroying hundreds of homes and stretching firefighting resources and water supplies to the limit, as more than 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate.

Fierce winds hindered firefighting operations and fueled the fires, which have burned unimpeded since they began on Tuesday.

Five separate fires burned in Los Angeles County, none of which are contained according to state officials, including a pair of conflagrations that held the city in a pincer move.

On the west side, the Palisades Fire consumed 15,832 acres (6,406 hectares) and 1,000 structures in the hills between Santa Monica and Malibu, racing down Topanga Canyon until reaching the natural fire break of the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday. It was already one of the most destructive fires in Los Angeles history.

To the east, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, the Eaton Fire claimed another 10,600 acres (4,289 hectares) and killed at least five people, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told KNX radio. Private forecaster AccuWeather estimated initial damage and economic loss at more than $50 billion (AED183 billion).

"We're facing a historic natural disaster. And I think that can't be stated strong enough," Kevin McGowan, director of emergency management for Los Angeles County, told a press conference.

The skies above Los Angeles glowed red in some areas and were blanketed by thick smoke. Nearly one million homes and businesses lost power in Los Angeles County, according to PowerOutage.us.

"The wind whipped up, the flames were up about 30 or 40 feet (9 to 12 metres) high, and you hear 'pop, pop, pop'. It sounded like a warzone," Kevin Williams, an Eaton Fire evacuee, told Reuters at an evacuation center in Pasadena, describing gas canisters at his neighbors' homes that began exploding under the heat of the flames.

Three smaller fires in the county also stretched firefighting resources that had already been exhausted, with water shortages affecting the Pacific Palisades, an upscale coastal enclave where a wildfire has consumed 15,832 acres (6,406 hectares).

"There are not enough firefighters in L.A. County to address four separate fires of this magnitude," said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.

Demand for water also caused some hydrants to run dry in Pacific Palisades after the last of three large water tanks in the area hit empty, officials said.

Pacific Palisades is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the country with a typical home valued at $3.7 million (AED13.6 million) as of the end of 2023, according to Zillow, more than all but four other zip codes in the United States.

It is also home to many film, television and music stars including Jamie Lee Curtis, Mandy Moore and Mark Hamill, all forced to flee their homes.

The fires struck at an especially vulnerable time for Southern California, which has yet to see significant rainfall since the start of the water year in October. Then came the powerful Santa Ana winds, bringing dry desert air from the east toward the coastal mountains, fanning the flames of the wildfires while blowing over the hilltops and down through the canyons.

Scientists said the fires, erupting well outside of the traditional wildfire season, mark the latest in weather extremes that are likely to escalate further as global temperatures continue to climb in coming decades.