16 dead as Log Angeles inferno rages on
Flames and smoke are seen near power lines as the Palisades fire grows near the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood and Encino, California. photo: AFP
US officials warned "dangerous and strong" winds were set to push deadly wildfires further through Los Angeles residential areas Sunday as firefighters struggled to make progress against the flames.
At least 16 people have been confirmed dead from blazes that have ripped through the city, reducing whole neighborhoods to ashes and leaving thousands without homes.
Despite massive efforts, including precision sorties from aerial crews, the Palisades Fire continued to grow, spreading east towards the priceless collections of the Getty Center art museum and north to the densely populated San Fernando Valley.
"The winds are potentially getting dangerous and strong again," Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), told CNN.
"The biggest thing that people need to know is that this is still dangerous."
A brief lull in the wind gave way to gusts that forecasters warned could reach up to 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour) early Sunday, and feed the blazes for days to come. The winds were due to weaken later Sunday before picking up again overnight, the National Weather Service said.
The Palisades Fire was 11 percent contained but had grown to 23,600 acres (9,500 hectares), while the Eaton Fire was at 14,000 acres and 15 percent contained.
Official figures show more than 12,000 structures burned, though Cal Fire's Todd Hopkins said not all were houses and the number included outbuildings, trailers and sheds.
In some areas, the ferocious fire left streaks of molten metal flowing from burnt-out cars.
The sudden rush of evacuated people needing somewhere to live posed a growing problem for the city.
"I'm back on the market with tens of thousands of people," said a man who gave his name as Brian, whose rent-controlled apartment has burned. "That doesn't bode well."
With incidences of looting and a nighttime curfew in place, police and National Guard mounted checkpoints to prevent people getting into the disaster zones.
Two people were arrested near Vice President Kamala Harris's Brentwood house for violating the curfew order after police received reports of burglary. A handwritten sign with "looters will be shot" was hung on one tree, next to the US flag outside a house in Pacific Palisades.
But the security checkpoints have left residents frustrated as they queue for up to 10 hours to try to get back in and see what, if anything, is left of their homes or check on family.
Prevented from entering an evacuation zone, Altadena resident Bobby Salman, 42, said: "I have to be there to protect my family, my wife, my kids, my mom and I cannot even go and see them."