Firefighters race to contain LA wildfires as menacing winds forecast to return

New evacuation warnings left more homeowners on edge.

Two firefighters with their back to the camera watch as a plane dumps water on a burning landscape — Firefighters watch as water is dropped on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon as strong winds are forecast to return (Jae C Hong/AP)

Firefighters raced to cut off spreading wildfires on Saturday before the return of potentially strong winds that could push the flames toward the world-famous J Paul Getty Museum and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), while new evacuation warnings left more homeowners on edge.

A fierce battle against the flames was underway in Mandeville Canyon – not far from the Pacific coast where Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities live – where swooping helicopters dumped water as the blaze charged downhill.

Firefighters on the ground used hoses in an attempt to beat back leaping flames as thick smoke blanketed the chaparral-covered hillside.

At a briefing, CalFire operations chief Christian Litz said a main focus on Saturday would be the Palisades fire burning in the canyon area, not far from the UCLA campus.

“We need to be aggressive out there,” Mr Litz said.

A red plane drops water on a landscape. There are houses and trees untouched by fire but the sky is dark and there is a huge plume of smoke in the distance — Water is dropped on homes as the Palisades Fire advances (Jae C Hong/AP)

County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the LA area “had another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak, and even more Angelenos evacuated due to the northeast expansion of the Palisades Fire”.

Only light breezes were fanning the flames, but the National Weather Service warned that locally strong Santa Ana winds — the nemesis of firefighters — could soon return.

Those winds have been blamed for turning wildfires into infernos that have levelled entire neighbourhoods in the LA area, where there has been no significant rainfall in more than eight months.

A firefighter holds a hose as they walk along a hillside. There are patches of grass that are on fire. Huge flames and lots of smoke are visible — A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon (Jae C Hong/AP)

The fire also was threatening to jump over Interstate 405, a main traffic artery through the area, which could become a gateway to densely populated areas in the Hollywood Hills and San Fernando Valley.

Even as the fires spread, the grim work of sifting through the devastation continued on Saturday, with teams conducting systematic grid searches with cadaver dogs, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.

A family assistance centre was also being set up in Pasadena, said Mr Luna, who urged residents to abide by curfews.

The sun shines over a playground. Its brightly coloured coverings have melted away and it is surrounded by burnt rubble — The disaster has destroyed entire homes with flames hitting churches, schools, a synagogue, libraries, bars and playgrounds (Jae C Hong/AP)

“We have people driving up and around trying to get in just to look. Stay away,” he said. “We understand that this is extremely stressful and absolutely challenging, but we appreciate the public’s co-operation as we work together to get through this crisis.”

The fires have consumed about 56 square miles (145 square kilometres) — an area larger than San Francisco.

Tens of thousands of people remained under evacuation orders and new evacuations were ordered on Friday evening in an area that includes part of Interstate 405 after a flare-up on the eastern side of the Palisades Fire.

The entrance to what was once a beautiful ornate house. The only thing left standing is the wall and the gate. Behind that are burnt palm trees and a sky filled with smoke — Homes have been destroyed in the fires, which firefighters are battling to control (EJ Soto/AP)

On Friday, many residents returned to the area in a state of shock.

For some, it was a first look at the stark reality of what was lost as the region of 13 million people grapples with the ominous challenge of overcoming the disaster and rebuilding.

Bridget Berg, who was at work when she saw on TV her house in Altadena erupt in flames, went back for the first time with her family two days later “just to make it real”.

Three firefighters in yellow uniforms stand with their backs to the camera. They are looking as water is dumped on a scene in front of them. The details are hidden behind a brown, smoky sky — Firefighters have criticised the lack of water available after fire hydrants had run dry (Eric Thayer/AP)

Their feet crunched across the broken pieces of what had been their home for 16 years.

Her children sifted through debris on the pavement, finding a clay pot and a few keepsakes as they searched for Japanese wood prints they hoped to recover.

Her husband pulled his hand out of rubble near the still-standing fireplace, holding up a piece of petrified wood handed down by his grandmother.

A firefighter stands with a hose and looks over the side of a building or a balcony, the air is filled with smoke and it is impossible to make out what he is looking at — Firefighters monitor the advance of the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon (Eric Thayer/AP)

“It’s OK. It’s OK,” Ms Berg said as much to herself as others as she took stock of the destruction, remembering the patio and pool from which her family watched fireworks.

“It’s not like we just lost our house, everybody lost their house.”

While some residents sifted through rubble for keepsakes, officials urged them not to, warning that the ash can contain lead, arsenic, asbestos and other harmful materials.

California Wildfires — Residents have been urged to stay away from their homes and the rubble, warning that it may contain harmful chemicals (John Locher/AP)

“If you’re kicking that stuff up, you’re breathing it in,” said Chris Thomas, a spokesman for the unified incident command at the Palisades Fire. “All of that stuff is toxic.”

Residents will be allowed to return — with protective gear — after damage teams have evaluated their properties, Mr Thomas said.

Since the fires first began popping up around a densely populated, 25-mile (40-kilometer) expanse north of downtown LA, they have burned more than 12,000 structures, a term that includes homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles.

A man in a blue t-shirt, jeans and a mask kneels on the ground with his head down. Surrounding him as the charred remains of his father's home. Everything is burnt and ashen — Luke Dexter kneels as he sifts through the remains of his father’s fire-ravaged beachfront property in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire (John Locher/AP)

No cause has been identified yet for the largest fires.

Allegations of leadership failures and political blame have begun alongside investigations.

Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered state officials to determine why a 117 million-gallon (440 million-litre) reservoir was out of service and some hydrants had run dry.

A wide view of a neighbourhood taken from above. Every building and car is burnt. In the distance, a person is seen walking down the middle of the road — A person walks through a neighbourhood destroyed by the Palisades Fire (John Locher/AP)

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said city leadership failed her department by not providing enough money for firefighting. She also criticised the lack of water.

“When a firefighter comes up to a hydrant, we expect there’s going to be water,” she said.

At least 11 people have been killed, five in the Palisades Fire and six in the Eaton Fire, according to the LA County medical examiner’s office.

The disaster took homes from everyone — from waiters to movie stars.

The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage, but private firms have estimated it will climb into the tens of billions.

A rope swing with yellow handles and a pink rope, dangles from a tree. Behind it is the remnants of a house, what parts are still standing are blackened and burnt. — A swing hangs from a tree in front of a fire-damaged residence in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire (Eric Thayer/AP)

The Walt Disney Co. announced Friday that it would donate 15 million dollars to respond to the fires and help rebuild.

The flames hit schools, churches, a synagogue, libraries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks and local landmarks including the Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House and a Queen Anne-style mansion in Altadena that had stood since 1887.