LA officials say wildfire death toll stands at 16 as firefighters race to contain blazes

The Los Angeles County medical examiner's office has confirmed that the number of people who have died as a result of the fires currently sweeping through the area has increased to 16.

The coroner's office stated that five deaths were attributed to the Palisades Fire and 11 resulted from the Eaton Fire.

The previous death toll was 11, but authorities anticipate an increase as search teams continue to comb through thoroughly affected neighborhoods and assess the extent of the damage.

Firefighters are racing to contain the fires before potentially strong winds forecast for next week could cause the flames to spread towards the J. Paul Getty Museum and the University of California.

A fierce battle against the flames was under way in Mandeville Canyon, home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities close to the Pacific coast, where swooping helicopters were dumping water as the blaze charged downhill.

Firefighters on the ground utilized hoses in an attempt to quell the leaping flames as a thick haze of smoke engulfed the chaparral-covered hillside.

At a briefing, CalFire Operations Chief Christian Litz stated a primary focus would be the Palisades Fire occurring in the canyon region, not far from the UCLA campus.

"We need to be much more assertive out there," Litz said.

County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the LA area "experienced yet another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak and saw even more Angelenos evacuated as a result of the northeast growth of the Palisades Fire."

Gentle gusts were fanning the flames, but the National Weather Service issued a warning that strong Santa Ana winds could return soon.

These winds have been largely blamed for turning the wildfires into massive infernos that ravaged entire neighbourhoods surrounding a city that has experienced no significant rainfall in more than eight months.

The fire was also at risk of jumping over Interstate 405 and reaching densely populated areas in the Hollywood Hills and San Fernando Valley.

The search for bodies

Rescuers engaged in the grim task of assessing the extent of the damage on Saturday, conducting thorough and methodical searches with the assistance of specially trained cadaver dogs, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.

He mentioned the establishment of a family assistance center in Pasadena, and he requested that residents stick to curfews.

We have people driving up and around to just observe. I would advise against going there.

The fires have engulfed a region of approximately 145 square kilometers, an area surpassing the size of San Francisco.

Thousands of people remained under evacuation orders and additional evacuations were ordered on Friday evening as a flare-up threatened on the eastern side of the Palisades Fire.

Since the fires broke out on Tuesday, just north of downtown Los Angeles, over 12,000 structures have been damaged, encompassing homes, multi-unit dwellings, commercial buildings, separate outbuildings, and motor vehicles.

No cause has been determined for the largest fires, and initial estimates suggest that they may turn out to be the most expensive in the nation's history.

A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather puts the damage and economic losses so far between $135-150 billion (€131-146 billion).