Los Angeles wildfire: Blazes largely persist, toll likely to climb, thousands of structures destroyed

The fire is still raging in six Los Angeles areas - Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth, Hurst and Lidia.

As far as the latest news reports, five people have been confirmed to have died in the worst wildfire that have overwhelmed the firefighters crew.

Three bodies were found in the vicinity of the Eaton fire while two more deaths have been recorded in the Palisades fire, BBC News reported.

The death count is unknown, CNN reported.

"These wildfires are part of a broader crisis related to prolonged dry conditions following Los Angeles' highest recorded rainfall in two years. Thousands of displaced residents face an uncertain future as they cope with the devastation," said outgoing US president Joe Biden in an X post.

In some of the visuals, entire houses, vehicles were seen completely torched as the wildfire has also badly affected the rich neighbourhood of Hollywood Hills.

Some of the residents, who fled with whatever belongings they could manage to take, returned to their destroyed homes to clear the debris.

Several neighbouring states including Oregon, Utah, Nevada have joined hands to fight the wildfire that has also forced the Hollywood A-listers to leave behind their posh places and flee.

The fires, driven by intense winds and dry conditions, have been described as among the most destructive to impact the region in recent memory.

Strong winds with gusts reaching up to 100 mph, combined with low humidity, have created challenging conditions.

Speaking to CNN, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service in Los Angeles Ariel Cohen explained that record rainfall in 2024 contributed to the fires' ferocity by spurring vegetation growth.

"Brush grew from all that precipitation," he said, adding that the subsequent dry conditions turned this vegetation into fuel.

The Palisades fire has consumed 17,234 acres, stretching from Pacific Palisades westward along the Pacific Coast Highway toward Malibu.

The Eaton fire has scorched over 10,000 acres in Pasadena and Altadena. In Hollywood and the Hollywood Hills, the Sunset fire has burned 60 acres, prompting mandatory evacuations, while the Hurst fire has destroyed 855 acres near Sylmar.

Governor Newsom has underscored the immense toll of the wildfires, both in human lives and property.

These wildfires are part of a broader crisis related to prolonged dry conditions following Los Angeles' highest recorded rainfall in two years.

Thousands of displaced residents face an uncertain future as they cope with the devastation.