• Death toll rises to 11 with more fatalities expected
• Some 10,000 structures burned as neighbourhoods turn to ash
• Thousands homeless, public health emergency declared over smoke
• Insurers face billions in claims, Biden pledges federal support
Firefighters have finally started gaining control over two major wildfires on the eastern and western flanks of Los Angeles, as fierce winds that supercharged the fires for days finally eased.
Six simultaneous wildfires have devastated Los Angeles County neighborhoods since Tuesday, killed at least 11 people and damaged or destroyed 10,000 structures. Those totals were expected to grow once it is safe enough for firefighters to conduct house-to-house searches.
With thousands of people suddenly homeless and the thickening smoke leading officials in the United States to declare a public health emergency, firefighters reported progress arresting the Palisades Fire on the western edge of the city and the Eaton Fire in the foothills east of the sprawling metropolis.
Some 153,000 people remained under evacuation orders and another 166,800 faced evacuation warnings, with a curfew in place for all evacuation zones, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said on Friday.
After burning out of control for days, despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters attacking the blazes from the air and on the ground, the Palisades Fire was 8% contained and the Eaton Fire 3%. Cal Fire had listed containment levels of both fires at 0% until Friday.
The Eaton Fire has damaged or destroyed 4000 to 5000 structures, while the Palisades Fire destroyed or damaged another 5300 structures, including many homes of movie stars and celebrities.
The two big fires combined had consumed 14,100 hectares, two-and-a-half times the land area of Manhattan.
A blaze broke out on Thursday near Calabasas, a wealthy enclave home to numerous celebrities and gated communities. The so-called Kenneth Fire, which expanded to 388ha in a matter of hours, was 35% under control by early Friday, officials said.
The Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills was brought fully under control on Thursday, after flames had engulfed a ridge overlooking Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame.
"Thanks to the increased number of resources assigned, the region is in a much better posture than we were earlier this week," Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told a news conference.
Conditions in the Los Angeles area will improve through the weekend, with sustained winds slowing to about 32km/h, with gusts between 56km/h and 80km/h, according to the National Weather Service - a far cry from days ago when wind gusts blasted as high as 128km/h.
"It's not as gusty, so that should help firefighters," NWS meteorologist Allison Santorelli said, adding that conditions were still critical with low humidity and dry vegetation.
Any periods of easing would allow more crucial support from aircraft dropping water and fire retardant on the flaming hills.
"It's not as gusty so that should help firefighters, hopefully," NWS meteorologist Allison Santorelli said, adding that conditions were still critical with low humidity and dry vegetation. "There's a bit of good news, if there can be."
Further south in San Diego, winds would pick up, with sustained winds of 64km/h and gusts up to 112km/h, creating dangerous fire conditions there over the weekend, she said.
Forecasters also predicted another red flag warning would be issued for Monday.
"We are doing everything we can to bring the situation under control, and success has been reported," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said at a news conference on Friday.
"We know that we're going to have a possible increase in the force of the winds at the beginning of next week, and getting Los Angeles prepared - doing everything we can to save lives - that is our No 1 job."
The psychological toll on a traumatised county of nearly 10 million people has yet to be assessed.
Pacific Palisades residents who ventured back to their devastated neighbourhoods were shocked to find brick chimneys looming over charred waste and burnt-out vehicles as acrid smoke lingered in the air.
"This was a house that was loved," Pacific Palisades resident Kelly Foster, 44, said while combing through the ashy rubble where her house once stood as smoke rose from neighbouring homes and planes dropped water nearby.
Foster's 16-year-old daughter, Ada, said she tried to get inside but "I just became sick. I just couldn't even... Yeah, it's hard."
In Rick McGeagh's Palisades neighbourhood, only six of 60 homes survived, and all that remained standing at his ranch house was a statue of the Virgin Mary.
"Everything else is ash and rubble," said McGeagh, 61, a commercial real estate broker, who along with his wife, raised three children at their home.
On Friday morning, hundreds of people streamed into a parking lot near the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena for donated clothing, diapers and bottled water.
Denise Doss, 63, said she was anxious to return to her destroyed home in Altadena to see if anything was salvageable, but officials stopped her due to safety concerns.
"At least to say goodbye until we can rebuild. I will let God lead me," she said.
Many Altadena residents said they were worried government resources would go to wealthier areas and that insurers might short-change those who cannot afford to contest denials of fire claims.
Beyond those who lost their homes, tens of thousands remained without power, and millions of people were exposed to poorer air quality, as the fires lofted traces of metals, plastics and other synthetic materials.
PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY
The US Department of Health and Human Services have declared a public health emergency for California to address the health impacts of the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles county.
The declaration gives the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' health care providers and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs of people enrolled under Medicare and Medicaid insurance plans, the HHS said on Friday.
HHS said its Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response was prepared to deploy responders, along with medical equipment and supplies if requested by the state.
'NO WORDS'
Some Pacific Palisades residents were venturing back to areas where the fire had already swept through. Brick chimneys loomed over charred waste and burnt-out vehicles.
"I can't describe it," the 44-year-old psychiatrist Kelly Foster said as she combed through the ashy rubble where her home once stood with her children while smoke rose from neighbouring homes and planes dropped water nearby. "I have no words."
Officials have imposed a curfew in mandatory evacuation zones for the Palisades and Eaton fires from 6pm to 6 am to help prevent looting. California National Guard members also have begun to arrive to secure evacuation zones and help with traffic control, freeing up firefighters and police.
Meanwhile, false evacuation messages sent by an automated alert system further frayed residents' nerves as officials vowed to work on the problem. Many area homes also were without power.
"Everybody is on edge," said podcast host Jemele Hill, who was awakened by a false evacuation warning early Friday morning, the second in two days. "What happens is, the next one that comes, people aren’t going to take it seriously.”
In Altadena, a racially and economically diverse community near Pasadena, many residents said they were concerned government resources would be channelled toward wealthier areas and insurance companies might short-change less affluent households who lacked the means to contest fire claims.
"They're not going to give you the value of your house ... if they do you really have to fight for it," said Kay Young, 63, as she tearfully looked over the smoking rubble of a house that she said had been in her family for generations.
Catastrophic losses are already weighing on insurers, which are bracing for billions of dollars in potential claims.
Private forecaster AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic loss at $US135 billion ($NZ242 billion) to $150 billion, portending an arduous recovery and soaring homeowners' insurance costs.
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Friday called on insurers to suspend pending non-renewals and cancellations that homeowners received before the fires began and to extend the grace period for payments.
President Joe Biden has declared the fires a major disaster and said the US government would reimburse 100% of the recovery for the next six months. In a call with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday he reiterated his pledge to provide California with resources to fight the blazes and rebuild.
"This is not going to be over, even when all the fires are out, it's just going to be beginning ... so we're going to be around a long while to help," Biden told an Oval Office briefing.
The Democratic president hands over the government January 20 to his successor Republican Donald Trump, who along with his allies have sought to blame Democratic state and local officials as well and environmentalists for the deadly disaster.
BONE-DRY CONDITIONS MEET SANTA ANA WINDS
This week's fast-moving blazes swept across Southern California at a time when the region has not seen any significant rainfall for months and were fanned by unrelenting Santa Ana winds.
City and fire officials have said water hydrants in the urban area were not designed to deal with such a massive, unprecedented wildfire. Scientists say the disaster marks the latest in climate-fuelled weather extremes.
Officials are still investigating what ignited the blazes, as they continued to raze homes and monuments while evacuations, closures and sports relocations continued.
Los Angeles police interviewed a possible arson suspect related to the Kenneth Fire on Thursday but lacked enough probable cause for an arrest on that charge, Assistant Police Chief Dominic Choi told reporters on Friday.
Edison International unit Southern California Edison said insurers asked it to preserve evidence related to the Eaton Fire but that no fire agencies have connected the utility to the blaze.
