LOS ANGELES: The largest wildfire in Los Angeles spread to neighborhoods already hit on Saturday, forcing new evacuations and dimming hopes that the destruction is under control.
Across the city, at least 11 people have died as multiple fires have ripped through residential areas since Tuesday, destroying thousands of homes in what US President Joe Biden has likened to a “war scene”.
Despite massive firefighting efforts, the Palisades fire’s spread prompted evacuation orders for ritzy neighborhoods along its eastern edge, including the famed Getty Center art museum.
Strong winds were forecast to return on Saturday after a brief hiatus, risking new fires as embers are blown into the dry brush.
Los Angeles residents have increasingly demanded to know who is to blame for the disaster as they grapple with the devastation and local anger over authorities’ preparedness and response.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a “full independent review” on Friday, calling the lack of water supplies during the early fires “deeply troubling.”
“We need answers about how this happened,” he wrote in an open letter.
As reports of looting mounted, a sunset-to-sunrise curfew was imposed in the evacuated areas.
About two dozen arrests have already been made in Los Angeles, where some residents have organized street patrols and armed guards at their homes.
The National Guard has been deployed to reinforce law enforcement agencies.
12,000 buildings were destroyed.
Five separate fires have so far burned more than 37,000 acres (15,000 hectares), destroying nearly 12,000 buildings, the California Fire Agency reported.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office confirmed an additional death on Friday, bringing the total to 11, although that number is expected to rise.
“It reminded me more of a war scene, where you have some targets that have been bombed,” Biden said during a White House briefing.
Winds had calmed Friday, allowing firefighters to battle the blaze around the clock for the fourth consecutive day.
The Palisades Fire was only eight percent contained Saturday morning and had spread east after burning 21,600 acres.
Emergency chiefs warned that the situation was still extremely dangerous.
“The winds are going to pick up again in the coming days,” said Dan Croswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Officials say it is too early to know the cause of the fire.
The blame game
Biden on Friday took a swipe at incoming President Donald Trump, who has spread misinformation about the fire that has since spread on social media.
“You’re going to have a lot of demagogues trying to take advantage,” the president said.
Newsom, whom the president-elect has blamed for the disaster, invited Trump to visit Los Angeles and review the disaster with him.
“We should not politicize human tragedy or spread misinformation from the sidelines,” Newsom said.
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristen Crowley said her department was chronically under-resourced and understaffed, citing recent cuts to the service’s funding.
Wildfires occur naturally, but scientists say human-caused climate change is altering the weather and altering fire dynamics.
Emergency managers apologized Friday after false evacuation alerts were sent to millions of cellphones, sparking panic.