At least five people have been killed as several fast-moving wildfires sweep across the Los Angeles area, leaving thousands of firefighters attempting to extinguish the blaze.
The death toll climbed to five on Wednesday as a result of the Eaton fire raging through Altadena and Pasadena, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone confirmed to The New York Times.
The Palisades fire, now one of the most destructive LA has seen, is burning more than 17,200 acres, while the Eaton fire has scorched some 10,600 acres. The Sunset fire in Hollywood has engulfed 43 acres. All three fires are at zero per cent containment.
An estimated 2,000 buildings have been scorched and 130,000 residents ordered to evacuate, including more than 60,000 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. More than 330,000 people are without power throughout the region, according to PowerOutage.us.
On Thursday, California Governor Gavin Newsom revealed that more than 7,500 firefighting personnel and almost 1,200 fire trucks have been deployed across Southern California. He also thanked President Joe Biden, announced the approval of a major disaster declaration and ordered federal assistance to bolster response efforts.
