Death toll rises to 13 as firefighters work to prevent spread of California wildfires

Aircraft dropped water and fire retardant on steep hills, and ground firefighting efforts were stepped up in a bid to stem the eastward spread of the Palisades wildfire in Los Angeles on Saturday, amid new predictions of wind gusts that could hit 110 kilometres per hour.

Over the past 24 hours, the Palisades Fire spread over an additional 400 hectares and destroyed more homes, officials reported.

That fire is one of six simultaneous blazes that have ripped across Los Angeles County neighbourhoods since Tuesday, killing at least 13 people and damaging or destroying 12,000 structures. At least 13 people are estimated to be missing so far.

The toll is expected to mount when firefighters are able to conduct house-to-house searches.

Earlier Saturday, Cal Fire official Todd Hopkins told reporters that the Palisades Fire, which has burned over 8,900 hectares, is 11 per cent contained.

Hopkins said that the blaze had spread into the Mandeville Canyon neighbourhood and threatened to jump into Brentwood, an upscale neighbourhood where celebrities live and play, and the San Fernando Valley. It also inched toward the north-south 405 freeway.

The U.S. National Weather Service warned of worsening Santa Ana winds in the Los Angeles and Ventura counties. It predicts winds will pick up into Sunday morning, and again on late Monday through Tuesday morning. The forecast called for sustained winds of about 48 km/h and gusts up to 113 km/h.

Evacuation orders throughout the Los Angeles area now cover 153,000 residents, putting 57,000 structures at risk. Another 166,000 residents have been warned to be prepared to evacuate, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.

Significant progress has been reported in returning electrical power back to Los Angeles neighbourhoods.

Steven Powell, CEO of Southern California Edison, told reporters there are now about 50,000 customers without power, "down from over half a million just a couple days ago."

Powell said there was no evidence that any of Edison's equipment caused the Hurst fire but that the investigation was continuing.

As state and local officials grappled with the worst cluster of fires in Los Angeles history, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke by phone with some of them to get an update on their efforts. Biden also was briefed by his senior aides on federal resources that were being dispatched.

President Joe Biden has declared the fires a major disaster and said the U.S. government would reimburse 100 per cent of the recovery for the next six months. That declaration unlocked federal assistance for those affected by the wildfires, clearing the way for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide support.

FEMA officials, for example, were at the Pasadena Convention Center helping residents navigate aid applications.