Firefighters on Thursday battled multiple deadly wildfires that ravaged communities across Los Angeles County, destroying more than 10,000 homes, businesses, vehicles, and other structures.
The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner said it has received notification of 10 fire-related deaths. The department said all cases are pending identification and legal next of kin notification.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the death toll would likely change when it’s safe for human remains detection teams to conduct house-to-house searches.
“The obvious question is, ‘Do you think it’s going to grow?’ I am praying it doesn’t but based on the devastation that is clear – it looks like a bomb, an atomic bomb – dropped in these areas, I don’t expect good news,” Luna said at a Thursday evening news briefing.
In total, five fires were active in Los Angeles County, scorching more than 45 square miles across the region, according to Cal Fire. The Palisades Fire in the coastal Pacific Palisades community and the Eaton Fire, located east in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, remained the largest blazes with 0% containment.
On Thursday, the Kenneth fire ignited in the Woodland Hills neighborhood in northern Los Angeles, which borders the Santa Monica Mountains. The blaze, which spread 960 acres within hours, initially prompted immediate mandatory evacuation orders before all evacuation orders and warnings issued were lifted by 8 p.m. local time, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Extreme Santa Ana winds have hindered firefighting operations and spread the fires that began breaking out earlier this week. Officials said the winds had eased somewhat Thursday, but the National Weather Service said critical fire weather could last through Friday.