Thousands of firefighters are battling the sprawling wildfires across LA.
Nearly a dozen people are believed to be dead -- with the Los Angeles County sheriff saying he expects that number to rise -- as devastating fires spread across Southern California amid dry and windy conditions, leaving officials scrambling to contain the historic destruction.
Thousands of firefighters are battling at least five sprawling wildfires spread around the LA area. The largest, the Palisades Fire, in Pacific Palisades, has scorched over 22,000 acres, destroyed thousands of structures and is 11% contained. The Eaton Fire, in Altadena, now stands at more than 14,100 acres and is 15% contained. More than 100,000 people are under evacuation orders.
Seventy firefighters from Mexico, including three information officers, were expected to arrive in California at 1 p.m. on Saturday, according to Cal Fire.
They're being sent to the Noble Creek Operations Base pending specific assignment to the fires in the Los Angeles region.
Gov. Gavin Newsom doubled California's National Guard deployment to the Los Angeles fires to 1,680 service members.
"We are continuing to rush in resources to rapidly respond to the firestorm in Los Angeles fueled by hurricane-force winds. The men and women of the California National Guard are working day and night to help Los Angeles residents during their greatest time of need. We are grateful for their continued bravery and commitment to be of service to others," Newsom said.
Price gouging during a state of emergency like the ones in effect in Ventura County and Los Angeles County is illegal, California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned at a press conference Saturday.
"If you're trying to take advantage of somebody. You're burglarizing in one of these evacuation areas. You're trying to scam somebody. We're going to get you," Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
California law prohibits a business from charging more than 10% more for a good or service than they did before the emergency. If a business only began selling the item after the emergency declaration, they can't charge more than 50% of the cost of the item, Bonta said.
"We have reports that listing agents are raising rents on the spot, preying on families who have been displaced, many of whom have lost their homes or don't even know what the current status of their home is," Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said.
The ATF is leading a taskforce investigating the cause and origin of the fires, officials announced at a press conference Saturday.
The task force is made up of local, state and federal partners designed to investigate the cause of these fires and to see if there's any connection between them.
ATF-certified fire investigators arrived on the scene on Friday and additional ATF personnel are coming in to assist in the investigation, an ATF official told ABC News earlier.
"When the fires are out, make no mistake, we will have a full accounting of what worked, and especially what did not," LA Mayor Karen Bass said at a press conference Saturday. "So let me be clear about something, the fire chief and I are focused on fighting these fires and saving lives, and any differences that we might have will be worked out in private. But right now, our first and most important obligation to Angelinos is to get through this crisis."
When asked about the taskforce by ABC News, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said, "We're very confident that we have the best and the brightest that our nation has to offer working on this."
-ABC News' Jennifer Watts and Jack Date
