The fire which ignited Thursday afternoon is spreading in the West Hills area.
At least 10 people are believed to be dead -- with the LA County sheriff saying he expects that number to rise -- as a series of devastating fires grow uncontained 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 Los Angeles area. The largest, the Palisades Fire, in Pacific Palisades, has scorched over 19,000 acres, destroyed thousands of structures and remains zero percent contained. The Eaton Fire, in Altadena, now stands at more than 13,000 acres and zero percent contained. More than 180,000 people have been ordered to evacuate as the infernos spread.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday approved a federal major disaster declaration for Los Angeles County.
The Los Angeles Fire Department has issued a mandatory evacuation order due to the new Kenneth Fire, which has burned 50 acres in West Hills.
The immediate evacuation has been issued for Vanowen south to Burbank Boulevard County Lane Road and east to East Valley Circle Boulevard.
The Eaton Fire has grown to 13,690 acres and is 0% contained, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said during the briefing.
"We now have a confirmation that we have a potential for over 4,000 to 5,000 structures damaged or destroyed in the fire," he said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, he said.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said he wants to implement a curfew for areas impacted by the Palisades and Eaton fires, though it is not yet official.
Luna said the goal is to implement a curfew between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. by Thursday or Friday.
The curfew would be to "send a stronger message" against looting and to keep people out of impacted areas, he said during a press briefing.
There have been reports of between 12 to 16 arrests for looting, he said.
The Palisades Fire has grown to 19,978 acres and remains 0% contained, Cal Fire said in an update Thursday.
Approximately 5,316 structures have been destroyed in the fire, based on an aerial survey conducted on Wednesday, Cal Fire said. That makes it the third-most destructive wildfire in California history.
The structures include homes and businesses, as well as smaller structures like RVs and sheds, Cal Fire said.
