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.
A firefighter suffered a "significant" injury in a fall Thursday morning, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said during the afternoon briefing.
The firefighter is in stable condition and he is expected to make a full recovery, Marrone said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office has requested the support of the California National Guard for securing evacuation zones, traffic control and to prevent looting, Sheriff Robert Luna said during Thursday's press briefing.
"For the last 24 hours or so, we have had approximately 400 National Guard members throughout the state ready to support us, and as I just stated, they will be coming in," he said. "We expect that they may be on site as soon as tonight."
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.
