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Death toll rises to 24 as PM says ‘tragedy’ Australian was killed — as it happened

Firefighters are working to make further progress against wildfires that have killed at least 24 people in Los Angeles, as forecasters warn strong winds will return this week. 

Look back on the day's events in our live blog.

Key Events

  1. WATCH: Australian describes evacuating on a bike with his baby

  2. Most schools to reopen

  3. Breaking: Death toll rises to 24

Thanks for joining us

We're going to wrap up our live coverage of the wildfires in Los Angeles here for the night.

To recap, there have been 24 deaths and three active fires continue to threaten the city, according to stats from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection:

  • The Palisades fire — the most destructive in the city's history — is still only 13 per cent contained. It has burnt through more than 9,596 hectares
  • The Eaton fire is 27 per cent contained. It has burnt though more than 5,712 hectares
  • The Hurst fire is 95 per cent contained. It has burnt though more than 323 hectares

Świątek sends love to LA fire victims

Poland's Iga Świątek wrote a message of support and solidarity to the victims of the fires in Los Angeles today after her victory in Round One.

Swiatek wrote a message of support to the victims of the LA fires. (AFP: William West)

She defeated Czech Republic's Kateřina Siniaková 3-6, 4-6 to book a spot in the next round.

After the match, Świątek wrote "sending my love to Malibu and LA" on a television camera.

Death toll rises to 24 as PM says 'tragedy' Australian was killed — as it happened

"Sending my love to Malibu and LA"  (AFP: William West)

Fires could be nation's costliest ever

The fires that began Tuesday just north of downtown LA have burned through more than 12,000 structures, though the cause of the largest fires has not been determined yet.

Early estimates now suggest they could be the nation's costliest ever, costing as much as $US150 billion ($243 billion), according to an AccuWeather estimate.

Reporting with AP

Who is helping to fight the fires?

These massive fires have led to crews from other states, and countries, being sent to Los Angeles.

The overall ongoing response includes nearly 1,400 fire engines, 84 aircraft and more than 14,000 personnel.

Here is a list of those taking part in battling the blaze:

  • Firefighters from Mexico were sent to fight the Palisades fire
  • Canadian crews converged to help LA fire departments 
  • More than 930 Californian prisoners have been responding to several fires in the LA area
  • Firefighters from several other states, including Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon and Washington

Firefighters 'strategically pre-deployed' closer to Palisades fire: mayor

Mayor Karen Blass says firefighters are being "strategically pre-deployed" closer to the Palisades fire amid dire weather warnings.

The National Weather Service has issued a "particularly dangerous situation" for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

It's the highest level alert the agency is capable of issuing.

Total area burned larger than Paris, Brisbane

The total area burned by the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires is now approximately 16,308 hectares, according to Cal Fire figures.

For comparison, Paris is roughly 10,539 hectares.

For an Australian context, Melbourne's CBD is around 3,770 hectares, while Brisbane's urban area is around 15,842 hectares.

LA Police warn of scams

California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom introduced emergency measures earlier, aiming to help fire victims and prevent them from being scammed.

The Los Angeles Police Department has also warned of scams in the aftermath of the fires.

It urged people to be wary of fake jobs, people claiming to be government employees and fraudulent charities.

Pets reunite with owners

Earlier, we heard from the Pasadena Humane shelter, which has taken in hundreds of animals since the fires started.

While the organisation has been rescuing and treating injured animals, the shelter has also seen more people come in to find missing pets.

"We’re starting to also see some happy endings, where families are able to reenter their homes after evacuations and take their pets with them," Pasadena Humane wrote in an Instagram post.

Among the pets are Canelo the dog who was reunited with his owner during an "emotional visit", according to Pasadena Humane.

The cats Mr Butter and Oreo also headed home with their family, after evacuating due to the fires.

Emergency services in Australia

The fires in California has raised a lot of anxiety and conversations with me and my friends and those at work. I find myself a lot referring them to the ABC because I remember there been quite good emergency information in the past. Is there a list of easy to access resources for here in Australia?

– Sarah

Hi Sarah and thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. I'm sure many people are feeling the same way after seeing the fires in Los Angeles.

Here at home, we have the Australian Warning System which is a nationally consistent system that has three levels to warn people about disasters or other hazards.

It has standardised, colour-coded symbols which are used as instructions during floods, fires, storms, extreme heat, severe weather.

And here's a list of emergency services in each state that could come in handy.

What does 'contained' mean?

What does it mean that a fire is "X% contained"? How is this number determined?

– Jordan

Hi Jordan and thanks for your question. Many other people have asked us the same thing!

We have heard the word "contained" a lot over the last few days.

A contained fire doesn't mean the flames have been extinguished or that the fire is under control.

Instead, it refers to how much of a control line has been set up around an active fire's perimeter.

Basically, a fire needs to be entirely surrounded by a control line for the blaze to be considered 100 per cent contained.

According to the Western Fire Chiefs Association, authorities will only declare an area of a fire as "contained" if they are confident "the fire will not surpass the control".

But, fires can also be impacted by external factors such as wind — meaning containment is not always a guarantee.

 Currently this is where the fires are at:

  • Palisades fire is 13pc contained 
  • Eaton fire is 27pc contained 
  • Hurst fire is 89pc contained

WATCH: Volunteers explain why they want to help

Earlier, thousands of volunteers gathered at the Santa Anita Park racetrack in Arcadia.

Watch this video to hear what people had to say.

What's the latest on the fires?

In case you're just tuning into our live coverage, this is what has happened so far:

  • There are currently three fires burning in the Los Angeles area: Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires
  • 24 people have died
  • At least 16 people are missing within the Eaton and Palisades fires
  • The National Weather Service is warning of severe fire conditions through to Wednesday with winds possibly reaching 113 kilometres per hour
  • The most dangerous day will be Tuesday, according to experts
  • About 150,000 people in Los Angeles County are under evacuation orders
  • More than 700 residents are taking refuge across nine shelters

Read more: Historic sites lost to wildfires

The fires have damaged several famous landmarks in Los Angeles, including the Will Rogers State Historic Park and the Palisades Village shopping mall.

What do these places look like after the blaze?

You can read more about the structures destroyed in the Pacific Palisades fire below.

Beyoncé pledges millions to fire victims

The charity BeyGOOD, founded by singer Beyoncé, has promised to donate $US2.5 million ($4 million) to help those impacted by the Los Angeles fires.

In an Instagram post, BeyGOOD says the fund is earmarked to aid families in the Altadena and Pasadena areas who have lost their homes.

National Guard in Altadena

Wondering why the national guard or the US army has not been called in? Or have they been and I've missed it.

– Clare

Hi Clare. A lot has happened over the last few days.

The California National Guard troops arrived on Friday to help guard properties.

Authorities established curfews for areas affected by mandatory evacuation orders to prevent looting. The California National Guard was requested to help support local law enforcement.

Here is a pic of them on the ground in Altadena. 

Death toll rises to 24 as PM says 'tragedy' Australian was killed — as it happened

(Reuters: Shannon Stapleton)

In pictures: Firefighters continue to battle Palisades blaze

Death toll rises to 24 as PM says 'tragedy' Australian was killed — as it happened

(Reuters: Ringo Chiu)

Death toll rises to 24 as PM says 'tragedy' Australian was killed — as it happened

(Reuters: Ringo Chiu)

Death toll rises to 24 as PM says 'tragedy' Australian was killed — as it happened

(Reuters: Ringo Chiu)

WATCH: Australian describes evacuating on a bike with his baby

Australians Joel and Maria House describe how they evacuated from their Palisades home, which they lost in the fire there.

Maria went to pick up her daughter from school and started driving to Santa Monica.

"It was really hard to pick up your child from school when there's other kids waiting for their parents to come, who are 45 minutes away," she told ABC reporter Kathryn Diss.

Meanwhile, Joel evacuated with their 18-month-old daughter on a bicycle.

"By the time we were on the bike and started to head out, I looked up to the hills there and there were buildings on fire," he said.

Olympic medals incinerated in the Palisades fire

 US swimmer Gary Hall Junior, whose 10 Olympic medals were incinerated in the wildfires, will be given a replica set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Hall was forced to flee his home in the Pacific Palisades when the fires hit.

"Currently the full focus must be on the fight against the fires and the protection of the people and property," the IOC said on X.

"We have also learned that a great Olympian, Gary Hall Jr., has lost his medals in the fire. The IOC will provide him with replicas."

Thousands of volunteers gather near the Eaton fire

Thousands of people looking to offer a helping hand have showed up at a huge donation centre at the Santa Anita Park racetrack in Arcadia, near the Eaton fire. 

Volunteers waited in long lines to help sort through mountains of donations, including clothing, water, nappies and tinned and dry food. 

Jennifer Denhartog, a 48-year-old school teacher, was handing out nappies.

"I feel so bad for the people, so I just wanted to come help somebody," she said.

"It's all I can do. I can't give a bunch of money, but I can come and give my time."

Death toll rises to 24 as PM says 'tragedy' Australian was killed — as it happened

(Reuters: Alan Devall)

Death toll rises to 24 as PM says 'tragedy' Australian was killed — as it happened

(Reuters: Alan Devall)

Most schools to reopen

It's about 7:30pm on Sunday in California right now.

Most schools, except some in mandatory evacuation zones, are expected to reopen on Monday, local time, LAUSD superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced.

Schools have been closed for all 429,000 students in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

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