Los Angeles wildfires kill 16, including Australian, as authorities brace for strong winds and looting concerns

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Authorities in Los Angeles are scrambling to get on top of the devastating wildfires, which have so far killed sixteen people, including an Australian. Six days into the crisis, at least three wildfires are still burning, and firefighters are bracing for the return of strong winds. More than 100,000 residents remain under evacuation orders. Those who have stayed behind are warning looters against entering their neighborhoods. ABC correspondent Kathryn Diss reports from the firegrounds.

Transcript

00:00I'm in the Pacific Palisades, which is an area that was completely destroyed by fire

00:07last week. I'm just going to step back so that you can see the scale of the destruction

00:13here. These were once businesses, perhaps a strip mall, completely reduced to rubble.

00:20This business left untouched, whereas those beside it have been completely destroyed.

00:28Now they were gutted by the Palisades fire. That is the largest by far still burning.

00:36It is currently 11% contained. But on Saturday night, an overnight wind changed caused that

00:43blaze to move into the east, into Mandeville Canyon. I was there just yesterday. More homes

00:50were destroyed, but fire crews managed to save some of them. The death toll is taking

00:56a while to update for obvious reasons, getting access to those burnt out neighbourhoods,

01:02but also because this is still a very much unfolding tragedy.

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