“DEVASTATING”
Five separate fires have so far burned more than 15,000 hectares, destroying around 10,000 buildings, California’s fire agency reported.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office confirmed an additional fatality on Friday, bringing the overall death toll so far to 11.
“It reminded me of more of a war scene, where you had certain targets that were bombarded,” said Biden, as he received a briefing on the fires at the White House.
Winds calmed on Friday, providing a much-needed if fleeting window of opportunity for firefighters battling blazes around the clock for a fourth consecutive day.
At the biggest of the blazes, in Pacific Palisades and Malibu, firefighters said they were starting to get the fire under control, with 8 per cent of its perimeter contained.
“Braveheart” actor Mel Gibson was the latest celebrity to reveal his Malibu home had burned down, telling NewsNation the loss was “devastating”.
Meanwhile the Eaton Fire in the Altadena area was 3 per cent contained, with fire chief Jason Schillinger reporting “significant progress” in quelling the blaze.
A third fire that exploded on Thursday afternoon near the wealthy Hidden Hills enclave, home to celebrities like Kim Kardashian, was 50 per cent surrounded.
But emergency chiefs warned the situation is “still very dangerous” and reprieve from the intense gusts that spread embers will not last.
“The winds have died down today, but … are going to increase again in the coming days,” said Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
