Death toll rises to 24 as looters dressed as firefighters target evacuated Los Angeles homes

Criminals are exploiting the continuing chaos of the Los Angeles wildfires, with some even dressing as firefighters to attempt to rob homes.

LA Sheriff Robert Luna said he has been forced to request reinforcements from the California National Guard to protect homes, with a 6pm to 6am curfew being imposed in evacuated areas.

At least 29 people have been arrested in the ‘fire zones’ — 25 in the area of the Eaton fire in the east, and four in the Palisades.

“The individuals do not live in the areas where we’re arresting them,” Sheriff Luna said.

“We’re finding out that they have zero business being in these areas.”

Two men were arrested outside the home of Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday after police responded to a call reporting a potential burglary.

They were later released without charge.

The vice president’s home in Brentwood is believed to be in the path of the Palisades fire — which is only 11 per cent contained and one of three still raging last night along with the Hurst fire to the north and the Eaton fire.

The basketball star LeBron James, former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and actresses Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep also live in the affluent enclave.

They are among 153,000 residents ordered to evacuate their homes across Los Angeles with another 166,000 put on standby to flee.

More than 14,000 firefighters are battling “Zero business being here” one of the biggest catastrophes in American history that has so far killed at least 24 people, razed 12,000 buildings and wreaked $24 billion of damage.

On Sunday US media reported that fire agencies were investigating whether electrical equipment caused the Hurst fire.

The US military is on standby after Canada and Mexico dispatched fire crews along with nine US states neighbouring California.

Leaders warned the number of dead will rise with a further 16 residents missing as 112km/h winds could ramp the blaze to the highest “extreme” level this week.

As the fires continued to rage President-elect Donald Trump launched an extraordinary attack on “incompetent” politicians on the ground Sunday.

“This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our Country. They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

LA Mayor Karen Bass has come under intense scrutiny after she was in Ghana at the start of the blaze and has imposed millions of pounds of cuts on the fire department in recent years.

Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom — an old foe of Mr Trump’s — has been accused of prioritising the protection of endangered fish over homes.

Mr Newsom on Sudnay dismissed the theory, peddled by the president-elect, as “delusional” as he launched a website to counter disinformation on the wildfires.

He also repeated his calls for Mr Trump to visit — something he has failed to do so far despite the fact he assumes office in a week.

Also facing harsh criticism are millionaire LA residents attempting to buy “private” firefighters to protect their homes and the greedy landlords hiking prices for those seeking safe houses.

Keith Wasserman, co-founder of real estate investment firm Gelt Venture Partners, was criticised for his “tone deaf” appeal for his own personal fire service.

Mr Wasserman wrote on X: “Does anyone have access to private firefighters to protect our home in Pacific Palisades?”

“Need to act fast here. All neighbour’s houses burning. Will pay any amount. Thank you.”

Selling Sunset star Jason Oppenheim detailed how a client offered $32,000 a month on a property listed for $21,800 and was told the price was now $38,000.

“It’s illegal to take advantage of a natural disaster,” he said.

Firefighters have made slow progress in their battle to contain an inferno that has burned wide areas of Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighbourhood amid warnings a death toll will likely rise.

Aircraft dropped water and fire retardant on steep hills to stem the eastward spread of the Palisades Fire and KTLA television reported that ground crews had managed to save a number of houses, although others were lost.

“LA County had another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said.

Six simultaneous blazes that have ripped across the second-largest US city since Tuesday had killed at least 24 people as of Monday, the Washington Post and other media reported, citing the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office.

Mr Newsom said he expected the death toll to rise.

“I’ve got search and rescue teams out. We’ve got cadaver dogs out and there’s likely to be a lot more,” he told NBC.

Mr Newsom said the fires are likely to be the worst natural disaster in US history “in terms of just the costs associated with it”.

Active duty military personnel are ready to support the firefighting effort, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.

The blazes have damaged or destroyed 12,000 structures, fire officials said.

By Sunday, more than 100,000 people in Los Angeles County had been ordered to evacuate, while another 87,000 faced evacuation warnings.

Flames have reduced whole neighbourhoods to smouldering ruins, destroying the homes of the rich and famous and ordinary folk alike, and leaving an apocalyptic landscape.

Over the past 24 hours, the Palisades Fire spread over an additional 400 hectares, consuming more homes, officials reported.

Cal Fire official Todd Hopkins said that while 11 per cent of the Palisades Fire was now contained, it had burned more than 8900 hectares.

Hopkins told a press conference that fire had spread into the Mandeville Canyon and was threatening to jump into Brentwood, an upscale neighbourhood that is home to many celebrities, and the San Fernando Valley. It also inched towards the north-south 405 freeway.

Although the Santa Ana winds that have fanned the flames had calmed over the weekend, the National Weather Service warned that stronger gusts of up to 110 kilometres per hour could return early next week, with the strongest winds to occur on Tuesday.

“Red flag” warnings remain in effect for LA and Ventura counties through to Wednesday, the service said, with conditions expected to moderate by Thursday.

US President Joe Biden was due to convene key officials for a Sunday afternoon virtual briefing.

His declaration of a major disaster unlocked federal assistance for those affected by the wildfires, clearing the way for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide support.

The Cal Fire website reported the Eaton Fire was 27 per cent contained, up from 15 per cent on Saturday, after burning 5713ha.

The two big fires combined have consumed more than 14,500ha, or 145 square kilometres — two-and-a-half times the land area of Manhattan — in one of the worst disasters in Los Angeles history.

Officials have declared a public health emergency due to the thick, toxic smoke hanging over the city and poor air quality as the fires lofted traces of metals, plastics and other synthetic materials.

Private forecaster AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic loss at $US135 billion ($A220 billion) to $US150 billion ($A244 billion), portending soaring homeowners’ insurance costs.