LA wildfires: Five dead as fires continue to burn with 'zero containment'

The death toll from the devastating wildfires rampaging the United States Los Angeles area has risen to five, said officials on Wednesday (Jan 8), warning that it may rise further.

In America's second-biggest city, over 1,000 buildings have been incinerated by wildfires that have left firefighters overwhelmed by their speed and ferocity. In the upmarket Pacific Palisades, an area known for its luxurious and celebrity residents, winds have led to fireballs leaping from one house to the next, destroying some of the most desirable real estate.

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Death toll grows

Updating the media on the death toll, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said that his crews were overwhelmed by the scale and the speed of the disastrous fires.

“We're doing the very best we can. But no, we don't have enough fire personnel in LA County between all the departments to handle this,” he said.

Talking to radio station KNX, Luna said that the death toll has unfortunately “grown to five,” warning it could rise further.

“Remember, this is still a very fluid situation. There's zero containment on this fire. I'm really praying we don't find more, but I don't think that's going to be the case,” he added.

Evacuations amid dire conditions

Around 70,000 residents are under evacuation orders, but some who stayed behind have sustained “significant injuries,” said LA County Fire Chief Marrone.

Fire crews are also battling resource challenges, with hydrants in Pacific Palisades running dry.

Janisse Quinones, head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, urged residents to conserve water. “We're fighting a wildfire with urban water systems, and that is really challenging,” she said.

Primed for disaster

According to scientists, human-caused climate change is behind the altering weather patterns that are responsible for the disaster.

Years of drought, followed by unusually wet seasons that spurred rampant vegetation growth, have left the region primed to burn.

Meteorologist Daniel Swain noted the unprecedented dryness over recent months, combined with extreme winds, is a key driver of the fires.

“The winds are the driver, but the real catalyst… is this incredible antecedent dryness,” Swain explained.

“The lack of rain and the anomalous warmth and dryness that we've seen the past six months. That's something that we haven't seen in records going back to the 1800s.”

(With inputs from agencies)