LA firefighters are desperately trying to contain the Palisades monster fire

Firefighters are doing everything they can to fight the large and dangerous wildfires that threaten Los Angeles from spreading to one of the city's most special areas.

Air crews have been dousing the burning hills with water and fire extinguisher to contain the Palisades fire, which has grown an additional 1,000 acres and is now threatening Brentwood.

Officials have been on the defensive as anger grows over how water pipes have dried up as firefighters struggle to contain the fast-moving flames.

Winds are expected to pick up again overnight, fanning the flames at least 16 people died.

On Saturday evening, the LA County coroner's office announced that 11 of the deaths were caused by the Eaton fire and five were caused by the Palisades fire.

But the National Weather Service warned that the Santa Ana winds that initially fueled the fire will pick up again Saturday and Sunday.

Seven neighboring states, the federal government and Canada and Mexico have rushed resources to California.

“LA County has had another night of unimaginable horror and pain,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said Saturday.

Firefighters have made modest progress against the worst of the infernos, the Palisades fire, which has burned about 23,000 acres and is 11% contained.

But the fire has spread to the Mandeville Canyon area, prompting the evacuation of Brentwood, a quaint neighborhood where Arnold Schwarzenegger, Disney CEO Bob Iger and NBA star LeBron James have homes.

Also on the way out is the Getty Center, a hilltop museum that houses more than 125,000 works of art, including works by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Rubens, Monet and Degas. The building has not been damaged so far.

Posting to X, it said the site “remains stable, except for hot spots” but that “we know our Getty neighbors well and trust their safety”.

The second largest fire, the Eaton fire, had destroyed more than 14,000 hectares and was 15% contained. Fire extinguishers consist of two small flames, fire Kenneth and Hurst.

The cause of the fire has not been determined. The two giants combined to destroy an area twice the size of Manhattan.

About 153,000 residents are under mandatory evacuation orders and another 166,000 have been warned not to flee.

The political consequences have begun.

On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat with rumored White House ambitions, ordered an investigation into why the water reservoir is not working and some firefighting equipment has run dry.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley lamented the shortage.

“When a firefighter reaches a water pipe, he expects that there will be water,” he said.

Chief Crowley also attacked city leadership for cutting his department's budget and eliminating mechanic positions, which he said has resulted in more than 100 firefighters being out of a job.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said all firefighters in the communities of Pacific Palisades and LA's Westside were “fully operational” before the devastating wildfire, CNN reports.

On Saturday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass – who was criticized for being in Ghana attending the inauguration ceremony of the president of an African country when a fire broke out in LA on Tuesday, expressed her differences with Chief Crowley.

“Let me be clear about something,” Bass told a news conference, “the fire chief and I are focused on fighting these fires and saving lives, and any disagreements we may have will be resolved privately.”

More than 70,000 people have signed a change.org petition calling for the mayor to step down immediately.

As the fear of looting grows, the sunset curfew is strictly enforced in deserted areas, the official said.

Newsom announced on Saturday that he would double the number of National Guardsmen on the ground to “keep communities safe”, sending 1,680 troops.

About a dozen have been arrested, including for burglary, robbery and curfew violations.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said cadaver dogs are helping a search and rescue team of 40 search the devastated areas.

The death toll is expected to rise when house-to-house searches are carried out.

The fires were so intense that car tires melted into liquid metal.

Rick McGeagh, a real estate agent, told Reuters that only six of the 60 homes in his neighborhood in Pacific Palisades survived.

What remained standing in his house was a statue of the Virgin Mary.

“Everything else is ash and rubble,” said the 61-year-old father of three.