LA fires: Arrests soar amid move to oust Governor

The number of people arrested over looting amid the LA wildfires has climbed, as fresh calls have been made for California Governor Gavin Newsom to resign.

The number of arrests in relation to looting in LA no-go zones has soared, as fresh calls mount for California Governor Gavin Newsom to step down in the wake of the catastrophic fires that killed at least 25.

Santa Monica Police Department revealed officers had arrested 39 individuals in fire evacuation zones between January 7 and January 12th, in a post on X.

Nine people have been charged, with one including burglary that netted $200,000, and another in which an Emmy statuette was allegedly stolen, said District Attorney Nathan Hochman.

Santa Monica police have arrested 39 people in the evacuation zones in recent days. Picture: X

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It comes as Gov. Newsom has faced backlash from residents, politicians and celebrities since the deadly fires broke out.

A fresh serve has come from Saving California, a group that calls itself a ‘non-partisan coalition of working families, professionals and community advocates’.

Saving California has launched a bid for him to resign.

A before map of Big Rock Beach, Malibu. Source: LA County damage maps and Google Earth

An after map shows the destruction, with destroyed houses marked red, in the same area. Source: LA County damage maps and Google Earth

It comes as maps revealed the house by house devastation of the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires, with whole neighbourhoods wiped out.

Properties that were spared are marked in black and homes that suffered minor damage are coloured green.

An orange mark indicates a home has been significantly damaged, while destroyed houses are coloured red.

Earlier it emerged that the cause of the Palisades fire most likely had “human origins”.

Authorities investigating the cause of the fire told the Los Angeles Times that they believe it was started by someone — possibly as an accident, sources told the Times.

Officials noted the trail is popular with hikers and is often used as a hangout by local teens and the fire may have “human origins,” according to the Times.

The Pacific Palisades in the aftermath of the blaze. Picture: AP

The remains of a restaurant destroyed by the Palisades wildfire in Malibu. Picture: Getty Images via AFP

It comes as the death toll from the fires rose to 25.

It was also announced that the Oscars and Grammys would proceed despite calls for them to be cancelled.

Meanwhile, conditions are set to dramatically worsen, with “extreme fire behaviour” over the coming days.

Winds up to 110 km/ mean a “particularly dangerous situation” will be declared from early Tuesday local time, said National Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld.

Those gusts could fan flames and whip up embers from existing burn zones into new areas, firefighters warned.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said that fire crews had made extensive preparations in advance of this latest extreme weather event.

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Originally published as LA fires: Arrests soar amid move to oust Governor