LA fires: Fireworks could be to blame as death toll rises to 24

Fireworks lit by “idiots” has been touted as the possible cause of the Palisades Fire, as the number of people confirmed dead in the devastating blazes has jumped.

The number of people confirmed dead in fires that are burning through the US city of Los Angeles rose to 24, authorities said.

The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner published a list of fatalities without giving details of any identities.

Eight of the dead were found in the Palisades Fire zone, and 16 in the Eaton Fire zone, the document said.

Wildfire conditions across Los Angeles are set to worsen, with near hurricane-force Santa Ana winds picking up again just as firefighters started to make progress against the biggest blazes.

“The winds are potentially getting dangerous and strong again,” Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), told CNN.

“The biggest thing that people need to know is that this is still dangerous.”

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Smoke from the Palisades fire rises over a ridge as seen from the Encino section of Los Angeles. Picture: AP

It comes as possible causes of the fires are being investigated, with the Palisades Fire believed to have been caused by fireworks set off on New Year’s Eve, according to the Washington Post, which cited a resident who said the wildfire was “started by idiots” who lit fireworks late that evening. The resident said his family heard fireworks and saw the fire shortly after midnight.

The sun rises behind a home destroyed in the Pacific Palisades. Picture: AP

Amid the chaos, at least 29 people have been arrested, including a burglar who pretended to be a firefighter, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

“When I was out in the Malibu area, I saw a gentleman that looked like a firefighter and asked him if he was okay because he was sitting down. I didn’t realise we had him in handcuffs,” Sheriff Luna said.

“We were turning him over to LAPD because he was dressed like a fireman, and he was not. He just got caught burglarising a home.”

Two people were arrested near Vice President Kamala Harris’s Brentwood house for violating the curfew order after police received reports of burglary, local media reported citing police.

A handwritten sign with “looters will be shot” was hung on a tree, next to the US flag outside a house in Pacific Palisades.

In this photo provide by Maxar Technologies, the Palisades fire burns south of the Encino Reservoir. Picture: Maxar Technologies via AP

A man sifts through his mother’s fire-ravaged property in the Palisades fire. Picture: AP

Long queues to get back into the fire-ravaged areas left some people fuming about poor management, the latest gripe from a population already angry over hydrants that ran dry in the initial firefight.

An at-times tense joint press conference came after Chief Kristin Crowley complained her fire department was short of cash.

Teams with cadaver dogs were combing through the rubble, with several people known to be missing and fears that the death toll will grow.

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Originally published as LA fires: Fireworks could be to blame as death toll rises to 24