Los Angeles welcomes lull in the firestorm

Fire-wrecked Los Angeles got a break as dangerous winds dropped, giving hope to weary firefighters still battling to snuff out deadly blazes.

Beachfront homes in Malibu that burned in the Palisades fire over the past week. Picture: Getty Images

Fire-wrecked Los Angeles got a break as dangerous winds dropped, giving hope to weary firefighters still battling to snuff out deadly blazes.

More than a week after fires fanned by hurricane-force gusts began a destructive march that has left two dozen people dead and large areas of the city in ruins, forecasters said the end was in sight – at least for now.

Onshore breezes were set to bring much-needed moisture by the weekend, although “there’ll still be some lingering areas of concern”, Ryan Kittell of the National Weather Service said.

He warned there was another possibly perilous drying system in the offing early next week.

The Eaton fire and the Palisades fire, which together have scorched more than 165sq km, were still smouldering on Thursday AEDT.

Battalions of firefighters from across the US, as well as from Mexico, were working to tamp down hotspots that could still flare.

“Infrared flights last night indicated there are still numerous hot spots burning within the fire footprint, and very close attention was paid to address any flare-ups swiftly as to prevent any fire spread outside of the perimeter,” Los Angeles fire chief Kristin Crowley said.

With tens of thousands of people still displaced by the fires, life was far from normal in America’s second-biggest city.

An aerial view of destroyed homes along the beach in Malibu. Picture: Getty Images

But children whose schools were damaged or are still affected by evacuation orders were welcomed into other centres.

Mother Caroline Nick took Emery, 11, and Andrew, 7, to Nora Sterry Elementary on Wednesday after their own school was destroyed in the blaze.

Ms Nick, whose home was destroyed in the Palisades fire, said the children needed whatever semblance of normality they could get.

“They don’t need to be listening to the adult conversations that my husband and I are having to have. It’s not good for them,” she said.

“They need to be here doing this: drawing and colouring, playing and running and laughing.”

The confirmed death toll from the fires stood at 24, but the number of fatalities could still rise, as cadaver dogs continue a painstaking search of hundreds of buildings. More than 12,000 structures have been razed, including multimillion-dollar homes in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood.

Estimates of the eventual cost of the tragedy have risen to as high as $US275bn ($443bn), a figure that would make it one of the most expensive in US history.

The relief operation around the city was in full force, with local, state and federal bodies offering help with everything from replacing lost driving licences to footing hotel bills. A huge private effort was also taking shape, with thousands of volunteers staffing giveaways of food, clothing and baby supplies for those in need.

Still, firefighters and police were dealing with new challenges.

Since the beginning of the initial bushfire outbreak last week, authorities have arrested about half a dozen people accused of setting new, small fires that were quickly knocked down.

One suspect admitted starting a fire in a tree “because he liked the smell of burning leaves”, Los Angeles police chief Jim McDonnell said. Another arson suspect said “she enjoyed causing chaos and destruction”, he said on Wednesday.

Authorities have not determined a cause for any of the major fire.

LA officials, who already have been criticised for hydrants running dry, faced more allegations of not doing enough.

Fire officials chose not to double the number of firefighters on duty last Tuesday as the winds whipped up, and had only five of more than 40 engines deployed, according to internal records obtained by The Los Angeles Times and interviews with fire commanders.

The department also did not call in off-duty firefighters until after the Palisades fire erupted.

Fire chief Crowley defended her decisions. “I can tell you and stand before you, we did everything in our capability to surge where we could,” she said.

Despite “limited capacity” within the department, crews were able to respond swiftly by calling for assistance from other agencies and seeking help from off-duty firefighters.

AFP, AP