'Shame on you': At least 20 arrested for looting or similar acts as wildfires rage across LA
ITV News Correspondent Robert Moore reports from Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, where deadly wildfires are burning properties to the ground
There are five active wildfires in the suburbs of Los Angeles, with the latest in the Hollywood Hills area
At least five people have died and more than 130,000 people have been ordered to evacuate from their homes
Some residents have been warned to only consume bottled water as water supplies have been 'compromised'
Air quality across southern California has plummeted to 'hazardous levels'
At least 20 people have been arrested for looting or similar acts
At least 20 people have been arrested for looting or similar crimes as a new wildfire sweeps through the famed Hollywood Hills, adding to four others already raging in Los Angeles.
At least five people have died and hundreds of thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes
Fanned by strong winds, wildfires have swept through Los Angeles since Tuesday, turning its star-studded streets into a "hellscape" and forcing more than 130,000 people to evacuate their neighbourhoods.
The fires started in the city's Pacific Palisades area before other blazes started to pop up in the surrounding regions. Due to the winds, more than 1,400 firefighters struggled to make any significant progress in quelling the blazes.
Where are the active fires?
Hollywood Hills - Home to many of America’s A-list celebrities, Hollywood Hills became the latest neighbourhood hit by a wildfire on Wednesday evening. Dubbed the Sunset Fire by the LA Fire Department, it spread to about 20 acres in under an hour near Runyon Canyon.
Lidia - This fire near Acton, north of Los Angeles, has burned more than 340 acres and is 40% contained.
Hurst - Located just north of San Fernando, the fire began on Tuesday night and has since grown to 700 acres. Firefighters have contained 10% of the blaze.
Eaton - Burning in the northern parts of Los Angeles County, the Eaton fire has now scorched 10,600 acres with 0% containment, according to authorities.
Palisades - This is the first fire to break out on Tuesday that has burned nearly 16,000 acres in Los Angeles, including areas in Pacific Palisades, with 0% containment.
ITV News correspondent Robert Moore said some of the homes in Los Angeles are "long lost to the fire", but others can still be saved.
"These are magnificent properties overlooking the Pacific Ocean," he said, reporting from the scenes of devastation in Pacific Palisades.
"But then just a few metres on, you see the real hellscape taking place here because, here, a number of properties and structures have been lost."
Authorities have said nearly 2,000 structures have been destroyed in the fires, and the number is expected to increase.
In the city of Pasadena, near Los Angeles, Fire Chief Chad Augustin reported that the city's water system was strained and further impacted by power outages - around 250,000.
However, he added that even without these challenges, firefighters could not have contained the blaze due to intense winds.
"Those erratic wind gusts were throwing embers for multiple miles ahead of the fire," he said.
An evacuation order covering Hollywood has now been lifted according to the Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass.
“As of yesterday, winds have allowed for air operations, and that has enabled significant progress in Hollywood and Studio City last night,” Bass said.
“As of 7:30 this morning, evacuation orders in Hollywood have been lifted."
Nearly 180,000 residents in Los Angeles County remain under evacuation orders.
Close to 200,000 residents remain under evacuation warnings according to Sheriff Robert G. Luna.
Evacuation warnings advise residents to 'get ready' to leave their homes at a moments notice.
The sheriff added that some people are refusing to take note of evacuation orders, which is putting law enforcement officers’ lives in danger.
High wind warnings are in effect until Friday.
The city has also issued an urgent alert advising them to drink only bottled water due to unsafe drinking water in areas affected by recent evacuations.
It said the Pasadena Water and Power system may be compromised by “debris and elevated turbidity".
"We couldn’t breathe anymore"
Air quality across southern California has deteriorated to "hazardous" levels, with smoke and ash making the air worse than that in New Delhi, India, a city notorious for its air pollution.
Some residents fled not just because of the flames but because the smoke was so thick they couldn’t breathe.
Tony Espinoza and his family evacuated their home despite keeping doors closed and running HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters.
“We couldn’t breathe anymore... We had all the filters going in the house, the HEPA filters and nothing seemed to work," he told the US news outlet KSNV.
Authorities have now warned that people are at risk of smoke particles penetrating deep into their lungs, which could cause serious health problems including heart attacks, strokes and asthma attacks.
Just weeks after having their lives threatened by another fire in Malibu, Alec Gellis and his girlfriend Lauren were forced to run when the Palisades Fire descended on their home.
"It was like a vortex of embers," he told US news outlet KCAL. "There was no oxygen. I couldn't breathe. I barely even made it to my car.
"It's just not real. I mean, a month — less than a month, my lungs weren't even better from the last time. I'm still coughing from the last time."
Video on Gellis' Instagram shows embers and thick smoke flying across the screen as he ran for safety on Tuesday
Celebrities lose their homes
Media personality Paris Hilton and actors Billy Crystal, Anna Faris, John Goodman, Anthony Hopkins, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag are among the many celebrities who lost their homes in the fires.
Montag and Pratt, who are married, filmed their flattened home on social media, with Montag telling her followers: "While we ended up losing our house in the fire and thank God we are safe, so thank you to everyone who's checking, thank you for all your prayers, thank you for your thoughts."
Cameron Mathison, star of General Hospital, returned to his home of 13 years in Los Angeles to find it had been "decimated" by wildfires.
The Oscars nominations announcement has also been delayed, as members of the Academy, who vote on the nominees, have been impacted by the fires.
The Dolby Theatre, where the Oscars have been held since 2001, is also at risk from the fires.
A disruption to education
19 school districts in Los Angeles County are closed today with four of those districts confirming they will be closed on Friday.
Two schools in the Palisades have burned to the ground.
LA County is home to 80 public schools which educate 1.3 million elementary to high school students.
'Shame on you'
At least 20 people have been arrested for looting or similar crimes.
Kathryn Barger, chair of the county’s Board of Supervisors condemned those who have tried to burglarise or loot homes.
“Shame on those who are preying on our residents during this time of crisis,”
The fires began shortly after the start of a Santa Ana windstorm that the National Weather Service said was the strongest to hit Southern California in more than a decade.
However, winds on Thursday are now not expected to be as intense as earlier in the week, but ongoing dry air and persistent drought conditions could allow new spot fires to spread rapidly and uncontrollably.
“For Thursday night and Friday, winds will be slightly stronger, with gusts of 40 mph to 55 mph, and isolated gusts up to 70 mph possible in favoured foothills and peaks,” the weather service said.
'Open your home and give back'
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have taken to their website to share details on how people can help others as the wildfires progress.
The couple recognised a number of organisations including World Central Kitchen and the Animal Wellness Foundation who are offering extra help to people in need.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued an executive order that takes measures to support those affected by the fires, following declaring a state of emergency on Tuesday.
The move comes soon after President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration to bolster federal assistance.
The Mayor of Los Angeles has pledged a full evaluation of the city's response to the fires.
"Rest assured that when that is done, when we are safe, when lives have been saved and homes have been saved, we will absolutely do an evaluation to look at what worked, what didn’t work and to correct or to hold accountable anybody – department, individual, et cetera,”
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