• At least 25 people dead, over 12,000 structures damaged or destroyed
• More than 88,000 people under evacuation order
• High winds and low humidity pose extreme danger for at least another day
• Despite wind, size of fires has not increased in two days
Firefighters are holding the line against two massive wildfires that have ravaged parts of Los Angeles for the past week, even as desert winds and a parched landscape make for extremely hazardous conditions.
Some 8500 firefighters from at least seven states and two foreign countries prevented the fires from growing for a second straight day on Tuesday as they gained slightly more control of the perimeter of the blazes, which nonetheless have consumed an area the size of Washington, D.C.
A fleet of aircraft dropped water and retardant into the rugged hills while ground crews with hand tools and hoses have worked around the clock since the fires broke out on January 7, with the aircraft occasionally grounded by high winds.
The Palisades Fire on the west edge of town held steady at 9596 hectares (96sq km) burned, and containment increased to 17% - a measurement of how much of the perimeter was under control.
The Eaton Fire in the foothills east of the city stood at 5712ha (57sq km) with containment now 35%.
A third fire, the Hurst, spanning 323ha (3.2sq km) was 97% contained, while a new fire broke out in neighbouring Ventura County, burning 22ha while it was 0% contained.
Southern California has lacked any appreciable rain since April last year, turning brush into tinder as Santa Ana winds originating from the deserts whipped over hilltops and rushed through canyons, sending embers flying up to 3km ahead of the fires.
Red flag conditions were expected to last through Wednesday after winds peaked overnight with gusts surpassing 80km/h, the National Weather Service said.
Winds were weaker than expected during the day on Tuesday but forecast to peak about 3.m on Wednesday (local time), with gusts in the mountains possibly reaching 112km/h, the weather service said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said 11 new fires broke out in Southern California overnight, but were quickly extinguished because crews and equipment were positioned ahead of time.
But three other fires were still burning, including one each in neighbouring Ventura and Riverside counties that started on Monday and Tuesday, Cal Fire said.
The death toll from the fires rose by one on Tuesday to 25, according to the Los Angeles medical examiner's office. The estimate of structures damaged or destroyed held steady at over 12,000, still portending a Herculean rebuilding effort ahead.
Entire neighbourhoods have been levelled, leaving smouldering ash and rubble. In many homes only a chimney is left standing.
"It's one thing to see it on television. It's another thing to see it from the air. The massive, massive destruction is unimaginable until you actually see it," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told a news conference after taking an aerial tour.
A few thousand more people were allowed back home but 88,000 remained under evacuation orders with another 84,000 under evacuation warning - large-scale displacements unprecedented in the metropolitan area's history.
"We thank God we're safe, but we don't know what's next," said Altadena resident John Adolph, 48, a video producer who, along with his wife and two children, has been staying with friends since they lost their home in the Eaton Fire a week ago.
Adolph went back to his home to see what he could salvage, but could not get close.
"There were burning grocery stores, gas stations, exploding cars that went pop with glass flying, not like in the movies. Walls of flames two stories tall, tornadoes of flame. I was stupid with a side of crazy to try."
Urban search and rescue teams worked from an Altadena grocery store parking lot, tracking progress on white boards and handing out assignments from inside a trailer.
"We're doing a systematic search. The winds really don't have a whole lot of effect on our search and rescue operations," said Jorge Villanueva, a regional task force leader with the California Office of Emergency Services.
His team of 50 firefighters and sheriff's deputies conducted house-by-house searches, looking for any lingering fires and hazards such as lithium ion batteries connected to solar panels.
COSTLY RECOVERY
The Palisades Fire also approached the priceless art collection at the J. Paul Getty Museum, which houses paintings by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Monet and Degas.
But the collection remained safely inside the Getty Center's fortress of travertine stone, fire-protected steel and reinforced concrete. "It would be extremely foolish to try and remove artwork" from its safe harbour, Getty Trust President Katherine E. Fleming said.
In Washington, a battle over emergency aid broke out between Republicans and Democrats over what is already the costliest wildfire in terms of insured losses.
Private forecaster AccuWeather estimates total damage and economic loss between $US250 billion ($NZ446 billion) and $US275 billion, which would make it the costliest natural disaster in United States history, surpassing Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005.
Democrats in Congress opposed the suggestion by House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, that conditions be placed on aid.
Johnson also said any wildfire disaster assistance funding should be "paid for," meaning the cost should be covered to prevent adding to the budget deficit, possibly by cutting other programmes.
That is a departure from many previous natural disasters, and Democratic Representative Ted Lieu of California called Johnson's position "outrageous."
"We should not be leveraging the pain and suffering of our fellow Americans to try to force new policy changes," Lieu said.
