Death toll rises to 16 as firefighters continue to battle spreading wildfires in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES -- At least 16 people have been killed by blazes as thousands of firefighters race to battle spreading wildfires across Los Angeles County, the most populous US county, local authorities said Saturday.

According to a list of fatalities published by the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner, death toll from wildfires rose to 16 as of Saturday evening.

Eleven of the dead were related to the Eaton Fire and five were found in the Palisades Fire zone.

The deadly Eaton Fire, which broke out Tuesday evening, has scorched 14,117 acres (57.1 square km) near Altadena and Pasadena and was 15 percent contained as of Saturday afternoon.

The fire remained active overnight and is burning in an area with steep inaccessible terrain and critically dry vegetation, said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) in a situation summary update. Aerial imagery overlays show approximately 7,081 structures may have been damaged or destroyed by the fire.

The Palisades Fire, the largest of at least five active wildfires in the Los Angeles region, has scorched 22,660 acres (91.7 square km) and has destroyed more than 5,300 structures since Tuesday. The blaze was 11 percent contained so far.

"Firefighting efforts continue to concentrate on building and improving containment lines with a focus on public safety and structure protection. For today, north to northeast winds will gradually increase, peaking in strength this evening and overnight," said CAL FIRE in an update.

CAL FIRE noted that moderate to strong warm and dry Santa Ana winds "are likely to return Tuesday and Wednesday, creating critical fire weather conditions."

California Governor Gavin Newsom said Saturday that he is doubling the California National Guard deployment to aid in firefighting, and public safety resources are deployed to fight the Los Angeles fires, with 1,680 California National Guardsmen now active in the region.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the utility for city residents, said Saturday that one-fifth of its hydrants in the Palisades area sustained a loss of pressure during this week's deadly wildfire, reported Los Angeles Times, the biggest newspaper on US West Coast.

Firefighters battling the fire earlier this week encountered swaths of fire hydrants with no water, prompting a swirl of criticism.