LA fires live updates: Palisades, Eaton fires continue to burn as death toll rises; extreme winds predicted to return; police arrest dozens for looting

Firefighters were slowly making progress in their battle to contain the Pacific Palisades inferno, but spreading flames and strong winds still threatened communities in the populous San Fernando Valley.

Aircraft have dropped water and fire retardant on steep hills to stem the eastward spread of the Palisades Fire and while ground crews have managed to save a number of houses, others have been lost.

“LA County had another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said on Monday AEDT.

Six simultaneous blazes that have ripped across the second-largest US city since Tuesday have killed at least 16 people. The police chief said a further 16 were missing.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said he expected the death toll to increase.

“I’ve got search and rescue teams out. We’ve got cadaver dogs out and there’s likely to be a lot more,” he told NBC’s Meet the Press program.

Newsom said the fires were likely to be the worst natural disaster in US history “in terms of just the costs associated with it”.

He signed an executive order to reduce the amount of state government red tape needed to rebuild lost homes and businesses.

Reuters