LA fires as it happened: California fires kill five people; thousands ordered to flee; multiple blazes burn out of control

It’s 1am in Los Angeles as the city battles the most destructive fires in its history, with five blazes now burning out of control and spreading by the minute.

Five people have died, tens of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate and thousands of properties have been destroyed. The exact number of homes lost is unclear as the fires continue to burn near some of the city’s areas. As Los Angeles braces for another night of destruction, we’ll keep you updated throughout Friday.

That’s the end of our live coverage for this evening, here’s what we know so far:

• The Palisades fire, burning between Santa Monica and Malibu, is 6974 hectares (17,234 acres) and is zero per cent contained.
• The Eaton fire, burning through Altadena, near Pasadena, is 4289 hectares (10,600 acres) and is zero per cent contained.
• The Hurst fire, burning in Sylmar in the San Fernando Valley, is 346 hectares (855 acres) and 10 per cent contained.
• The Lidia fire, burning in the Angeles National Forest, is 140 hectares (348 acres) and 40 per cent contained.
• The Sunset fire, which had threatened iconic Hollywood landmarks, is 17 hectares (43 acres) and zero per cent contained.
• More than 150,000 people are still without power across the city, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
• Winds are expected to ease on Wednesday night in Los Angeles, but firefighters will still be battling challenging conditions in the coming days.

Thanks for joining us throughout the day. We’ll be back in the morning with more live coverage of this major US disaster.

The majority of the evacuation zone set up for the Sunset fire has been lifted, according to the LA fire department. 

Shortly before midnight, local time, the LAFD issued a statement to say the evacuation zone had been lifted, except for one area.

The area will be closed overnight due to LAFD operations ensuring no flare-ups in the vegetation surrounding these streets, it said.

“Residents are asked to be cautious when returning to their homes because firefighters are continuing to work in their neighbourhoods.”

The evacuation zone had included some iconic LA landmarks, such as the TCL Chinese Theatre.

The Santa Monica council has imposed a sunset-to-sunrise curfew in a bid to keep roads and public areas clear for emergency services personnel.

City manager David White said in a statement the measure was rolled out to support law enforcement efforts in the mandatory evacuation zones.

“The Palisades fire is currently impacting neighbourhoods in the northern part of Santa Monica with approximately 2472 households under a mandatory evacuation order within the city of Santa Monica and 8338 under a voluntary evacuation warning,” mayor Lana Negrete said.

“This emergency order further assists our first responders and further protects residents as we weather this regional crisis and, ultimately, begin and support recovery efforts.”

As it passes midnight in Los Angeles, here’s where we stand on the size and containment of the fires.

• The Palisades fire is 6974 hectares (17,234 acres) and is zero per cent contained.
• The Eaton fire is 4289 hectares (10,600 acres) and is zero per cent contained.
• The Hurst fire is 346 hectares (855 acres) and 10 per cent contained.
• The Lidia fire is 140 hectares (348 acres) and 40 per cent contained.
• The Sunset fire is 17 hectares (43 acres) and zero per cent contained.

The wildfires have scorched more than 11,000 hectares, upending life in America’s second-largest city. Homes and businesses have burnt down, schools and roads closed, air quality plummeted, and thousands of displaced residents searched for hotel space or sought shelter from friends and family.

The intense winds that have fuelled the LA wildfires are easing overnight, but firefighters will still face challenging conditions in the days ahead.

The National Weather Service said winds over the Eaton fire would ease Wednesday night through to Thursday morning (Friday AEDT) but could increase again on Thursday afternoon and evening into Friday morning (Saturday AEDT).

“Winds will likely vary significantly between higher terrain and the lower elevations of the fire, as the area is sheltered from the northeast,” the service said.

Gusts of up to 80km/h could “sporadically” affect some valleys, the service said, while dry conditions would continue over the coming days. Winds on Wednesday morning local time were gusting between 95 and 130km/h.

At 11pm Wednesday, local time (6pm AEDT) there are still more than 152,000 people still without power across the city, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.