Amid the rubble, the water shortage, the power outages and the choking smoke, LA residents are telling their stories of escape, community and recovery.

My colleague Liana Walker put together this piece highlighting them. Read it below.

Firefighters from half a dozen other US states and Canada are being rushed to California, in addition to US federal personnel and materiel.

"To our American neighbors: Canada's here to help," said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose country has experienced its own severe wildfires.

The Kenneth fire started late Thursday afternoon, local time, in the San Fernando Valley — just 3.2 kilometres from a school serving as a shelter for evacuees from another fire. 

It moved into neighboring Ventura County but a large and aggressive response by firefighters stopped the flames from spreading.

About 400 firefighters have remained on scene overnight to guard against the fire flaring up.

No cause has yet been identified for the largest LA fires burning right now.

Authorities say earlier in the week, hurricane-force winds blew embers that ignited hillsides.

Dry winds — including these fire-fuelling Santa Ana winds — have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, which has not seen more than 2.5 millimetres of rain since early May.

California’s wildfire season is beginning earlier and ending later due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall tied to climate change, according to recent data.

Several weather monitoring agencies announced today that Earth recorded its hottest year ever in 2024.

Watch this NewsChannel report on the announcement below.

Some Pacific Palisades residents have ventured back to areas the fire has already swept through, where brick chimneys are left looming over charred waste and burnt-out vehicles.

"We are alive. That's all that matters," private security guard Bilal Tukhi said while standing watch outside his employer's damaged home.

Resident John Carr said he defied evacuation orders and stayed to successfully protect his home, but no fire crews came to help him save those of his neighbours.

"The house was built by my mother and father in 1960 and I lived here my whole life so there's a lot of memories here. And I think I owed it to them as well to try my best to save it."

"If they had had some fire trucks and just put a squirt here, a squirt there and kept an eye on things, all these houses would be here now."

In Altadena, many residents said they were concerned government resources would be channeled towards areas popular with A-Listers and insurance companies might shortchange less affluent households that don't have the financial means to contest fire claims.

"They're not going to give you the value of your house ... if they do you really have to fight for it," said Kay Young as she stared at the remnants of a home that had been in her family for generations.

Reporting with Reuters

The Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House and Topanga Ranch Motel, local landmarks dating to the 1920s, have been destroyed in the Palisades fire.

“California State Parks mourns the loss of these treasured natural and cultural resources, and our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the devastating fires in the Los Angeles area,” said State Parks Director Armando Quintero. 

“Since yesterday afternoon, we are directing all available resources into the emergency response effort and working to secure and protect as much as we can at affected nearby state parks. 

We are deeply grateful to our parks staff and all partner agencies for their swift actions. Our top priority remains the safety of the public, our employees and the responders bravely battling the fires.”

State parks previously closed both sites to the public as a precaution.

Jestin Willard III, who lives in Altadena, returned to his home razed by the Eaton fire.

He said he was just happy to see his family was safe.

Watch below.

City fire chief Kristin Crowley told a press conference earlier that the final property loss from the Palisades fire had not been tallied yet, but was "in the thousands".

"It is safe to say that the Palisades fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles," she said.

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman described walking through Pacific Palisades to the remains of his sister's home as "apocalyptic".

"Not since the 1990s when Los Angeles was hit with the fires, the flood, the earthquake and the riots, have I seen such disaster occur here in our city."

Reporting with AFP

Officials say winds have intensified again overnight, local time, and red flag conditions are expected until Friday afternoon.

According to the National Weather Service, a Red Flag Warning means warm temperatures, very low humidities and stronger winds are expected to combine to produce an increased risk of fire danger.

Specifically, the service must measure a relative humidity of less than 25 per cent for several hours and winds 6 metres off the ground of at least 24 kilometres per hour for several hours.

It also must measure "fuels" of 8 per cent or less for 10 hours. This refers to how much water is held by small vegetation like grass and leaves that only take about 10 hours to respond to changes in dry or wet conditions.

During these conditions, the service says do not throw cigarettes or matches out of a moving vehicle. They may ignite dry grass on the side of the road and become a wildfire.

Chef Jose Andres, the Spaniard known for providing free food to disaster victims around the world, set up a food truck near the Palisades fire on the Pacific Coast Highway.

"Everybody needs support and love in these moments, wealthy or not, poor or not," he said.

He had earlier set up at the Rose Bowl sports stadium.