More than 10, 000 homes, including many businesses are said to have been destroyed in the Los Angeles fire.
So far, at least 11 lives have been reported lost in the incident.
For some, it was a first look at the staggering reality of what was lost as the region of 13 million people grapples with the gargantuan challenge of overcoming the disaster and rebuilding.
A new flare-up in Southern California has led to more mandatory evacuation orders as the Palisades Fire moved northeast, according to reports.
Fox News reports that the latest order is in effect from Sunset Boulevard north to Encino Reservoir and from the 405 Freeway west to Mandeville Canyon. Brentwood has also been threatened.
The Getty Center Dr. and Skirball Center Dr. off-ramps are now closed on both I-405 northbound and I-405 southbound.
“The Palisades Fire has got a new significant flare-up on the eastern portion and continues to move northeast,” Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott told KTLA.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office said a curfew is now in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in all mandatory evacuation areas impacted by the Palisades and Eaton wildfires. The sheriff’s office urged residents to avoid these areas for their own protection and to allow first responders to work effectively.
The curfew will be strictly enforced and violators may face serious consequences, including fines of up to $1,000 or possible imprisonment, the sheriff’s office said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday invited President-elect Trump to tour the wildfire devastation in California as he prepares to take office once again.
Newsom wrote in a letter addressed to Trump at Mar-a-Lago that his office is grateful that President Biden “swiftly approved our major disaster declaration – a strong indication of the partnership California needs and appreciates with any federal administration.”
But, he added the “threat to lives and property remains acute,” and invited Trump to come to the state as he prepares to take office in two weeks to “meet with the Americans affected by these fires, see the devastation firsthand, and join me and others in thanking the heroic firefighters and first responders who are putting their lives on the line.”
He reminded Trump of his past visit to California during his first term when he toured the wildfire destruction from the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, – the deadliest in the state’s history – and from the Woolsey Fire near Malibu.
“In the spirit of this great country, we must not politicize human tragedy or spread disinformation from the sidelines. Hundreds of thousands of Americans – displaced from the their homes and fearful for the future – deserve to see all of us working in their best interests to ensure a fast recovery and rebuild,” he wrote.
Trump has placed blame for the fire’s destruction on Newsom and other California Democrats.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are working to support Southern California wildfire victims and relief efforts, as the wildfires continue to sweep through the region.
The couple made their second visit to Pasadena on Friday, when they met with Mayor Victor Gordo about ongoing recovery efforts, Fox 11 reported.
Earlier this week, the pair anonymously delivered food to families displaced by the fires, according to the outlet.
“In the last few days, wildfires in Southern California have raged through neighbourhoods and devastated families, homes, schools, medical care centres, and so much more – affecting tens of thousands from all walks of life. A state of emergency has been issued,” the pair wrote on their website Thursday, describing the situation in Southern California.
