California fires live updates: at least seven deaths as Los Angeles wildfires rage and crews battle new fire | Los Angeles

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The Hurst fire is now 37% contained, California governor Gavin Newsom shared on social media on Thursday evening.

The fire, which broke out on Tuesday, had been 10% contained, and currently encompasses 855 acres.

President Joe Biden said he will send every federal resource possible to southern California, including hundreds of firefighters, 30 firefighting aircraft, 8 defence aircraft and 500 military personal.

More than 153,000 people were under evacuation orders in Los Angeles county, according to an update from Shawn Boyd at California’s state operations centre.

Seven shelters were open for those displaced, with more than 1500 people already taking shelter.

The national weather service tells us there will be a short break from the high winds over the weekend, but there could be another surge starting on Tuesday and into Wednesday.

Thank you for joining our coverage of the Los Angeles wildfires today. There are five wildfires currently raging in Los Angeles county. They include:

• The Palisades fire, at 19,978 acres and 6% containment

• The Eaton fire, at 13,690 acres and 0% containment

• The Kenneth fire, at 960 acres and 0% containment

• The Hurst fire, at 671 acres and 10% containment

• The Lidia fire, at 348 acres and 60% containment

As we settle in for the third night since wildfires broke out in southern California, here are the top developments of the day:

• Seven people have died, and more than 10,000 structures have burned, in the Palisades and Eaton fires. Five deaths have been confirmed in the Eaton fire and two in the Palisades. The Palisades fire, which had remained 0% contained since it broke out Tuesday, was 6% contained by 6pm Thursday.

• A new fire, now called the Kenneth fire, sparked around 3:34pm and quickly ballooned to 960 acres.

• President Joe Biden has announced that the federal government would pay for 100% of the firefighting needs for the next 180 days.

• Law enforcement officials are working to issue a curfew for affected burn zones in Los Angeles, in order to combat looting, though it is unclear when it will go into effect.

• Vice-president Kamala Harris canceled a trip to Singapore, Bahrain and Germany shortly after President Biden canceled a trip to Italy in order to more closely monitor the fires.

• The California prison system has now deployed nearly 800 incarcerated firefighters to fight the devastating blazes.

The death toll from the Palisades and Eaton fires has risen to seven, according to city and county officials.

There have been five deaths from the Eaton Fire near Pasadena, according to Carlos Herrera, a public information officer with the LA county fire department.

Meanwhile, two people have died in the Palisades fire burning along the Los Angeles coast, according to LA fire department spokesperson Margaret Stewart.

Law enforcement officials said there has only been one looting incident in the Palisades region so far this evening at a town hall hosted by the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

“Although we have responded to many calls for service within our area of operation, we only have one verified burglary report so far,” said LAPD commander Steven Embrich.

The Palisades fire is now 6% contained, California governor Gavin Newsom shared on social media on Thursday evening.

The fire had been 0% contained since it first broke out Tuesday morning at about 10.30am, and currently encompasses 19,978 acres.

More than 10,000 structures have burned between the Eaton and Palisades fires. At a press conference Thursday afternoon, LA fire chief Kristin Crowley reported than more than 5,300 structures were damaged or destroyed in the Palisades fire. Earlier in the day, authorities confirmed that the nearby Eaton fire had destroyed over 5,000 structures.

The NFL is moving the Rams’ wildcard playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings to Arizona after days of devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

The playoff game will be played Monday night at State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals, in suburban Glendale, Arizona.

While none of the fires is burning near SoFi Stadium in Inglewood where the teams were set to face off, the NFL made the decision due to concerns about air quality and the strain put on the community, as well as the possible demands on police and fire department personnel.

An additional 900 firefighters are being deployed to battle the fast-moving Kenneth fire, California governor Gavin Newsom said in a social media post Thursday evening. The fire, which sparked at around 3.34pm, currently encompasses 960 acres.