Stunned, Tearful: Los Angeles Struggles to Contain Deadly Wildfires; 11 Dead, Nearly 200,000 Evacuated

Washington: The death toll in the catastrophic wildfires rose to 11 as of Saturday, as per reports. The Los Angeles wildfires have ravaged thousands of homes, vehicles, and streets since Tuesday.

This development comes as the Los Angeles administration has imposed a night-time curfew in the city amid raging wildfire concerns.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, lightning is the most common cause of fires in the US, but investigators were able to rule that out quickly. There were no reports of lightning in the Palisades area or the terrain around the Eaton Fire, which started in east Los Angeles County and has destroyed hundreds of homes.

Here Are the Latest Developments:

Toll Rises to 11:

The death toll in the deadly California wildfires rose to 11, as per AP. Nearly, 200,000 people were ordered to evacuate on Thursday as wildfires encroached on densely populated and wealthy neighbourhoods, including Calabasas and Santa Monica. All schools were closed Thursday in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

A dense cloud of smoke and ash blanketed the sky, leading to air and dust advisories for 17 million people across a large area of Southern California, as reported by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Los Angeles Imposes Night-Time Curfew As Wildfires Rage On

In a press conference, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna stated that the administration has decided to impose a night-time curfew in the city amidst raging concerns regarding wildfire.

"You cannot be in these affected areas. If you are, you are subject to arrest." He further added, "We're doing it to protect the structures, the houses that people have left because we ordered them to leave."

"We're not doing this to inconvenience anybody. This curfew will be strictly enforced and is being taken to enhance public safety, protect property and prevent any burglaries or looting in the area that the residents have evacuated," he added.

What Ignited the Deadly California Wildfires?

While lightning is the most common source of fires in the U.S., according to the National Fire Protection Association, investigators were able to rule that out quickly. There were no reports of lightning in the Palisades area or the terrain around the Eaton Fire, which started in east Los Angeles County and has also destroyed hundreds of homes.

The next two most common causes: fires intentionally set, and those sparked by utility lines.

John Lentini, owner of Scientific Fire Analysis in Florida, who has investigated large fires in California including the Oakland Hills Fire in 1991, said the size and scope of the blaze doesn’t change the approach to finding out what caused it.

“This was once a small fire,” Lentini said. “People will focus on where the fire started, determine the origin and look around the origin and determine the cause.”

So far there has been no official indication of arson in either blaze, and utility lines have not yet been identified as a cause either.

Utilities are required to report to the California Public Utilities Commission when they know of “electric incidents potentially associated with a wildfire,” Terrie Prosper, the commission's communications director, said via email. CPUC staff then investigate to see if there were violations of state law.