Wildfires in Los Angeles have killed at least ten people, and forecasters warn more high winds may fan the flames further
Los Angeles's medical examiner confirmed ten fire-related deaths on Thursday evening
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna says it hasn't been safe to reach many hard-hit areas and the death toll is "absolutely going to change"
A man has been detained on suspicion of lighting the latest fire, which broke out on the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties on Thursday
Arson investigators are looking into the start of another fire, in the Palisades, which has gone on to destroy more than 5,300 structures
The Eaton fire is estimated to have destroyed 4,000 to 5,000 structures
A curfew is planned for some areas after police arrest 20 people for looting abandoned homes
Crews dealing with the blaze tell our reporter they are desperately short of water - and fear they are fighting a losing battle.
We're hearing now from the Los Angeles County fire chief, Anthony Marrone, who says the Eaton Fire has grown to 10,600 acres with 0% containment.
"Unfortunately we have five reported civilian fatalities, a number of injuries, and over 1,000 structures damaged or destroyed," he said.
He added officials from outside California, including from Arizona, have arrived to help the firefighting efforts.
Chief Crowley says that firefighters have been experiencing problems with water pressure as they combat the Palisades Fire.
First responders are pulling water from ponds, pools and other available water sources as they fight the blaze.
The focus, she says, remains on savings lives, evacuations and rescues.
"We are not out of danger," she adds.
Image source, US PoolChief Crowley says they have called in extra firefighters.
Some 1,792 personnel have been deployed, she says.
"The Palisades Fire continues to demand significant resources," Crowley says.
"It's over 15,800 acres and is growing."
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley says the Hurst Fire has grown to 700 acres, with evacuations ongoing and "multiple structures" threatened.
The Woodley Fire is controlled, and has burned about 30 acres in total.
Crowley also says there have been "an extensive number" of medical emergencies in the city while the fires were ongoing.
Los Angeles County official Lindsey Horvath is now speaking. Horvath says she has visited evacuation centres to meet with those who fled the flames.
Horvath is sharing information for local residents on how to access emergency services and insurance. She also mentions:
Kathryn Barger, the supervisor of Los Angeles County, urges residents to heed the evacuation order from the Eaton Fire.
She added that she was "shocked" to see people, some of whom do not even live in the neighbourhood, walking around normally even as first responders worked.
"To those of you who have lost homes, please reach out for help," she added, noting that many lost "everything they had".
"Reach out," she added. "Love thy neighbour."
Mayor Bass urges people to follow evacuation orders. She says fire crews from around the state, and across the country, are involved in efforts.
"These winds continue to blow," she says, adding they are still facing strong wind warnings.
In some good news, the mayor says the Woodley fire is under control, and air operations have resumed, but that could change if the winds pick up.
Image source, US PoolLos Angeles Mayor Karen Bass begins by sending her condolences to those who lost loved ones, and to those who lost property.
"This firestorm is the big one in magnitude," she says.
She says these were "hurricane force" winds that didn't come with rain, they came with extremely dry conditions.
She calls the front lines of the fires "staggering".
Los Angeles city and county officials are now holding a press conference.
We're expecting to hear from the LA fire department and the mayor.
You can click watch live at the top of this page to follow along.
Officials in Pasadena have just finished giving a news conference about about the fires raging in the area.
In about 10 minutes at 17:00 local time (01:00 GMT) we're also expecting another update from the Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
You will be able to watch it live at the top of this page. Stay with us for more updates.
"What caused a lot of last night's issues was dynamic winds," says Pasadena Fire Chief Augustin.
He says the fire's spread was fueled by "very erratic winds", which abruptly shifted direction at 02:00 PT last night, triggering new evacuations in the community of Glendale.
He says that more fire spread could happen on Thursday, but the "erratic winds" are likely to subside.
"We were prepared for a wind event as well as a possible brush fire," he says, saying that crews throughout LA County were "nimble" in their response.
Pasadena Police Chief Gene Harris says his officers were among the first at the scene of the Eaton fire last night.
What began as a safety investigation "turned into a rescue evacuation scenario," he says.
He calls the rescue effort "robust", and says that officers are committed to "community safety".
Roughly 150 officers are patrolling the city, he says, and are ensuring that "homes around the burn area are secure".
"We are gonna be staunch and very stern about this community protection mission," he says, threatening that people who have no legal right to be near the burn zones could face arrest.
Fire crews in Pasadena had issues accessing water last night, says Chief Augustin, but the severe winds means that more water would not have made any difference in firefighting efforts.
"When you have multiple city blocks on fire... it's gonna stretch our water system," the fire chief says.
"On top of that we had loss of power, temporarily, which impacted our water system," he continues.
"We could have had much more water [but] with those wind gusts, we were not stopping that fire last night."
Image source, ReutersChad Augustin, the fire chief of Pasadena, says that more than 750 firefighters are currently working to fight the Eaton fire - which is now more than 10,600 acres in size.
Crews are coming from all over California, and as far away as Arizona, he says. Crews out there are "exhausted" and desperately need back up, he adds.
So far, somewhere between 200 to 500 structures are "damaged or lost".
Conditions last night were so windy that embers were being spotted "two to three miles ahead of the fire".
Luckily, winds have died down enough for aircrafts to resume dropping water onto the fire.
He predicts "good progress" will be made to supress the fire in the next several days.
Elizabeth Blanco of the Pasadena Unified School District says schools will be closed for the rest of the week.
"The fire has substantially damaged five campuses," she says, adding: "We are doing everything possible to preserve our schools."
One school alone was 80% damaged by fire, she adds.
Congresswoman Judy Chu begins by saying she just arrived from Washington DC, and has many friends who have lost their homes.
She goes on to say that the federal government will finance all of the firefighting efforts being paid by local fire crews.
"I just urge everybody to obey the evacuation orders," she says, adding that federal lawmakers are also taking measures to close state forests to visitors.
Image source, ReutersLA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger says she has toured the damage in the Pasadena area, and "it is surreal".
She says she has no words to describe it.
Barger also asks that spectators stay away from firefighting efforts.
"These are fires that are actively taking place as we speak," she says.
She also sends a message to potential looters: "The full weight of the county will come down on you."
Pasadena City Manager Miguel Marquez is next to speak.
He begins saying it's been "a brutal 22 hours here".
When firefighters first arrived at Eaton Canyon, "they found darkness, and they found fire, and they found 80mph winds".
By going door-to-door to warn people to flee, "they saved many lives", he says, calling their efforts "heroic".
"The battle continues. As does our resolve. We will put out the fire," he adds.
Image source, ReutersPasadena Mayor Victor Gordo begins the news conference saying that his thoughts and prayers are with all of the victims of the Eaton fire, which is impacting the community.
More than 100,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders, and another 100,000 have been warned that they may soon be forced to flee.
Five fatalities have been reported so far from the fire.
Pasadena Victor Gordo is currently speaking to the media. He confirms five people have died in the wildfires.
Stick with us, we'll bring you any updates from the briefing. And a reminder that you can watch it live at the top of this page.