Image source, Getty Images

Andy Iro and his wife are preparing to welcome a new baby as Los Angeles is gripped by fire.

"There's about five active fires surrounding us," Iro, from Liverpool and a former professional footballer, tells BBC 5 Live. His wife is due tomorrow, he adds.

The couple are hoping the baby will come today or tomorrow - and then they plan to leave the city until the winds change.

"We're kind of in the middle of it, but thankfully we're a couple of miles away. We're just on the border of the evacuation zone”, he explains. From the hospital window, "we're expected to be able to see the fires, which would be a little bit apocalyptic," he adds.

"There's a little bit of fear as to the hospital and the location of where it's at. It's almost closer to the fire."

He says "people … are still pretty frantic". While LA has seen fires in its recent history, the current situation is "something that most Angelenos have never seen before."

More than 144,000 people are under evacuation orders in Los Angeles county, local authorities say.

In its latest update on X, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Service says it has eight shelters for people displaced by the fires and more than 700 people are currently using those shelters.

"The winds are beginning to decrease," Shawn Boyd says, "but what we do expect are more critical fire weather conditions to continue into the weekend with another burst of strong winds Saturday night into Sunday morning with fire weather expected."

As a reminder, there are currently six fires burning across Los Angeles, while the official death toll sits at 11. An overnight curfew is in place in the Pacific Palisades and Eaton areas.

A resident of Pacific Palisades who lost his home in the LA fires tells the BBC World Service Weekend that his neighbourhood’s reputation as one of the safest in the world is shattered.

“It's an enchanted place," says Gregg Champion, a businessman of the Palisades. He returned to his home on Thursday to find it gone.

"It has beautiful shops and restaurants all locally owned. We get 300 days of sunshine. And then what happens is we tell our children: you live in one of the safest neighbourhoods in the world. And over the last four days, guess what? We have been proven wrong”

Where his home used to stand now resembles somewhere an "atomic bomb" has hit, he says.

Image source, Reuters

At least 60,000 homes and businesses are without power in Los Angeles, according to a site that tracks power outages in the US.

The latest estimates from Poweroutages.us show that in LA county, about 32,000 customers of Los Angeles Department of Water & Power have no electricity, while just over 30,000 customers of Southern California Edison are without power.

The figures have improved since Tuesday when the first fires broke out. At that time, roughly 200,000 customers had no power.

Meanwhile, in Ventura County - which borders LA and where the Kenneth fire is still burning - about 11,000 customers have no electricity.

Image source, Getty Images

Los Angeles fire chief Kristin Crowley is the latest to add her voice to criticism of Californian officials, who are being accused of not doing enough to protect the city against the fires.

Speaking to CNN, she says the fire department took a $17m (£14m) budget cut - and any type of cut "would negatively impact our ability to carry out our mission."

"It is absolutely, one of the most horrific natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles," she says of the Palisades Fire, adding the budget cut and elimination of civilian positions, such as mechanics, affects their ability to fight the fire.

They have more than 100 apparatus out of service right now, with nobody to fix them, which would have helped efforts, Crowley explains.

The chief says she has been clear for years that "the fire department needs help" because there aren't enough firefighters or fire stations.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered an investigation into reports that firefighters have struggled with low water supplies, impeding their disaster response.

• Fact-checking criticism of California Democrats over fires

Frances Read
Correspondent

Social agencies in LA say that the last few days have deeply affected people who were already homeless before the fires.

The People Concern, which works with people who are homeless, says individuals are particularly vulnerable during disasters.

John Maceri, the agency's CEO, says people were "already facing immense challenges, but the wildfires have made their situation even more challenging. In the Palisades alone, there are an estimated 300 unhoused individuals, many of whom have now been displaced alongside thousands of housed residents."

It said many have been displaced, lost their few possessions, faced health risks from toxic air, and have limited access to emergency shelters. Meanwhile, receiving evacuation updates is also a challenge.

The People Concern says it has been actively responding through outreach teams in areas like the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Santa Monica, to distribute essential supplies and provide critical resources.

Los Angeles has faced problems with homelessness for years - in 2023 more than 46,000 people in the city and 75,000 people across LA County were classed as homeless, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

Image source, Reuters

Los Angeles authorities have declared a local health emergency for the whole county due to poor air quality, as fire ash and smoke from the wildfires blankets the area.

In a statement, LA County Public Health issued the declaration and a public health order, external as the fires and strong winds have "severely degraded air quality...posing immediate and long-term risks to public health".

Authorities add that the fires have forced residents from their homes and evacuations from healthcare facilities, disrupting "vital health services and resources".

The health order also bans the use of power air blowers - such as leaf blowers - as they stir up ash in the air, negatively impacting those with respiratory conditions, older adults, children, and other vulnerable populations.

People are advised to stay indoors, keep windows and doors closed, use air conditioners to recirculate and filter the air, and to wear a mask if going outdoors in smoky conditions. Pets should also be kept indoors.

Image source, Getty Images

Good morning from London. It's 00:00 in Los Angeles (08:00 GMT), where an overnight curfew is in place in the Pacific Palisades and Eaton areas.

Fire authorities have made some progress in containing the fires, meaning barriers that could stop the blazes from spreading are in place.

Here's the latest on the situation in southern California:

• At least 11 people have been killed as a result of the fires, according to the LA County Medical Examiner
• There are at least six fires currently burning according to state authority Cal Fire, with the Palisades fire - the largest, spanning more than 21,500 acres - is now 8% contained

• The Eaton fire is still burning more than 14,000 acres and is 3% contained. It has destroyed close to 1,000 structures
• The Kenneth fire has scorched just over 1,000 acres and is 50% contained, while the Hurst fire is impacting about 770 acres and is 70% contained
• The Lidia fire - located in the hills north of LA - is burning across 395 acres and 98% contained
• The newest blaze - the Archer fire - started on Friday and has burnt through 19 acres. It is currently uncontrolled
• California's governor Gavin Newsom has called for an investigation into how water shortages "impaired" firefighting efforts
• The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited a fire relief centre and met with first responders and those displaced by the fires

Stay with us through the day as we bring you more.

Tanya Gupta
BBC News, West Midlands

Image source, Danny Meigh

Danny Meigh, originally from Worcester, says his house was inches away from being burnt down in the Los Angeles wildfires.

His vulnerable property in Altadena was being rented out to tenants when wildfires swept into residential areas. The occupants evacuated on Tuesday.

Meigh himself has also fled Los Angeles with his partner and is now in San Diego, about 111 miles (179km) away.

He describes the situation as "pretty rough", but says people in the city are rallying round, offering each other help and support.

"Everyone's standing together, and we've got a few text groups going and people are just sharing what they're going through," he says.

"I think that's the only thing you can do in this kind of situation."

• Learn more about Meigh's story: Fiery LA's orange skies 'like being on Mars'

Image source, Danny Meigh

Wildfires are continuing to burn around the Los Angeles area. We're receiving photos to our newsroom that show the scale of the devastation.

Homes are levelled, cars are charred and trees have been ripped out of the ground by strong winds.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

An evacuation warning issued for an area of the Palisades fire has been upgraded to a mandatory evacuation order, with immediate effect.

The Los Angeles fire department expanded the evacuation order so it now includes the suburbs of Brentwood and Encino.

The Getty Center, a popular art gallery, falls into the evacuation area.

Firefighters and fire vehicles were seen hurrying off a ridgeline as the wildfire blazed through an area in California’s Santa Monica mountains.

More than 10 vehicles, including a few fire engines, were seen driving away from the encroaching fire.

Some firefighters were seen evacuating the site on foot next to the vehicles, while helicopters waterbombed the rapidly-spreading blaze.

Harlan Boll has been telling the BBC of his escape from the wildfire that destroyed his Altadena home.

His trove of entertainment industry memorabilia, including from stars like Bob Hope and Angela Lansbury, was also lost in the Eaton fire.

Image source, Reuters

It's approaching 20:00 in Los Angeles, where authorities are still fighting five wildfires burning across two counties. Here's the latest:

• The total number of fire-related deaths has risen to 11, according to the Los Angeles Medical Examiner
• The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have visited a fire relief centre where they met first responders and those impacted by the fires
• California's governor, Gavin Newsom, has called for an investigation into how water shortages "impaired" firefighting efforts
• A California congresswoman, Judy Chu, says changes to the insurance system are needed to ensure homeowners can get adequately covered
• An overnight curfew has now come into effect in the Pacific Palisades and Eaton areas

Image source, Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage

Actress Jennifer Garner was just interviewed on MSNBC in the Pacific Palisades where she shared that she has lost a friend in the fires.

"I did lose a friend who did not get out in time," she tells MSNBC's Katy Tur.

Garner, who says she's lived in and around the Palisades for 25 years, recalled the sense of community in the neighbourhood that now has many homes burned to the ground, including a church.

"My heart bleeds for my friends. I can think of 100 families... and there are 5,000 homes lost... I could just write out a list of 100 friends who have lost their homes," she says.

"I feel almost guilty walking through my house. What can I do? How can I help? What can I offer?" she says.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have visited a relief centre in Pasadena where they met first responders and those impacted by the fires.

Footage broadcast by local media shows Harry and Meghan speaking to Mayor Victor Gordon at a World Central Kitchen site where food is being distributed.

"Great people, great personalities and great heart, for them to come out here and meet with the first responders, meet with the people that were affected," Gordon said of the pair on Fox 11.

The couple moved to Montecito, California, four years ago, which is about an hour and a half's drive north of Pacific Palisades, one of the hardest-hit wildfire areas.

They posted a statement , externalon their website recently pointing people towards support services.

We've just wrapped up an extremely brief news conference with Jim McDonnell, the chief of the LAPD.

He reminded everyone that an overnight curfew has just gone into effect in the Pacific Palisades and Eaton areas.

Only approved fire prevention and security entities will be allowed into those neighbourhoods, McDonnell added.

He also warned that residents who have left those areas should continue to avoid them for the time being due to dangerous conditions.

While he said there have been "some arrests" by the LAPD in those areas, none were for looting.

McDonnell added, however, that the LA County Sheriff's office - a separate department - had made about "two dozen" arrests as of yesterday night.

Los Angeles law enforcement officials are providing an update on the response to the fires raging across the city.

Stick with us for the latest.

With his young family, 27-year-old rabbi Mendy Piekarski evacuated his home in Topanga on Tuesday due to the encroaching Palisades fire.

Piekarski and his father-in-law, rabbi David Weiss, wrapped two Torah scrolls at their synagogue in a sacred garment before removing them from the building in case it was engulfed by flames.

By 7pm local time, Piekarski, his wife, their two children aged eight months and two, as well as Piekarski's parents-in-law, were driving through thick black smoke towards Westwood to stay with family.

“It’s very scary and unfortunately my fellow rabbi in Palisades had his house burnt to the ground," Piekarski says.

Image source, Getty Images

We're hearing that the neighbourhood of Brentwood, an upscale area on the westside of Los Angeles, is now part of the evacuation zone.

Brentwood has been placed under an evacuation warning.

One famous home - the mansion in the opening credits of classic 90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, starring Will Smith - is under a mandatory evacuation.

Image source, Getty Images