Four wildfires are currently burning around Los Angeles, with two others now described as being contained
The largest of them is spreading east and now threatens the wealthy neighbourhood of Brentwood - where new evacuation orders have been issued
At least 11 people have been killed so far and 13 others are missing
The disaster has also led to more than 12,000 homes and other structures being destroyed since Tuesday
Senior officials, including the mayor and fire chief, have defended their preparations and response to the fires
A forecast for more strong winds, predicted to last until Wednesday, has raised fears the blazes could spread further
Plane drops fire retardant over Los Angeles fires
A brush fire in the Granada Hills neighbourhood of Los Angeles burned through two to three acres of brush Friday, fire officials say.
No homes are exposed from it they add.
The brush fire started not far from where the Hurst Fire currently is and is the latest blaze to start in the LA area this week.
As the wildfires continue to rage across Los Angeles, here are some photos taken today showing the destruction:
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Eaton Fire in Altadena, California reduced this home to rubble.
Image source, Getty ImagesFirefighters stand vigilant as they battle several wildfires in Los Angeles.
Image source, Getty ImagesBurned out vehicles are a common sight in Altadena.
Image source, EPABack to Biden, he says Los Angeles reminds him of a "war scene" now because of the effects of the fire, citing climate change as a factor facilitating the violence of the wildfires.
He brings up the fact that there isn't enough water in some fire hydrants and says "gimme a break", and sympathises with the mayor for getting "heat" over it.
Taking questions from the media, he says "every single thing we are doing" is being communicated with the incoming president's team, and he hopes they continue the work.
On the loss of life, he says "it is likely it will increase, whether significantly or not, we don't know yet", adding that he is "concerned" about the "clear evidence of looting" in homes people have evacuated.
Image source, ReutersIn the same briefing, Vice President Kamala Harris says we are witnessing "mass devastation".
She speaks of the families that will have lost both their homes and livelihoods in the fires.
This devastation is "multi-generational and is going to linger for quite some time," the vice president says.
"There are moments where we should find optimism in the heroism of people," she adds.
Image source, ReutersPresident Joe Biden, accompanied by Kamala Harris, has been delivering a briefing on the federal response to the wildfires this afternoon.
Speaking to the media, he says the fires in Los Angeles are "truly unprecedented".
There has been some progress in the last 24 hours, he says.
Overnight, local state and federal firefighters were "able to partially prevent" some of the fires spreading, Biden adds, but winds will remain a threat until early next week.
"We're gonna make sure California has every possible resource to fight this fire, and survive it," Biden says.
Lucy Sherriff
Writing from Los Angeles
Image source, Lucy Sherriff/BBCIt's been four days since Los Angeles became an inferno - and my home became a pile of smouldering embers.
I'm now staying at a friend's house in La Crescenta, north of the city, after evacuating my condo in the Palisades, 30 miles (48km) away from where the fires first started on Tuesday morning.
I thought we'd be safe here, but with six active fires now burning across the city, nowhere feels safe.
So far, LA's fires have forced more than 179,000 people including myself to evacuate.
As a climate reporter, I am used to covering extreme weather events.
Just a few weeks ago I was interviewing residents who had fled the Malibu fires.
Now I'm on the other side of the story.
Image source, Lucy Sherriff/BBCThe smouldering remains of Lucy Sherriff's home
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Regan Morris and Emma Vardy
Reporting from Los Angeles
This was the heart of the Palisades - where fancy baby stores and boutiques, restaurants and cafes attracted locals and celeb-spotters.
The beloved Italian restaurant, Casa Nostra, is in ruins. Some of the boutiques are still standing, with the latest fashion displayed amid twinkling lights.
This is the neighbourhood insurance companies are worried about - thousands of homes are in ashes and the median price to buy a home here was $3m.
But not everyone in the Palisades is wealthy.
Eric, a musician, lives in his van and often parked for the night in Palisades and Malibu before the fires.
“I thought maybe I’d meet some contacts here, you know, make it in the music business.”
He says he’s been trying to douse hotspots to stop any more places from burning.
Image source, Getty ImagesIt's just gone 9.30 in LA and 17:30 here in London.
Here's what you need to know:
US president Joe Biden has again pledged to help those affected by wildfires, saying he'll do all he can to get them through this "living nightmare".
"To the Southern California families impacted by this disaster: I know you are in a living nightmare," he posted on X.
"I promise we’re going to help you get through this and eventually recover and rebuild."
In a video accompanying his post, he says "we're doing everything we can at a federal level" and "we're going to make sure you get every resource you need".
He says he has approved California Governor Gavin Newsom's request for a major disaster declaration which means immediate cash assistance for those most impacted to cover things from "groceries to baby formula to prescriptions".
Justin Rowlatt
Climate editor
It will take time to determine the precise role of climate change in the current fires, but scientists say they are consistent with a number of trends influenced by our warming climate.
“We can already say with high confidence that climate change is causing increased risk of hot, dry, fire-prone extremes in the western US,” says Dr Matthew Jones of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia.
He says these “fire weather” conditions are becoming much more common outside of the usual summer fire season because of climate change.
And Dr Jones points out that the fire risk isn’t just increasing in California.
We have seen “explosive”, wind-driven fires ripping through cites in Hawaii, Greece and Chile in the last couple of years.
Another factor driving the conflagration in California has been the dry Santa Ana winds – sometimes called the “devil winds” locally.
Prof Apostolos Voulgarakis of Imperial College London says research has shown the Santa Ana winds in autumn are likely to get worse as our climate continues to warm.
Next, LA City Mayor Karen Bass is asked about the alert message mistake and how she plans to regain people's trust.
Bass says she will visit as many affected areas as possible and speak to residents.
She urges LA residents to have faith.
"We're doing everything we can, and success is being reported."
And with that, the briefing is now over.
California insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara takes to the podium now.
He says his primary concern is to "ensure wildfire survivors receive the insurance benefits to which they are entitled to as soon as possible".
He details steps he is taking to help residents, saying he is using his moratorium power to stop all non-renewals and cancellations by insurance companies for one year.
This covers you even if your home wasn't destroyed or damaged in the wildfire, Lara adds.
Choi next turns to looting.
He reiterates there is a "zero tolerance" policy on looting, warning that anyone caught will be arrested and prosecuted.
He says 210 officers will be deployed today to patrol areas affected by the fire.
Now Dominic Choi, assistant chief from the LA police department, is giving an update.
He says an arrest was made yesterday afternoon after a fire started at the LA border with Ventura county.
At 16:32, police received a 911 call that someone was trying to light a fire and was being detained by residents, Choi says.
The possible arson suspect was interviewed, and after additional investigations, authorities decided there was "not enough probable cause" to arrest the suspect on arson or suspicion of arson.
The suspect was, however, arrested on a felony probation violation.
The investigation is ongoing, he adds.
Next up is LA County Sheriff Robert Luna.
He says a curfew order has been put in place for the Palisades and Eaton Fire areas, covering all mandatory evacuation zones.
He says that officers are patrolling evacuated areas to prevent looting or burglary.
Across all fires 153,000 residents are under evacuation orders and evacuation warnings are affecting around 166,800 residents, he says.
Luna adds that approximately 57,830 structures are at risk.
Giving an update on the Hurst Fire, LA fire chief Marrone says the current acreage stands at 771 with 37% containment.
But evacuation warnings and alerts have been lifted for the area.
He adds that the Kenneth Fire's trajectory has been stopped, adding that evacuation orders within LA city have been lifted.
LA fire department chief Kristin Crowley is now giving an update on the fires.
On the Palisades fire, she says it is currently tracked at 20,438 acres with 3,073 personnel fighting the blaze.
She says crews worked "very hard" overnight, strengthening containment lines, with "air assets" helping battle the blaze.
"Due to the favourable overnight weather conditions and the diligent work and effort and commitment of our first responders, we can report the Palisades fire is now 8% contained," she says.
That's up from the 6% estimate we heard earlier today.
Marrone next talks about the drone that struck the Super Scooper aircraft tackling the Palisades Fire, forcing it to be grounded. He says the impact caused a fist-sized hole in the aircraft.
Repairs are being prioritised, Marrone says, and it’s expected to be back in the air by Monday.
He warns civilians that flying drones during fire operations is illegal.
Marrone continues, saying one firefighter was injured during a "significant fall injury" yesterday while tackling a fire at the observatory at Mount Wilson.
The firefighter is in hospital and "resting comfortably", the fire chief says, and is expected to make a full recovery.
He adds the cause of the fire "remains unknown".
Marrone says extra resources from Canada are due to arrive and the National Weather Service predicts that the red flag event will stay active until 18:00 local time.
We are also preparing for the next red flag event which is expected on Monday, he says.