The multiple wildfires raging in Los Angeles throughout the week have claimed the lives of at least 16 people and were spreading yesterday into areas that had previously remained untouched.

The county’s coroner’s office announced the new deaths late Saturday night (local time). The previous provisional official toll of victims mentioned 11 dead.

Entire sectors of the second-largest urban center in the U.S. have been destroyed: over 12,000 homes and more than 150,000 acres of vegetation have been turned to ashes. A scene outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden likened to a “war zone” with a “bombed-out” area.

Despite the massive mobilization of firefighters, the flames continued to spread, triggering new emergency evacuation orders for residents on the eastern side and in the Pacific Palisades area, especially in the zone where the Getty Center is located. Built partially from fire-resistant materials, including stone, the prominent museum houses 125,000 works of art.

Winds, which had started to weaken on Friday, were expected to regain strength from late Saturday night, warned the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“These winds, combined with the dry atmosphere and parched vegetation, will keep the fire threat in Los Angeles County at a high level,” emphasized Anthony Marrone, chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Aerial footage from the Mandeville Canyon area shows houses engulfed in flames and a fiery wall licking the hillside.

Although it is still too early to make definitive assessments about the causes of the fires, criticism is mounting, particularly regarding the level of preparedness and the response of authorities.

The chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Christine Crowley, told the KTTV television station, part of the national Fox News network, about shortages of “personnel, resources, and funds,” practically accusing the city of “abandoning” firefighters. Her remarks were widely interpreted as an attack on municipal authorities.

During a press conference yesterday, with Ms. Crowley present, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass downplayed the tensions, assuring that the local political leadership, emergency response services, and security agencies are “all on the same page.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced yesterday that her country is sending “a team to support Los Angeles in the battle against the wildfires.”

Faced with looting that has multiplied in fire-stricken areas and neighborhoods under emergency evacuation orders, a curfew was imposed from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM (local time) in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas the day before yesterday.

The governor of the most populous U.S. state, California, Democrat Gavin Newsom, also demanded the day before yesterday an “independent and thorough review” of Los Angeles’ water services.

The main wildfire, the one that hit the Pacific Palisades suburb, had been only 11% contained as of yesterday, Saturday, and was spreading eastward after consuming an area of approximately 91,000 acres, while the so-called Eaton Fire was 15% contained, according to the fire department.

Beyond the 16 dead, authorities reported 13 missing persons and did not hide fears that the death toll might climb even higher.

Among those who saw their homes reduced to ashes was actor and director Mel Gibson, who told NewsNation he was devastated as his home in Malibu was destroyed, as well as longtime NBA player and current Los Angeles Lakers coach J.J. Redick.

Nicole Perry, whose home burned down in Pacific Palisades, told AFP that authorities had “completely abandoned” the residents.

In various parts of the sprawling Californian metropolis, hundreds of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate their homes—sometimes by mistake.

Californians are being urged to conserve water: reservoirs supplying fire hydrants and pumps have run dry due to the fires.

Health authorities also warned residents yesterday of the health risks posed by the wildfire smoke, urging them to avoid going outside.

The ongoing wildfires may prove to be the most expensive in U.S. history. AccuWeather estimates that damages will range from $135 billion to $150 billion.

The hot, dry winds known as the Santa Ana winds are common during California’s winter. But this week, their intensity was the highest since 2011, according to meteorologists.

This is a true nightmare for firefighters, as California, after two fairly rainy years, is now suffering from an unusually dry winter, with virtually no rainfall recorded for eight months.

Scientists have consistently warned that climate change will make extreme weather events more frequent and increase the number of so-called natural disasters.