MONITORING (SW) – Firefighters are making an all-out assault to prevent the largest of the deadly wildfires that is threatening Los Angeles city in the US from spreading into one of the city’s most exclusive neighbourhoods.
Aerial crews have been bombarding the flaming hills with water and fire retardant to hold back the Palisades fire, which has expanded an additional 1,000 acres and is now menacing Brentwood.
Officials have been on the defensive amid mounting anger at how hydrants ran dry as firefighters struggled to contain the fast-moving blazes.
Winds are expected to pick up again overnight, further fanning the flames that have left at least 16 people dead, reported BBC.
No cause has yet been established for the fires. The two biggest ones combined have razed an area more than twice the size of Manhattan.
The death toll is expected to rise once house-to-house searches are conducted.
