Raging wildfires around Los Angeles have left five people dead and caused "a number of significant injuries," fire officials said Wednesday.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told radio station KNX that the death toll could rise further.
"I'm really praying we don't find more [victims], but I don't think that's going to be the case," he said, describing the situation as "very fluid."
Three people have been arrested for looting in fire-affected areas, which Luna described as "100 percent unacceptable."
Palisades fire is 'growing' as thousands of acres burned
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said that 1,000 buildings have been destroyed due to one fire, which is mostly in the wealthy Palisades neighborhood of the city.
"We have well over 5,000 acres that have burned, and the fire is growing," Marrone said, while adding "we have no percentage of containment."
The Palisades fire, considered the most destructive in Los Angeles' modern history, is just one of the blazes around Los Angeles. The Eaton fire is raging in Altadena, north of the city, whereas the Hurst fire is near the northern Los Angeles suburb of Sylmar. A fourth fire broke out on Wednesday morning in the San Fernando Valley, known as the Woodley fire.
People living in the heart of historic Hollywood were ordered to evacuate as a new fire erupted just a few hundred meters from Hollywood Boulevard.
Marrone said the fire departments around Los Angeles were not equipped for "for this type of disaster."
"There are not enough firefighters in LA county to address four separate fires of this magnitude," he added.
Emergency services 'stretched' to their limits
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said the Palisades fire and the Hurst fire are "stretching the capacity of emergency services to their maximum limits."
"We are absolutely not out of danger yet, with the strong winds that continue to push through the city and the county today," Crowley said.
At least 100,000 Los Angeles residents have been urged to evacuate.
The Palisades are home to numerous Hollywood stars, such as Ben Affleck, Tom Hanks and Mandy Moore. Moore was among the celebrities who had to evacuate their home due to the fires. Actors Mark Hamill and James Woods also had to leave.
The house of Vice President Kamala Harris in nearby Brentwood was also under an evacuation order on Tuesday, but she was not at home.
