As winds fade, firefighters continue to fight wildfires in California

Los Angeles: Despite waning winds, thousands of firefighters continued to fight the two large wildfires in Southern California.

After more than a week, local authorities verified that intense wildfires in Southern California have destroyed at least 12,300 structures and killed at least 27 people, according to the Xinhua news agency.

The Palisades Fire, the largest active wildfire in the Los Angeles region, has scorched 23,713 acres (95.96 square km). The fire, which broke out on January 7, is 31 per cent contained, up from 22 per cent early Thursday.

"Overnight and this morning, cooler temperatures, light winds and good humidity were observed," said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) in an update Friday morning, adding that "Crews continue to establish and improve containment lines to minimise fire spread around structures that are within the controlled areas, as well as provide for the safety of the public and incident personnel."

Another major active fire, the Eaton Fire, was 65 per cent contained as of Friday morning, up from 55 per cent a day earlier. The deadly fire has burned 14,117 acres (57.1 square km) near Altadena and Pasadena.

Cal Fire said that firefighters continue to work on constructing and improving containment lines in steep, inaccessible terrain in the area.

The fire's containment continues to grow, and the fire is expected to stay within its current footprint, according to Cal Fire.

Local officials said as many as 11,000 residents would be able to return to their neighbourhoods after some evacuation orders were lifted on Thursday. But people are required to show proof of residency to access the areas while some other zones devastated by the wildfires will still not open to the public.

With inputs from IANS