Members of the California National Guard are on duty at Altadena, Los Angeles, California, the United States, Jan. 12, 2025. The death toll from three active wildfires in Los Angeles has risen to 24 as of Sunday, with eight resulting from the Palisades fire and 16 from the Eaton fire. California Governor Gavin Newsom has deployed an additional 1,000 members of the California National Guard to Los Angeles on Sunday, bringing the total number of CalGuard service members in the region to about 2,500, according to the governor's office. (Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua)
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the ravaging wildfires in Los Angeles has risen to 24, local authorities confirmed on Sunday.
Eight of the deaths resulted from the Palisades fire, while 16 were caused by the Eaton fire, according to the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner.
The Palisades Fire, currently the largest active wildfire in the Los Angeles area, has scorched over 23,700 acres (about 96 square km) and destroyed more than 5,300 structures since last Tuesday. The blaze has been 11 percent contained.
The Eaton Fire, which has scorched more than 14,100 acres (about 57.1 square km) near Altadena and Pasadena, is currently 27 percent contained.
More than 12,300 structures have been destroyed, and over 100,000 people remained evacuated from multiple disaster zones covering over 40,000 acres (about 161.9 square km) as of Sunday.
As firefighters continue to battle devastating flames, winds are expected to intensify through Wednesday evening, which might further complicate rescue efforts.
These winds, combined with low humidity and extremely dry vegetation, will keep the fire threat in Los Angeles County at a "very high" level, said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone. ■
