Evacuation orders across the Los Angeles area cover 153,000 residents, with 57,000 buildings at risk.

Firefighters are scrambling to extinguish growing wildfires around Los Angeles before strong winds return, while new evacuation warnings make more homeowners nervous.

Intense rescue efforts were underway Saturday in the upscale Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades after a wildfire spread to other areas overnight.

Residents are warned weather conditions are likely to worsen in the coming days, which could further intensify the fires.

Cal Fire official Todd Hopkins told reporters at a news conference that the Palisades Fire has spread into the Mandeville Canyon community and has the potential to spread into the upscale community of Brentwood.

Cal Fire Chief Christian Litz said the main focus Saturday will be the Palisades Fire burning in the canyon area not far from the UCLA campus.

“We need to be aggressive,” Litz said.

Meanwhile, evacuation orders across the Los Angeles area now cover 153,000 residents, with 57,000 buildings at risk.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said another 166,000 residents have been warned they may have to evacuate.

Luna added that his agency has deployed 40 search and rescue personnel to work with other agencies, including using cadaver dogs to search for victims’ remains and reunite separated family members.

At least 11 people died

Six simultaneous fires burning in Los Angeles County communities since Tuesday have killed at least 11 people and damaged or destroyed 10,000 structures, including homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles.

At least 13 people are currently estimated to be missing. The death toll is expected to rise as firefighters are able to conduct door-to-door searches.

The Santa Ana winds that fanned the fires subsided Friday night. But the Palisades Fire on the city’s western edge is heading in a new direction as winds from the Pacific threaten the densely populated San Fernando Valley foothills.

The most destructive fire in Los Angeles history leveled entire neighborhoods, leaving behind only the smoldering ruins of people’s homes and property.

Before the latest blaze, firefighters reported progress in extinguishing fires in the Palisades and Eaton fires in the foothills east of the metropolitan area after days of out-of-control fires.

Cal Fire said the Palisades Fire was 11% contained Saturday and the East Eaton Fire was 15% contained.

Together, the two fires burned more than 36,000 acres (14,500 hectares), or 56 square miles (145.6 square kilometers), an area 2.5 times the size of Manhattan.

Seven neighboring states, the federal government and Canada have rushed aid to California, supporting air rescue teams dropping water and retardant on the burning hills and ground crews using hand tools and hoses to attack the fire lines.

Winds are expected to weaken

The National Weather Service said conditions in the Los Angeles area will improve over the weekend, with sustained winds slowing to about 20 mph (32 kph) and gusts between 35 mph and 50 mph (56-56 mph). 80 km/h).

“The wind gusts aren’t that strong, which should help firefighters,” National Weather Service meteorologist Allison Santorelli said, adding that conditions with low humidity and dry vegetation remain severe.

Officials have declared a public health emergency due to thick toxic smoke.

Private forecaster AccuWeather estimates losses and economic losses at $135 billion to $150 billion, predicting a tough recovery and soaring homeowners insurance costs.

President Joe Biden declared the fires a major disaster and said the U.S. government would reimburse 100% of recovery costs over the next six months.