So far, wildfires have destroyed more than 12,000 homes and other buildings and burned 145 square kilometers.
The number of fatalities from the wildfires that have affected the city of Los Angeles, in the southwest of the United States, since Tuesday, .
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office said 11 of the deaths were caused by the Eaton Fire, one of six active fires burning in the city.
In a statement posted on its portal Saturday night, the department added that another five deaths were caused by the Pacific Palisades fire.
The previous report referred to the existence of 11 deaths, but authorities warned that the true number of victims will not be known until investigators are able to enter the neighborhoods.
The Palisades Fire spread northeast, prompting new evacuations in the wealthy neighborhoods of Brentwood and Bel Air in Southern California.
The spread of the flames brought “another night of unimaginable terror and anguish,” according to Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath.
The University of California is also on “high alert” and residents have been advised to prepare to leave campus, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Also in danger is the Getty Center museum, which houses 125,000 works of art.
The California National Guard has made 1,000 troops available to Los Angeles, including 250 with firefighting capabilities, according to U.S. officials.
The Palisades Fire, already the most destructive in the city’s history, has burned more than 89 square miles and is only 11% contained.
The Eaton Fire, located northeast and near the cities of Pasadena and Altadena, has affected more than 57 square kilometers and is 15% contained.
The Kenneth fire was the last of the six to emerge, breaking out on Thursday afternoon. Authorities have now confirmed that this fire was caused by arson and is currently 80% contained.
The Lidia Fire was fully contained on Saturday, while the Hurst Fire is 76% contained.
More than 100,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders.
So far, wildfires have destroyed more than 12,000 homes and other buildings and burned 145 square kilometers.
The Portuguese consul in San Francisco, Filipe Ramalheira, told Lusa on Saturday that there are no Portuguese identified among the missing, but that at least the house of a Portuguese woman caught fire.
Areas affected by the fires have been under curfew since Friday. At least 18 people were arrested for looting, 15 of them in the area of the Eaton fire.
The company AccuWeather on Thursday raised the estimate of damage and economic losses from the fires to between 135 and 150 billion dollars (between 131 and 146 billion euros).
