There are already 16 deaths and more than 14,000 firefighters are fighting to prevent the fire from reaching the most emblematic points

The drama for forest fires in Los Angeles, The United States adds disastrous chapters. There are already 16 confirmed deaths due to the advance of the fire while rescue teams and firefighters battle to contain the flames before potentially strong winds resume that could push the fire towards some of the most emblematic places in the city.

Official sources confirmed that five of the deaths were attributed to the Palisades Fire and 11 to the Eaton Fire according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office in a statement issued this Saturday night.

Previously, 11 people were known to have lost their lives, but officials said they expected that number to rise as teams with cadaver dogs conduct systematic grid searches in neighborhoods that were literally leveled by the fire.

Authorities have established a center where people can report disappearances.

It was feared that the winds could push fires toward the J. Paul Getty Museum and the University of Californiawhile new evacuation warnings left more homeowners in suspense. By Saturday night, California’s largest all-hazard fire department (Cal Fire) reported that the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth and Hurst fires had consumed approximately 100 square miles, an area larger than the city of San Francisco.

The Palisades and Eaton fires covered nearly 153 square kilometers.

From the California Office of Emergency Services, Michael Traum confirmed that 150,000 people in Los Angeles County were under evacuation orders, with more than 700 people sheltering in nine shelters.

Teams from California and nine other states are part of a deployment that includes more than 1,300 fire trucks, 84 aircraft and more than 14,000 personnel, including firefighters recently arrived from Mexico, it was officially reported.

This Saturday night, Cal Fire said the Palisades fire was 11% contained and the Eaton fire was 15% contained Saturday night, so the fight was far from over. “Weather conditions remain critical and another round of strong winds is expected starting Monday,” Traum anticipated.

Local media report a fierce battle that occurred this Saturday in Mandeville Canyon, home of Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities near the Pacific coast, where helicopters dropped water as the fire advanced down the slope.

Firefighters on the ground used hoses in an attempt to repel the leaping flames as thick smoke covered the chaparral-covered hillside. Christian Litz, chief of operations for CalFire, said one of the priorities was the Palisades Fire burning in the canyon area, not far from the UCLA campus.

There were further evacuations in the area on Friday night after the east side of the fire reignited.

The National Weather Service warned that strong Santa Ana winds could return soon. Those winds are believed to be largely responsible for turning wildfires into infernos that devastated entire neighborhoods in Los Angeles, where there hasn’t been significant rain in more than eight months.

The fire also threatened to jump onto Interstate 405 and into densely populated areas in the Hollywood Hills and San Fernando Valley.

The drama over the wildfires in Los Angeles began last Tuesday, just north of downtown Hollywood, and since then, it has been confirmed that more than 12,000 structures have burned.

Firefighters made progress for the first time Friday afternoon on the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena, where more than 7,000 structures burned, a term that includes homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles. Most evacuation orders for the area had been lifted, officials said.

However, the cause of the larger fires has not yet been determined. Preliminary estimates indicate the wildfires could be the nation’s costliest yet.

A preliminary estimate from AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far at between $135 billion and $150 billion.

For now, state officials warned people who fled the scene not to return. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna warned residents not to try to return to destroyed homes to search for souvenirs in the rubble.

“We have people driving by and trying to get in just to look. Stay away,” Luna said, urging people to respect curfews. Especially because ash can contain lead, arsenic, asbestos and other harmful materials.

“If you’re picking it up, you’re inhaling it,” said Chris Thomas, a Unified Incident Command spokesman for the Palisades fire, who warned that the material was “toxic.”

Residents will be allowed to return with protective gear after damage assessment teams assess their properties, Thomas said.

The level of devastation is striking even in a state that often faces massive wildfires. Traum, of the state Office of Emergency Services, said those affected by the fires can apply online for immediate government assistance.