LA firefighters strive to control a massive blaze as the death toll climbs.

The Palisades fire has consumed almost 23,000 acres.

Firefighters are mounting an intense effort to stop the largest and deadliest wildfire threatening Los Angeles from encroaching on one of the city's most exclusive neighborhoods.

Aerial crews have been relentlessly dousing the burning hills with water and fire retardant to slow the advance of the Palisades fire, which has grown by another 1,000 acres and is now putting Brentwood at risk.

Authorities face criticism over dry hydrants that hampered efforts to control the rapidly spreading flames.

With winds expected to intensify overnight, the fire risk escalates further, as the blazes have already claimed at least 16 lives.

On Saturday evening, the LA County coroner's office confirmed that 11 fatalities were linked to the Eaton fire, while five were due to the Palisades fire.

The National Weather Service cautioned that the strong Santa Ana winds, which initially fueled the fires, would intensify again on Saturday and into Sunday.

In response, resources from seven neighboring states, the federal government, as well as Canada and Mexico, have been deployed to assist California.

"LA County endured another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath earlier on Saturday.

Firefighters have made limited progress against the Palisades fire, the most severe blaze, which has burned nearly 23,000 acres and is 11% contained.

However, the fire has spread into the Mandeville Canyon area, prompting evacuation orders for parts of Brentwood. This affluent neighborhood is home to figures such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Disney CEO Bob Iger, and NBA star LeBron James.

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The Getty Center, a renowned hilltop museum housing over 125,000 artworks, including masterpieces by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Rubens, Monet, and Degas, is within the evacuation zone. While the building remains undamaged, the museum posted on X, stating the site "remains stable, aside from a few hot spots," and expressed concern for its neighbors, hoping for their safety.

The second-largest blaze, the Eaton fire, has destroyed over 14,000 acres and is 15% contained. Meanwhile, firefighters have largely subdued two smaller fires, the Kenneth and Hurst blazes.

The causes of the wildfires remain unknown, but the two largest fires combined have devastated an area exceeding twice the size of Manhattan.

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Mandatory evacuation orders have displaced approximately 153,000 residents, with another 166,000 warned they may need to leave soon.

The crisis has sparked political fallout. On Friday, Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat rumored to have presidential ambitions, launched an investigation into why a critical reservoir was offline and some fire hydrants failed during the emergency.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley voiced frustration over the issue. "When a firefighter comes up to a hydrant, we expect there's going to be water," she stated.

Chief Crowley also criticized city leadership for budget cuts and the elimination of mechanic positions, which she claimed left over 100 fire apparatuses out of service.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, however, told CNN that all fire hydrants in the Pacific Palisades and Westside areas were "fully operational" before the fires broke out.

On Saturday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who has faced criticism for being in Ghana at the time of the fires' eruption while attending the inauguration of the African country's president, addressed tensions with Fire Chief Kristin Crowley.

"Let me be clear about something," Bass stated at a news conference. "The fire chief and I are focused on fighting these fires and saving lives, and any differences that we might have will be worked out in private."

More than 70,000 people have signed a petition on change.org calling for the mayor's immediate resignation.

As concerns about looting rise, a strict sunset-to-sunrise curfew is being enforced in the evacuated areas, officials confirmed.

Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he would double the number of National Guard troops on the ground, increasing their presence to 1,680 to "keep communities safe."

Approximately two dozen arrests have been made, including for burglary, looting, and curfew violations.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna stated that cadaver dogs are aiding 40 search-and-rescue teams as they comb through destroyed neighborhoods. The death toll is expected to rise as house-to-house searches continue.

The intensity of the fires was such that wheel alloys on cars were reduced to pools of liquid metal.

Rick McGeagh, a real estate agent, told Reuters that in his Pacific Palisades neighborhood, only six out of 60 homes remained.

"Everything else is ash and rubble," said the 61-year-old father-of-three. The only thing left standing at his property was a statue of the Virgin Mary.