Los(t) Angeles

Fires across the Los Angeles area have killed at least 27 people, destroyed more than 12,000 structures and scorched more than 60 square miles.

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The largest by far -the Palisades and Eaton wildfires continue to burn in Southern California as this report is filed.

On top of this, firefighters in California also could encounter fire tornadoes in the coming days a rare but dangerous phenomenon in which wildfires create their own weather.

The National Weather Service has warned that the combination of high winds and severely dry conditions has created a "particularly dangerous situation" in which any new fire could explode in size. The advisory didn't mention tornadoes, but meteorologist Todd Hall said they're possible given the extreme conditions.

The Los Angeles wildfires, which have reduced entire neighbourhoods to smouldering ruins and left an apocalyptic landscape, could become the costliest wildfires in US history in terms of insured losses if analysts' estimates of up to USD 20 billion materialise.

The calculations are critical as they underscore the escalating financial risks posed by climate-related disasters, highlighting potential implications for the insurance industry and broader economic resilience.

AccuWeather forecasts total economic losses from the disaster to range between USD 135 billion and USD 150 billion, signalling a challenging recovery and likely surging homeowners' insurance costs.

A fleet of aircraft dropped water and retardant into the rugged hills while ground crews with hand tools and hoses have worked around the clock since the fires broke out on January 7, with the aircraft occasionally grounded by high winds.

The Palisades Fire on the west edge of town held steady at 23,713 acres (96 square km) burned, and containment nudged up to 18 per cent - a measurement of how much of the perimeter was under control.

The Eaton Fire in the foothills east of the city stood at 14,117 acres (57 sq km) with containment at 35 per cent.