Amid the chaos, looting had broken out, with numerous arrests made, officials said, and hundreds of soldiers were set to be deployed.
“The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has officially requested the support of the California National Guard for both fires,” Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters.
“For the last 24 hours or so, we have had approximately 400 National Guard members throughout the state ready to support us.
“We expect that they may be on site as soon as tonight,” he said, adding Governor Gavin Newsom had approved the request.
Luna said his officers were patrolling evacuation zones and would arrest anyone who was not supposed to be there.
With such a huge area scorched by the fires, which are ravaging the well-to-do Pacific Palisades and another area around Altadena, evacuees feared not enough was being done.
Some were taking matters into their own hands.
“We’re so stressed about this looting happening all around that my neighbours were on watch all last night for several houses in the neighbourhood,” said one man whose house was one of just a handful left standing on a burned-out Altadena street.
“I’m supposed to take over for them tonight,” said the man, who did not want to give his name.
A sunset-to-sunrise curfew has been declared in evacuated areas of the coastal city of Santa Monica, and Luna said more overnight curfews would be coming in the fire zones.
