Image source, Los Angeles Fire Department

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Unified LA, Los Angeles County Fire Department, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection all gathered this morning for a Palisades Fire morning an operational briefing.

In a video posted on Facebook the Los Angeles Fire Department wrote: "This is your team. The team working to keep you safe. We are proud of this team and the work they are doing."

Image source, Los Angeles Fire Department

With nearly 100,000 people under evacuation orders and thousands of properties damaged or destroyed, does the US need to rethink the way it builds its homes?

The Americast team join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to answer your questions, which you can listen to here.

Max Matza
Reporting from Los Angeles, California

I’ve just arrived at the Westwood Recreation Center where about 150 victims of the Palisades Fire are sheltering.

Roya Lavasani and her daughter Rezvon Amirani have been staying here since their home and business in Malibu burned to the ground last week. They're here with Roya's husband and their pet goat Cocoa.

The condo building that they owned, living in one unit and renting out the other three, is now among thousands of buildings reduced to rubble.

Roya says she is furious with firefighters for turning off her water and assuring her they would protect her home in order to convince her to evacuate.

They say that they don’t have enough money to rebuild the family property, which they bought for around $600,000 (£492,821) in 1982 and was worth $5m to $6m until last week.

They believe that their insurance company only plans to give them $1m, far below what they need to rebuild.

Roya cries as she tells me how hard it is to accept donations now that she is homeless. She says she used to be the one that would provide charity to the needy.

After sleeping in their car, they now plan to rent an motorhome for eight days, but they don’t know where they will go after that.

Image source, Getty Images

President Joe Biden says he is being frequently briefed on efforts to suppress the wildfires across Los Angeles.

"Our hearts ache for the 24 innocent souls we have lost," Biden says. "Jill and I pray for them and their loved ones."

Biden says he has directed hundreds of federal personnel, aerial and ground support to California, and his team will "respond promptly" to any request for more help.

"To the brave firefighters and first responders working day and night to suppress these fires and save lives: our nation is grateful," he adds.

The Oscar nominations announcement has been delayed again, the Academy Awards has said.

The ceremony will now be held on 23 January, with the voting period for Hollywood's most prestigious awards also extended to 17 January.

In a joint statement, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang say they "want to be sensitive to the infrastructure and lodging needs of the region in these next few weeks".

“We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community,” they say.

Harrowing new pictures reveal how wildfire has destroyed homes and communities in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Even among some LA neighbourhoods that have seen massive destruction, some structures have been completely unaffected.

You can see in the maps below, the extent of the damage caused by the Eaton and Palisades Fires.

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Image source, Daniel Sher

Daniel Sher is the rabbi of the Kehillat Israel synagogue in Pacific Palisades. He says 300 families in his congregation lost their homes to the fire, including him, though the actual synagogue itself remained standing.

“Part of what makes this so tragic that a whole community burned down,” he says.

“The devastation is not so much the stuff they have lost, it is their whole ecosystem - their backdrop - is lost."

"Everyone in our community knows each other, they walked to school together, they were neighbours who borrowed things from each other," he says. "That will never be the same again."

The question now, he says, is how to keep the members of his congregation together even though they will be dispersed across the city. "The people who have just lost everything don’t want to lose their community too,” he says.

Fire crews reasonably optimistic ahead of this week's windspublished at 17:33 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January

17:33 GMT 13 January

John Sudworth
Reporting from Los Angeles area

As we heard from Los Angeles area officials moments ago, the city is undertaking "urgent preparations" after the National Weather Service forecasted close to hurricane force winds this week.

Those 70mph (112km/h) gusts - expected to peak on Tuesday - are going to be in the high mountains out in Ventura, which is about a 50-mile (80km) drive from the largest blazes.

The Palisades and Eaton crews are not going to face anything like that.

While 70mph gusts are certainly within normal range for Santa Anas, they are dangerous and could spark new fires across the region. So they are newsworthy.

But in terms of the fires we're focusing on, crews are looking at more like 30mph (48km/h) with gusts up to 50mph (80km/h).

That's what the fire chief we spoke to meant when he told the BBC on Sunday that these ranges are "normal".

Firefighters are reasonably optimistic they can cope with that.

We've just finished hearing from LA County officials, who gave the latest update on the impact of the wildfires and how they're preparing for an increase in wind in the coming days.

Here's what we learned:

• The Eaton Fire - the second largest - covers 14,117 acres and is at 33% containment. The Hurst Fire is at 799 acres and is 95% contained, while the Palisades Fire - the largest - is 14% contained and at 23,713 acres
• LA City Mayor Karen Bass says "urgent preparations" are being made ahead of forecasted high winds. Officials say crews are "absolutely better prepared" for this next weather event
• More than 92,000 people are under evacuation orders, and 89,000 are under evacuation warnings, says LA County Sherriff Robert Luna
• The sheriff expects the total death toll to increase. It currently stands at 24 across all of the fire areas, with 23 people missing in the Eaton and Palisades area
• The LAPD is halting its escort service, in which police accompanied residents back to their homes to look for pets or medication, due to safety concerns

The LA County press conference has now come to an end. Stay with us as we recap the main updates from officials.

Gerry Magana, representing Cal Fire, is asked to explain the wind threshold that causes aerial firefighting efforts to stop.

There is specific threshold, he says, with each aircraft having a different limitation.

Sustained winds over 40 miles per hour will generally ground most aircraft, he adds.

He says that the problem is the gusts, but each aircraft will have a limitation based on its manufacturer's recommendation.

LAPD chief Choi is asked for more details about the investigation into the origin of the fires.

He reiterates that a taskforce is looking into the origin of each fire.

Arson has not been ruled out in the fires but there has been no definitive determination of arson in the Palisades Fire, he adds.

"We're looking at every angle," he says.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone says they are "absolutely better prepared for this severe weather event".

He says over 5,000 firefighters have been assigned to the Palisades and over 3,000 to the Eaton Fire area.

The state is also under a mobilisation centre, set up by California Governor Gavin Newsom, to assist with a new fire start.

He says numerous aircraft are prepared, including military aircraft.

"We're very well prepared," insists Marrone.

A reporter asks LAPD chief Dominic Choi if there is anything that can be done for pet owners, adding that some pets will have been without food or water for seven days come tomorrow.

Choi says people can go to a checkpoint and talk to officers, adding that charity Humane Society is also going around.

Lindsey Horvath of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors says an air quality smoke warning continues through next week.

She advises people to wear masks, and reminds people that N95 masks are being provided at evacuation centres.

"Close your windows, check your filters, and turn air conditioning on if you can," instructs Hovarth.

Bass goes on to say that the LA department of water and power is deploying water tankers to increase water supply for firefighters.

As firefighters battled infernos ravaging the Los Angeles area on its second day, they struggled with water supply to their hoses and hydrants. Read more about that here.

Image source, County of Los Angeles

Up next is LA City Mayor, Karen Bass, who recognises the "shock, grief and anger" the people of Los Angeles have gone through.

"We have to stand together," says Bass.

With the National Weather Service forecasting close to hurricane-force winds, Bass says "urgent preparations" are being made, and that firefighters across the county are in proactive posture.

She says that Angelenos must stand together and that the top priority is to protect lives.

Kathryn Barger, the LA County Board of Supervisors Chair, is speaking.

She says government officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), have positioned themselves across the city and are providing assistance to residents, many who do not have insurance.

She pledges to advocate for innovative loan and housing solutions for the rebuild, adding that many are worried about the rebuilding process.

• LA County has provided more information on disaster resource centres, external

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman is up.

He says people are looking to take illegal profit in a devastating situation. Price gouging can be seen in hotels and medical supplies, he says.

"Criminals have decided this is an opportunity. I'm here to tell you it's not. You'll be arrested, prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law," he says.