Firefighters race to beat LA blazes as winds grow and death toll hits 16

The downtown Los Angeles skyline is seen in the distance as firefighters monitor the Palisades fire near the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood and Encino, California, on January 11, 2025. [AFP]

Firefighters battled Sunday to get on top of massive wildfires around Los Angeles as winds ramped up, pushing the blazes toward previously untouched neighborhoods.

At least 16 people were confirmed dead from fires that have ripped through the city, leaving communities in ruins and testing the mettle of thousands of firefighters -- and millions of California residents.