As devastating wildfires have destroyed huge swaths of Los Angeles County, incinerating homes and leaving at least 27 people dead, fire and law enforcement authorities have also had to contend with a number of arson fires.

Utilities are required to report to the California Public Utilities Commission when they know of “electric incidents potentially associated with a wildfire,” Terrie Prosper, the commission’s communications director, said via email. CPUC staff then investigate to see if there were violations of state law.

Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles city fire department chief Kristin Crowley assured residents they were on the same page regarding battling fires in the city after the latter claimed the department was underfunded.

The devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has resonated far beyond Southern California, as local officials and residents across the United States have watched the flames, started among dry vegetation,

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will take the lead in investigating the exact cause of multiple fires that have swept through the Los Angeles area.

Conditions are expected to dramatically worsen, with “extreme fire behaviour and life-threatening conditions” over the coming days.

Lightning is the most common cause of fires in the US, but investigators quickly ruled it out as a factor in the recent fires.

At least 16 people have been killed, thousands of others displaced and some 12,000 structures destroyed as wildfires tear through the Los Angeles area.

The crisis underscores efforts to look beyond the forests and public lands that have been the traditional focus of wildfire risk to more community-based mitigation efforts involving homeowners, private landowners,

A CNN analysis of the 10 largest US cities and other comparable departments shows the Los Angeles Fire Department is less staffed than almost any other major city, leaving it struggling to meet both daily emergencies and larger disasters such as wildfires.

The Palisades Fire is along the California coast ... Susan McKelvey, a spokesperson for the National Fire Protection Association, told VERIFY departments that have access to ocean water do ...

Paradise Mayor Steve Crowder is in contact with officials in Southern California to share insights on recovery efforts following a wildfire, drawing from his experience as a Camp Fire survivor and