Washington DC:

The recent wildfires have left Los Angeles — the second-largest city in the United States and home to the country’s rich and famous — in rubble. Images taken from the air show block after block of greyish-brown ash, with just skeletal remains of homes, restaurants and shops left behind in the once-thriving neighbourhood. 

The two fires that broke out on January 7 have burned an area nearly the size of Washington, DC, according to the California Fire Department. The blaze, one of the most destructive natural disasters in Southern California, has killed at least 28 people and damaged or destroyed nearly 16,000 structures. 

(Source: Reuters)

While the appalling destruction in upscale Pacific Palisades and Malibu in the west has made most of the headlines, Altadena in the east has suffered even more.

Images of fire-damaged areas, taken from a helicopter, show some stone chimneys and trees standing defiantly tall in Altadena, the city that bore the brunt of the Easton Fire.

(Source: Reuters)

Several backyard swimming pools, burnt-out cars and twisted metal from homes were also visible from the sky.

(Source: Reuters)

To the west, the Palisades Fire created a scar in the hillside where the upscale enclave offered postcard-perfect views of the Pacific Ocean.

(Source: AFP)

Driven by an extreme autumn drought and fierce Santa Ana winds, the fires turned the dry hills of Los Angeles into kindling, fuelling a relentless inferno that has raged for more than a week. As of Wednesday, the Eaton Fire was 91 per cent contained and the Palisades Fire was 68 per cent contained, according to a report by Reuters.

But as firefighters were bust containing the previous two infernos, plumes of smoke rose from a new fire north of Los Angeles in Hughes. The new rapidly spread to 9,400 acres (38 square km), forcing mandatory evacuation orders for more than 31,000 people on Wednesday.

It was not immediately clear what sparked the fire, but it occurred during red flag fire conditions — when meteorologists say strong winds and low humidity create conditions ripe for rapid fire spread.

Johannesburg:

More than 60 people have died in a fire that engulfed a five-storey building in central Johannesburg on Thursday, the South African city’s emergency services said. Another 43 were injured, some suffering from smoke inhalation, and were taken for treatment at local hospitals, Emergency Management Services spokesman Robert Mulaudzi said.

“We are now on 63 fatalities and 43 people injured who were transported to various healthcare facilities,” said Mulaudzi.

Firefighters at the scene had put out the flames and search and recovery operations were ongoing.

“We are moving floor by floor conducting these body recoveries,” Mulaudzi told local broadcaster ENCA.

An AFP reporter at the scene said emergency services were continuing to bring charred bodies out of the building, laying them down under blankets and sheets on the street outside.

“It is indeed a sad day for the city of Johannesburg… over 20 years in the service, I’ve never come across something like this,” Mulaudzi said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze, which broke out overnight.

The building, which has been evacuated, is located in a deprived area of what used to be the business district of South Africa’s economic hub, and was used as an informal settlement, Mulaudzi said.

“A lot of people” might have been trapped inside when the fire started, he added, suggesting many in the building may have been squatting illegally.

Fire trucks and ambulances were parked outside the red and white building with burned-out windows, which has been cordoned off by police, as a small crowd of onlookers gathered in the area.

Illegal occupation of disused buildings in the city centre is widespread, with many said to be under the control of criminal syndicates who collect rent from occupants.

In June, a blaze ripped through a dilapidated building in Johannesburg and killed two children under ten who were locked in an apartment.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)