California wildfires latest: LA residents warned they face arrest for ignoring evacuation orders – as thousands more told to flee

People who ignore evacuation orders will be arrested, the county sheriff warns.

Robert Luna says officers have had to provide food and blankets to people who have stayed in impacted areas.

He says this “puts lives at risk”, not just their own.

“When we have an evacuation order, by law, if you remain in that area you are guilty of a misdemeanour,” he says.

“This is different to a curfew, why? Because it’s 24/7, I don’t have to wait for the sun to go down.”

There are 179,000 people under evacuation orders, he adds, up from around 130,000 previously, with 200,000 under evacuation warnings.

He also expects the number of arrests for looting to go up from its current figure, which is 20.

Number of deaths ‘not known’

While the latest number of deaths – announced yesterday – is five, the sheriff says they can’t be sure of the total right now.

Some places, he says, look like a “bomb dropped on them”, which makes it difficult to confirm how many people have died.

Responding to a question from the media on this point, he says “we’re still in the middle” of a “chaotic” situation.

He says he wants to verify each number before presenting a figure – but he expects the total will rise.

California wildfires latest: LA residents warned they face arrest for ignoring evacuation orders – as thousands more told to flee | US News