By Carola Frentzen

Los Angeles (USA) - The catastrophic fires continue to rage in the Los Angeles area days later. More than 12,000 houses are already in ruins and at least eleven people have lost their lives.

However, the authorities fear that the number could rise further as soon as investigators can safely reach the partially devastated areas.

Three fires were still out of control, including the particularly fierce "Palisades Fire" in the Pacific Palisades district. The fire department extended the evacuation order there to other areas in the early morning.

Los Angeles County declared a local health emergency shortly beforehand due to the dangerous smoke development, as reported by the television station CNN.

Although the firefighting work made progress thanks to a brief drop in winds, weather experts are expecting stronger gusts again this weekend.

"The situation remains very dangerous," said Deanne Criswell, head of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Only the Hurst Fire and the Lidia Fire have so far been largely contained, while the Kenneth Fire is now 50 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.

According to estimates by the authority, more than 12,000 buildings have already been destroyed or damaged by the fires. Around 58,000 more are at risk.

Since Tuesday, around 15,000 hectares of land have gone up in flames.

An evacuation order is still in place for more than 100,000 residents, and tens of thousands of other people have been warned.

Meanwhile, thousands of emergency services continue to fight tirelessly against the flames. The causes of the fires are still unclear.

"If it turns out that any of the fires were started deliberately, those responsible will be arrested, prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law," said Dominic Choi from the police authority.

In addition to arson, faulty power lines are being investigated as a possible cause.