The massive fires that have been raging in Los Angeles for five days, killing at least 16 people, have spread to areas that were previously spared from the flames.

These fires have destroyed entire parts of the second largest American city, destroying more than 12,000 buildings and 15,000 hectares of land.

US President Joe Biden said during a meeting at the White House that the scene "looks like a war zone and bombing operations."

Despite the large numbers of firefighters involved in containing the fires, evacuation orders were issued for the eastern part of the Pacific Palisades, and winds that slowed down on Saturday are expected to increase in speed starting Sunday, according to the Federal Natural Disaster Response Agency, which weakens hopes of containing the disaster.

"There is a continued shortage of crews, resources and money," fire chief Kristen Crowley told Fox News affiliate KTTV.

With looting rampant in areas that have been stricken or evacuated, authorities have imposed a strict curfew between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. in the hardest-hit areas of Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

Given the scale of the damage, California Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered a "comprehensive independent review" of the city's water distribution systems, describing the lack of water supply and the loss of pressure in fire hydrants in the early moments as "very concerning," which caused the fires to expand.

The main fire, of four still active blazes, has consumed more than 8,000 hectares on the Malibu coast and the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, with firefighters saying they had 11 percent of the blaze under control Saturday.

US authorities have called on Californians to conserve water because three reservoirs supplying firefighting stations have run out.

The AccuWeather Global Weather Center estimated the damage and losses at between $135 and $150 billion.

The winds currently blowing are known as Santa Ana winds, which are common in California's fall and winter seasons. But this week they have reached a level not seen since 2011, according to meteorologists.