At least 28 people are believed to be dead and more than a dozen others remain unaccounted for as multiple wildfires rage across Southern California.

Friday, 12:36 p.m. PST Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced another eight people were charged for crimes linked to the wildfires in Los Angeles, bringing the total to 17 as the accused face charges such as looting, arson and impersonation of a firefighter.

Eaton Fire initially started 6:18 p.m. Jan. 7 in Los Angeles County. Since its discovery two weeks ago, it has burned 14,021 acres. A fire crew of 2,104 has been working on site and, as of Tuesday evening, they managed to contain 89% of the fire. However, investigations into the cause are ongoing.

A brush fire erupted amid powerful winds Wednesday afternoon in the Castaic area in the northern region of Los Angeles County, spreading quickly to at least 3,400 acres near the freeway, officials said.

Over a week after destructive wildfires erupted in the Los Angeles area, fire crews have made progress with containment and stopped growth of the Eaton and Palisades fires.

The degree of mismanagement is epic. It’s incompetence married with poisonous ideology, said Villanueva, who was sheriff between 2018 and 2022.

Fires across the Los Angeles area have killed at least 24 people and destroyed more than 12,000 structures, officials said, scorching more than 60 square miles and displacing tens of thousands of people.

The investigation is critical for not only understanding what happened, but for ensuring it never happens again, said an attorney for 300 Altadena residents.

Dozens of people are believed to have died in the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have burned down whole swaths of communities

Palisades Fire initially started 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7 in Los Angeles County. It has burned 21,595.8 acres after being active for four days. A crew of 3,712 firefighters has been working on site and they managed to contain 8% of the fire by Saturday 1 a.m. The blaze's cause remains under investigation.

After dozens of people were arrested​ in Los Angeles County wildfire zones, District Attorney Nathan Hochman has called for making looting during a local emergency a felony crime punishable by time in prison rather than county jail.