Firefighters hoped for a break Friday from fierce winds that have fuelled massive blazes in the Los Angeles area, killing 10 people, obliterating whole neighbourhoods and setting the country's second-largest city on edge.
The fires have burned more than 10,000 homes and other structures since Tuesday, in a densely populated, 40-kilometre expanse north of downtown Los Angeles.
No cause has been identified for the largest fires.
Containment of fires remained far out of reach in most cases. At least 180,000 people were under evacuation orders in the fires that have consumed about 145 square kilometres.
National Guard troops have arrived in Los Angeles, to be deployed near fire-ravaged areas to protect property.
Los Angeles sheriff Robert Luna said a curfew on all mandatory evacuation zones will start again at 6 p.m. local time Friday for houses left standing.
At least 20 arrests have been made for looting.
"Looting is a despicable crime," said Los Angeles district attorney Nathan Hochman. "For the people who have already been arrested, please know this is not going to end well."
The city of Santa Monica, which is next to Pacific Palisades, has also issued a curfew because of the lawlessness.
Hochman also promised full prosecution for private citizens flying drones, which is illegal during a fire emergency. A firefighting plane from Quebec had to be grounded Thursday after it was struck by a drone, an incident that did not lead to any injuries.
With nerves on edge, Los Angeles County has sent two alerts, on Thursday and Friday, with incorrect information regarding evacuation orders. Corrections were sent, and the country apologized on Friday, saying it was investigating the issue.
Kevin McGowan, director of the Office of Emergency Management for the County of Los Angeles, said the incorrect messages are not "human driven" and teams are investigating a software issue.
"I implore everyone to not disable the messages on your phone," he said.
The federal government in Ottawa on Friday announced that Canadian military resources would be sent to help firefighters in California.
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