Firefighters will need to wait until the weather changes before they can get the fires under control, an expert in emergency planning and management has said.

Professor David Alexander, who works at the Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, says most of the fires will continue to rage until the wind slows down.

He says efforts to extinguish the fires have been hampered by dry fire hydrants.

“They’ve had a drought in California since last May, which means that they’re short supplies of water generally,” he says.

Looking at the other ways firefighters have been trying to subdue the flames, Professor Alexander says aerial methods will only slow down the fires.

“We have helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft which can drop either water or flame retardant chemicals onto the fire,” he explains. 

“And a lot of that is going on, but they rarely, if ever, stop a fire. All they can do is slow it down and limit it. And they no doubt will be working absolutely flat out at this moment.”

If you’re just joining us, here’s the latest

It’s just gone 2am in Los Angeles, where wildfires are still burning through parts of the city.

Ten people have been killed so far during the disaster, while thousands of buildings have been destroyed.

If you’re just joining us, here’s an update on the fires:

• Palisades: At least 19,978 acres, 6% contained
• Eaton: At least 13,690 acres, 0% contained
• Hurst: At least 771 acres,  37% contained
• Lidia: At least 394 acres, 75% contained
• Kenneth: At least 960 acres, 37% contained

These figures are provided by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.

In other news:

• A firefighting aircraft collided with a drone flying in restricted airspace over the Palisades fire, causing the temporary grounding of all aircraft responding to the blaze;
• Eight C-130 military transport planes have been sent to support firefighting efforts;
• The Kenneth fire is being investigated as a possible arson, it is understood. A number of citizens detained someone in the West Valley area, close to where the flames are burning;
• Authorities have been warning of looters and scammers and have made arrests. A curfew between 6pm and 6am in areas under mandated evacuation is being imposed to aid the crackdown;
• Schools are to remain closed, with smoke and other pollution threatening air quality across the city;
• Actress Jamie Lee Curtis has said her family is donating $1m (£814,600) to fire relief efforts.