ITV Good Morning Britain’s Kate Garraway has halted the show for tragic “breaking news”. Kate and Paul Brand announced five more people had lost their lives over night in the Los Angeles fires – bringing the death toll to 10 – on ITV today.
Paul explained that as the wild fires continued to rage throughout California “entire neighbourhoods had been wiped out”. Speaking to reporter Noel Phillips who was on the ground, Kate asked about the death toll as she said that officials had said it will “tragically significantly increase”.
Noel added: “So the expectation is that more bodies will be recovered in burnt out homes.” The reporter, who was in Los Angeles in California, shared that the fires had left an “unimaginable trail of destruction” and it is “continuing to wreak havoc”.
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Noel continued: “Looting is a huge issue. That’s what the LA’s County Sherriff and his officers are grappling with as well as trying to find the missing.” Noel then asked the Sherriff if he was expecting to find any more bodies.
The officer replied: “I am praying that we don’t but based on the devastation that we are witnessing, I am finding it very hard to believe that we won’t.” Around 20 people have been arrested in disaster zones since the first fires broke out on Tuesday, Los Angeles county sheriff Robert Luna said, amid reports of looting.
Luna has pledged to beef up patrols and said his officers – who are soon to be backed up by California National Guard soldiers – will be proactively stopping anyone they see in an evacuation area. “When we have an evacuation order by law, if you remain in that area, you are guilty of a misdemeanor. If you commit certain crimes, it could jump up to a felony,” he said.
“If you are in one of these areas and you do not belong there, you are going to be subject to arrest.”