Getting rid of all dead or living weeds is also a good idea, as is clearing gutters, roofs, decks, porches and stairways of flammable materials such as leaves and needles.

Getting rid of all dead or living weeds from this area is also a good idea, as is clearing gutters, roofs, decks, porches and stairways of flammable materials, like leaves and needles.

Even in Paradise, site of the state’s worst-ever Camp fire in 2018, the flames went from structure to structure, leaving green pine needles unscathed: “This was an urban conflagration,” the state’s incident management team concluded.

In recent years, Los Angeles County inmates have died from jumping off railings, banging their heads against a wall and injecting drugs with makeshift needles, The Times has previously reported.

"We're all on pins and needles and have been anxiously sitting by our phones, staring at the TV, having the radio going - trying to stay as informed as possible because there wasn't a good system in place," said Ms Alvarez-Petit, who lives in West Los Angeles.