"We are not screwing around with this, we do not want anyone taking advantage of our residents that have already been victimized," Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

Firefighters made significant gains Thursday at slowing the spread of the major fires, but overall containment remained far out of reach.

Two Los Angeles County wildfires which tore through more than 34,000 acres in four days, killing at least 10 people and destroying more than 10,000 structures, are now among the 20 most destructive fires recorded in the state of California.