Pope Francis on Sunday (January 12) prayed for the residents of Los Angeles, California, hit by wildfires.
"I pray for all of you," the pontiff said during his weekly Angelus prayer in St Peter's Square.
Six simultaneous blazes that have ripped across Los Angeles County neighborhoods since Tuesday (January 7) have killed at least 16 people as of late Saturday (January 11), the Washington Post and other media reported, citing the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office.
READ: Firefighters race to beat LA blazes as winds grow and death toll hits 16
The blazes have damaged or destroyed 12,000 structures, fire officials said. At least 13 people are estimated to be missing. The death toll is expected to mount when firefighters are able to conduct house-to-house searches.
(Production: Oriana Boselli)