LOS ANGELES — Officials said Thursday that more than 9,000 homes, businesses and other buildings appeared to have been damaged or destroyed in the Palisades and Eaton fires.

Around 5,300 of these structures were destroyed in the Palisades fire, while another 4,000 to 5,000 structures were estimated to be damaged or destroyed in the Eaton fire burning in the Altadena area.

Officials made the estimate using aerial infrared technology and stressed that it was a preliminary number. If accurate, it would place the firestorm among the worst in Los Angeles history in terms of property damage.

“The Palisades fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles,” said Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley.

At a morning news conference, L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said growth of the Eaton fire had been “significantly stopped.” At 3:30 p.m., however, he announced that the fire had grown by more than 3,000 acres — to 13,690 acres — as it spread toward the historic Mt. Wilson area.

At least five people have died in the fires. The majority of deaths have been connected to the Eaton fire, but on Thursday, officials confirmed the first death related to the Palisades fire — a person in Malibu. The person’s cause of death was not immediately known.

“We are deeply saddened to learn that we have lost a member of the Malibu community during the Palisades fire,” said Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart in a statement. “Although the individual has not yet been identified, this tragic news weighs heavily on our hearts. On behalf of the City of Malibu, I want to express my deepest condolences to the loved ones of this person. Our community grieves with you in this moment of unimaginable loss.”

Authorities say the death toll from the fires will likely grow.

Firefighters on Thursday were continuing to fight the Palisades fire, which by the afternoon had burned nearly 20,000 acres, and the Eaton fire, which had charred around 13,700 acres.

Sheriff Robert Luna announced Thursday afternoon that a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew was in the works for areas affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires in an effort to deter looting. The curfew will likely start Thursday night or Friday night. He said more information would be shared soon.

Luna also said he had requested support from the California National Guard to assist with traffic control, infrastructure protection and looting deterrence for both the Eaton and Palisades fires.

Although crews fighting the Palisades fire struggled against 60-mph winds overnight, officials said they hoped calming winds through the day Thursday would help crews boost containment.

The Palisades fire, Eaton fire and Sunset fire, which broke out Wednesday night in the Hollywood Hills, have no containment. The Hurst fire, burning in Sylmar, has charred 855 acres and was 10% contained as of Thursday afternoon.

Although winds have diminished, much of Los Angeles County remains under a red flag warning, with forecasters warning of critical fire weather through Friday night. Out-of-state resources are continuing to roll into fire zones on Thursday.

“This is absolutely an unprecedented, historic firestorm,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. “But we are all hands on deck.”

Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials are working to get a count of the fatalities in the fires but have been hampered by dangerous conditions in the fire zones. Homicide detectives are investigating deaths at several locations, said Nicole Nishida, communications director for the Sheriff’s Department.

“Information is still very preliminary, but there have been multiple deaths in the fire areas,” Nishida said.

On Thursday afternoon, a one- to two-acre fire broke out on Big Tujunga Canyon Road in Angeles National Forest, the forest service reported. It appeared to be tied to an overturned vehicle, but immediate details weren’t available, though officials said it was “burning uphill, moderate rate of spread.”

A fire dubbed the Kenneth fire also was reported in an area near the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Flames ignited adjacent to a trailhead near Victory Boulevard.

Amid the challenges of the last several days, Los Angeles caught a break Wednesday, with firefighters able to limit the Sunset fire, which broke out near Runyon Canyon above Hollywood. Crews were also able to keep a house fire in Studio City from spreading.

Unlike during the catastrophic conditions on Tuesday night, when wind gusts of up to 100 mph were recorded, on Wednesday night aircraft were able to make water drops on the Sunset fire, which broke out shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday. Officials initially ordered a mandatory evacuation of a swath of Hollywood north of Hollywood Boulevard but lifted the evacuation orders Thursday morning. The Sunset fire has burned 60 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

Officials urged people to still be vigilant. Thousands of residents across Los Angeles County remain evacuated.

L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said at least 20 people had been arrested on suspicion of looting homes in evacuation zones.

“We’re not going to tolerate that kind of activity,” Luna said.

Wind speeds weakened across the Los Angeles region Thursday morning, with isolated gusts reaching 35 mph in the Malibu area and 58 mph in the San Gabriel Mountains, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

But the reprieve was expected to be brief. Winds were anticipated to strengthen Thursday night.

“We’ll get a little bump up in winds as we get another little push of offshore flow,” Wofford said. “Nothing like we saw (Wednesday) with the gusts of 80- to 100-mph winds, but certainly enough to present some issues for the fires. ... It’s kind of like a day on, day off sort of thing. At least until the middle of next week we’re going to be in that pattern.”

Late Wednesday, the National Weather Service downgraded the fire weather outlook for the region from “extremely critical” to “critical.” Wofford said Los Angeles residents should be prepared for a succession of sustained high-wind events that could intensify fire risk. Humidity levels remain low and no rain is in the forecast in the coming days.

“This has the potential to be, at least collectively, the costliest wildfire disaster in American history,” UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said Wednesday. “Even just the Palisades fire on its own may become so.”

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(Times staff writer Jenny Jarvie contributed to this report.)

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