Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass awkwardly remained silent when she was questioned by a reporter at Los Angeles International Airport about the devastating fires.

Corruption is ingrained in Los Angeles,” said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, a non-profit public interest group.

County supervisors in California are rarely singled out for criticism, as the LA fires show. That will soon change in Los Angeles County.

The demonstration came amid a torrent of controversy surrounding the embattled mayor, with protestors who gathered near her Windsor Square residence demanding she step aside citing her lack of

The Los Angeles Fire Department estimates that about 10,000 structures have been burned down or damaged in the city's fires. That includes houses, sheds, garages and cars. Celebrities who lost their homes in the fire included model and actor Paris Hilton, actor Billy Crystal, and actor Miles Teller. The death toll rose to 24 on Monday.

At this point, it remains to be seen just how vulnerable Bass is due to her perceived failure to prepare and then respond to the fires.

A new fire broke out near Los Angeles’ Bel Air neighborhood early on Thursday as the Hughes fire which was first reported a day earlier in northern Los Angeles County grew rapidly to set ablaze more than 10,000 acres, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders and warnings to more than 50,000 people.

The city of L.A. should take some lessons from the southeastern suburbs in the county. Paramount, South Gate and others govern within themselves; they are laser focused on the here and now.

Wednesday, 3:49 p.m. PST The Hughes Fire increased to 8,096 acres, spreading northeast and triggering 12 evacuation warnings and 10 evacuation orders for adjacent areas. Wednesday, 1:17 p.m. PST The Hughes Fire spread to 5,054 acres in a largely mountainous area.

It remains unclear how much the city and its mayor will ultimately be to blame for the explosive horror of the Palisades fire.

Parched Southern California was forecast to face more dangerous winds on Wednesday but could get some needed rain this weekend, dampening prospects of another round of deadly wildfires while raising the possibility of challenges like toxic ash runoff.