Shocking footage shows people 'intentionally lighting fires' in LA amid devastating wildfire crisis

As Los Angeles continues to battle the devastating wildfires, a video has gone viral online showing a group of people standing by in awe of what appears to be a man-made bonfire.

Firefighters in the area are tackling what is reported to be the most destructive wildfire to ever hit Los Angeles County in the Palisades Fire - displacing thousands of residents in the area between Malibu and Santa Monica.

So far, the wildfire has covered more than 17,000 acres and stands at zero percent containment at the time of writing (January 9), while three other fires - the Hurst Fire, Eaton Fire, Sunset Fire - are still burning.

Paris Hilton has seen her home in Malibu 'burn to the ground', while actor John Goodman has seen his residence suffer the same fate - but they are just two of a long list of celebrities who are suffering at the hands of the most ferocious fire LA has seen.

So, when people hear that residents are intentionally setting fires just a couple miles down the road, it has infuriated the public. Take a look below:

"People are lighting fires in otherwise non-burning urban areas of LA. Saw this happen first hand at 302 Pico in Santa Monica," podcaster Andrew Huberman shared on Twitter.

"Called it in & fire dept & police responded. Stay safe and call in any activity ASAP. We don’t need more flames out here."

The alleged idiocy even garnered a response from Elon Musk, who simply wrote: "Wow."

While another added: "What is wrong with this World?! Praying for ALL of us!"

It comes as people have called for the state to use water from the Pacific Ocean, which LA sits on the coast of, to fight the flames that have been spread by the strong winds and hot temperatures.

However, there's a good reason why authorities are not doing that.

A firefighter watches the flames from the Palisades Fire burning homes on the Pacific Coast Highway amid a powerful windstorm in Los Angeles (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

"Is there any particular reason why we can't use ocean water to help put out the fires?," one person asked on Twitter, as another claimed they had found a 'solution' to the wildfires, with a map pointing to the ocean.

Water is the natural enemy of fire, but there are some differences between freshwater and saltwater that make freshwater the preferred choice.

One of those differences, Technology.org points out, is that salt can cause corrosion. While ocean water may work to tackle the fire, storing it in water tanks and putting it in contact with other equipment used in firefighting can cause damage, potentially hindering the use of the equipment in the future.

Another reason to avoid using saltwater in fires is the impact it can have on the ecosystem in the future.

Salt makes it harder for plants to get water, meaning its use can result in landscapes left barren for years.