SpaceX has provided Starlink terminals to areas in Los Angeles that have been affected by the wildfires.

Taking to X last night, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said the space company is providing free Starlink terminals to affected areas in the Californian city.

Some TV crews have even relied on Starlink to broadcast their live coverage during the wildfires this week.

The fires, which were sparked by a windstorm in Southern California, have led to blazes across parts of the city, claiming the lives of at least five people so far. More than 130,000 people have been forced to evacuate the city.

Nearly 2,000 structures, including homes and schools, have been destroyed, with fires in Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, and Woodley.

At present, the biggest fires are still uncontained, not helped by weather conditions, which are enabling the flames to keep burning.

Starlink has previously provided its terminals during natural disasters in the US, notably in October, when it provided direct-to-cell coverage to areas impacted by Hurricane Helene.

The company's satellite Internet broadband service is used as critical telecoms infrastructure when towers or fiber have been damaged.

AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile have also responded to the fires and all announced they will be waiving data charges for those impacted, providing unlimited calls, texts, and data for customers in the impacted parts of the city.

Verizon has also deployed free WiFi and charging stations for public use in several locations throughout Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile said its teams are on hand to deploy relief supplies, including WiFi, device charging, and “power packs” for charging, as conditions safely allow.