(KRON) -- Some looters in Los Angeles are using wildfire evacuation maps to find empty homes and burglarize them, police said. Police officers have been on high alert looking for looters ever since the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire triggered thousands of residents to flee from their homes. The Santa Monica Police Department said, between January 7 and Monday, officers stopped hundreds of people who entered Palisades Fire evacuation zones and arrested more than 40. None of the people arrested live in Santa Monica, police said. The number of people under evacuation orders in Los Angeles County dropped to under 100,000 Monday. But officials cautioned that more evacuations could be ordered when high winds return this week. Police officers and members of the California National Guard are patrolling evacuated neighborhoods. Santa Monica has a city curfew in effect between sunset to sunrise. Officers can detain and arrest "unauthorized subjects" who enter evacuation zones at any time, the police department warned. A home is engulfed in flames during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area on January 8, 2025. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images) SMPD wrote, "Ten subjects were arrested for burglary. Six were in possession of burglary tools.  The rest were arrested for other violations, including curfew, drug possession, driving violations, outstanding warrants, parole and probation violations. None of the arrestees are from Santa Monica. Our dedicated team of officers did a phenomenal job saturating the evacuation areas and tamping down criminal activity." Los Angeles residents escape to Bay Area amidst wildfires Santa Monica Police Chief Ramon Batista said, "Over the past seven days, while the fires in Palisades tested the resilience of many ... (officers) stood strong, ensuring that the city of Santa Monica remained safe and secure.  I am also grateful for the collaboration with our mutual aid partners who supported us on the front lines and the National Guard for helping us secure the evacuation zones and maintain entry and exit points to the closed areas." The Palisades Fire burns near homes amid a powerful windstorm. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Two suspected looters were arrested on January 9 in Santa Monica when officers stopped a white cargo van. A man in the van, Dominic Pacheco Magana, was using the Watch Duty app on his phone, police said. "The app shows maps of active fires and evacuation zones," SMPD wrote. Officers found black ski masks and nylon gloves in the van. Officers arrested the duo for being in a mandatory evacuation area with intent to commit residential burglaries. Fires tearing through the Los Angeles area have killed at least 24 people and destroyed more than 12,000 structures. Beachfront homes are devastated by the Palisades fire on PCH on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Malibu. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) On Monday, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman filed charges against 10 people who allegedly committed crimes while devastating wildfires were raging. Nine are facing felony charges in connection to residential burglaries and looting in the cities of Pacific Palisades and Altadena. The 10th defendant, 39-year-old Jose Gerardo Escobar, was charged with arson for intentionally starting a fire in Azusa, according to the DA. Investigators said Escobar lit a large tree on fire in Pioneer Park on January 10. "These crimes are appalling and represent a direct attack on our community during a time of unprecedented loss and vulnerability," Hochman said. "If you exploit this tragedy to prey on victims of these deadly fires, we will find you and we will prosecute you." Investigators have not determined what caused the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire. Lightning is the most common source of fires in the U.S., according to the National Fire Protection Association, but investigators quickly ruled that out. The next two most common causes are fires that are intentionally set or caused by electricity lines. The Associated Press contributed to this report.