Two massive wildfires menacing Los Angeles from the east and west are still burning uncontained, but a brief respite from the fierce winds that have fanned the flames for two days allowed crews to slow their explosive spread.
The Palisades fire between Santa Monica and Malibu on the city's western flank and the Eaton fire in the east near Pasadena already rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles history, consuming nearly 28,000 acres so far and turning entire neighborhoods to ash.
At least five people have been killed, thousands of structures have been incinerated and nearly 180,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes, with another 200,000 under evacuation warnings, officials said.
The death toll is likely to rise, Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna told a press conference earlier today.
The Eaton fire's growth has been significantly stopped, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said, though it remains 0% contained.
While still strong, winds have diminished since the 160km/h gusts seen earlier in the week, permitting crucial aerial support for crews on the ground.
"We have a much better posture than we did on Tuesday and Wednesday," Mr Marrone said.
However officials warned that wind gusts of up to 95km/h were forecast to persist throughout the day, and Kristin Crowley, Los Angeles City Fire Department Chief, said residents should be prepared to evacuate if ordered.
"It is safe to say that the Palisades fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles," Ms Crowley said.
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Firefighting crews managed to beat back a third blaze, known as the Sunset Fire, which had forced mandatory evacuations in Hollywood and Hollywood Hills - including famous show-business locations such as the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Walk of Fame - late yesterday.
The fire was fully contained, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said on social media.
No buildings were lost in the area, a city fire department spokeswoman said, and the evacuation order was lifted.
It was one of at least five separate wildfires burning in Los Angeles County today as powerful winds spread flames across parched ground that has seen no rain for months.
Ms Bass described it as a "perfect storm" of dangerous conditions.
The mayor, who was on an official trip to Ghana when the first fires broke out, has faced some criticism over whether the city was adequately prepared.
She told reporters today that her focus right now was on protecting people and that the city would evaluate the response's effectiveness after the crisis is contained.
"We have to save lives, and we have to save homes," she said.
US President Joe Biden was set to meet with top administration officials in the afternoon to discuss the federal response, the White House said.
Visible from space
The two biggest conflagrations - the Palisades and Eaton fires - formed a pincer around the city so enormous that it was visible from space.
The homes of movie stars and celebrities were among those consumed by flames, which tore through some of the world's most lavish real estate.
"We are heartbroken of course, but with the love of children and friends we will get through this," said film star Billy Crystal and his wife Janice, announcing the Pacific Palisades home where they had lived since 1979 had been destroyed.
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Media personality Paris Hilton said she was "heartbroken beyond words" after watching her beachfront house in Malibu "burn to the ground on live TV."
The fires struck at an especially vulnerable time for Southern California, which has not seen any significant rainfall for months.
Then came the powerful Santa Ana winds, bringing dry desert air from the east toward the coastal mountains, fanning wildfires while blowing over the hilltops and down through the canyons.
The National Weather Service extended Red Flag warnings - issued when the risk for fire is high due to low humidity, high winds and warm temperatures - for Los Angeles and Ventura counties through 6pm tomorrow.
Water shortages caused some hydrants to run dry in upscale Pacific Palisades, wedged between Malibu and Santa Monica, officials said yesterday.
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Like 'something out of a movie'
Some residents ventured back to areas the fire had already swept through, where brick chimneys were left looming over charred waste and burnt-out vehicles.
"I had just come from my family home where my mother lives that was burned to a crisp ... And then I came up to my home and- same thing. It's completely dust," said Oliver Allnatt, 36, wearing ski goggles and a filtered face mask as he took pictures of the ruins.
"Basically just a chimney stack and a pile of ash. I mean, it's something out of a movie."
Thousands of Angelenos fleeing the flames sought refuge in temporary shelters. Foad Farid found refuge in the gym of the Westwood Recreation Center with nothing but his car and his phone. Neighbours dropped off blankets, clothing, water, pizza and pet food.
Jeff Harris arrived towing his Feisty Fish Poke food truck and began serving meals. "I'm just here to help," he said.
Kevin Williams, at an evacuation center in Pasadena, said he knew it was time to run when gas canisters at his neighbours' homes began exploding under the heat.
"The wind whipped up, the flames were up about 30 or 40 feet high, and you hear 'pop, pop, pop.' It sounded like a war zone."
Aerial video by KTLA television showed block after block of smoldering homes in Pacific Palisades, the smoky grid occasionally punctuated by the orange blaze of another home still on fire.
The scale and spread of the blazes stretched exhausted firefighting crews beyond their capacity.
Firefighters from six other US states were being rushed to California, while an additional 250 engine companies with 1,000 personnel were being moved from northern California to southern California, Mr Marrone told a press conference.
The fires struck at an especially vulnerable time for southern California, which has not seen significant rainfall for months.
Then came the powerful Santa Ana winds, bringing dry desert air from the east toward the coastal mountains, fanning wildfires while blowing over the hilltops and down through the canyons.
Galway woman Sinead Clancy said she has experienced "two or three really bad fires" since moving to LA but has never seen anything like this one.
Ms Clancy lives in Montrose, La Crescenta, but was evacuated due to the fire and is now staying at her fiance's house in Burbank.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said: "We got our first 'get ready to evacuate' notice at 6am. We started getting ready, getting materials, passports, things that were important to us.
"About an hour later we were told get out now, leave now. That's when we got in the car. It's hard to describe, there was thick, black smoke everywhere. You could see the fire over the ridge down our street. We just jumped in the car."
Ms Clancy said there is "no containment" and there is not enough water.
"There's just no way to tackle this, they're completely unprepared, it's horrifying," she said.
"I'm watching friends lose their homes, there's so many people I know who live in those neighbourhoods."
