Fire-wrecked Los Angeles waited nervously for dangerous winds to drop and give a much-needed break to weary firefighters who are still struggling to snuff out deadly blazes.
More than a week after fires fanned by hurricane-force gusts began a destructive march that has left 24 people dead and large areas of the city in ruins, forecasters said the end may be in sight.
There will be "a big improvement for tonight and tomorrow, though there'll still be some lingering areas of concern," the National Weather Service's Ryan Kittell said.
Part of Los Angeles County and much of neighbouring Ventura County remained in a "particularly dangerous situation," a designation that was in effect before last week's deadly blazes.
The Eaton fire and the Palisades fire, which together have scorched more than 40,000 acres, were still smouldering today.
Battalions of firefighters from across the United States, as well as from Mexico, were working to tamp down hotspots that could still flare, Los Angeles City fire chief Kristin Crowley said.
"Infrared flights last night indicated there are still numerous hot spots burning within the fire footprint and very close attention was paid to address any flare ups swiftly as to prevent any fire spread outside of the perimeter," she said.
With tens of thousands of people still displaced by the fires, life was far from normal in America's second biggest city.
However, children whose schools were damaged or still affected by evacuation orders were welcomed into other institutions.
The confirmed death toll from the fires stood at 24 - down from 25 after the Los Angeles County Coroner said one apparent body was not human - but the number of fatalities could still rise with hundreds of buildings still to be searched.
More than 12,000 structures have been completely destroyed, including multi-million dollar homes in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood.
Estimates of the eventual cost of the tragedy have now risen to as high as $275billion (€267bn), a figure that would make it one of the most expensive in US history.
Federal authorities have launched a probe into the causes of the fires, as theories swirl over who was responsible.
"We know everyone wants answers and the community deserves answers," said Jose Medina of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which is taking the lead.
"ATF will give you those answers, but it will be once we complete a thorough investigation."
California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered debris removal teams to be on standby yesterday, as emergency managers look ahead to possible winter rainstorms that could provoke mudslides.
However some Palisades locals are not waiting, working to remove scorched debris from roads and footpaths themselves.
Contractor Chuck Hart and his crew were at a construction site in the neighbourhood when the fire broke out.
After they saved his mother's house from encroaching flames, Mr Hart said they began making rounds to clean debris from the streets.
"We just rock-and-rolled," he said. "We've just been doing that non-stop ever since."
"We're going to do everything we can to get this place back up and running as quickly as possible."
