Massive wildfires roaring through the Los Angeles area left neighborhoods in ruins Wednesday, killing at least two people and threatening landmarks made famous by Hollywood as desperate residents escaped through flames, hurricane-force winds, and columns of smoke.
Three major blazes that erupted just a day earlier blanketed the city with a dangerous, thick cloud of smoke and ash and destroyed homes across the metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, home of the famed Rose Parade.
The fire in and around Pacific Palisades, a wealthy neighborhood nestled between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, has decimated an estimated 1,000 structures, making it one of the most destructive blazes ever in Los Angeles.
The burning Altadena Community Church in Pasadena. | Source: Chris Pizzello/AP Photo
Residents of a senior center in Altadena are evacuated Tuesday. | Source: Ethan Swope/AP Photo
A spiral staircase burns at a Pacific Palisades residence on Tuesday morning. | Source: Ethan Swope/AP Photo
The Palisades fire burns a Christmas tree inside a home. | Source: Ethan Swope/AP Photo
Firefighters at work in Pacific Palisades. | Source: Ethan Swope/AP Photo
Jimmy Orlandini shields himself from the intense heat as he hoses down a neighbor's rooftop on Sinaloa Avenue in Altadena. | Source: Robert Gauthier/LA Times/Getty I
A house burns in Pacific Palisades. | Source: Ethan Swope/AP Photo
Thick, heavy smoke shrouds downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday. | Source: Richard Vogel/AP Photo
An Altadena resident uses a garden hose in an effort to save a neighboring home. | Source: Mario Tama/Getty Images
A senior center resident is evacuated in Altadena. | Source: Ethan Swope/AP Photo
Firefighters enter the garage of a burning home as they battle the Eaton fire. | Source: David McNew/Getty Images
A car and home burn in Altadena. | Source: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images
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Ruins left behind by the fire in Pacific Palisades. | Source: Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo
The Palisades fire burns a home in Malibu. | Source: Eric Thayer/Getty Images
The high winds push embers toward a home. | Source: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Firefighters douse flames at the Two Palms Nursing Center in Altadena. | Source: Robert Gauthier/LA Times/Getty Images
The Palisades fire approaches the ocean along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. | Source: Wally Skalij/LA Times/Getty Images