Photos capture how wildfires are ravaging through Southern California 3 days after igniting

By ETHAN SWOPE, ETIENNE LAURENT, PETER PRENGAMAN and ALYSSA GOODMAN The Associated Press

The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Ethan Swope]

Major wildfires around Los Angeles raged on Thursday as firefighters struggled to put out blazes three days after they began with strong winds ripped through the mountains and foothills.

Ongoing flames

All around Los Angeles, scenes of flames were everywhere, as many areas continued to burn all but unabated. Many people were forced to go about their lives. One person rode a bike past flames, while others walked past houses that were burning.

Protecting Structures

Amid the destruction, firefighters tried to save homes — or keep others from being chewed up. Holding large hoses, in one area firefighters pumped water. In another, a firefighter worked at putting out flames in a house already largely destroyed. In many cases, the best case scenario was simply making sure that embers didn’t fly in the winds and ignite more structures.

Two people ride by on motorcycles as the Palisades Fire destroys an area in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Etienne Laurent

The fallout

In areas where people who had been evacuated could return, what awaited them was dire. A couple, arms around each other, looked at what was left of their smoldering home. Another person stood, using their arm to cover their face, next to a home that looked like it had been bombed. A statue of a human, without a head, lay on a street, surrounded by debris from the destruction.

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