Deadly Wildfires Burn Through Los Angeles: Photos

A firefighter douses the flames as a helicopter drops water around homes threatened by the wind-driven Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, January 7, 2025. A fast-moving brushfire in a Los Angeles suburb burned buildings and sparked evacuations Tuesday as "life threatening" winds whipped the region. More than 200 acres (80 hectares) was burning in Pacific Palisades, a upscale spot with multi-million dollar homes in the Santa Monica Mountains, shuttering a key highway and blanketing the area with thick smoke. (Photo by DAVID SWANSON / AFP) (Photo by DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images)

In less than 24 hours, a string of fires have ravaged Southern California, destroying countless homes and forcing thousands to evacuate. As of publication, the fires have caused two fatalities and turned more than  1,000 homes, businesses, and other structures to ash. The first blaze erupted in the Pacific Palisades, a coastal area west of Los Angeles; additional fires have since cropped up in the Eaton Canyon area and the northern part of the San Fernando Valley. Spurred by windstorms and fueled by dry vegetation, the fires have shown few signs of slowing down. And both natural factors and dwindling resources have hindered the ability of firefighters to contain and combat the blazes. Here’s a selection of photos documenting the devastation and the efforts to stop it and help those in need.