As the fires rage on, powerful images tell stories of fear, desperation and solidarity in the sprawling California city.

 

Smoke from wildfires including the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire in Los Angeles
Smoke from wildfires turned the sky red in Los Angeles - IMAGE SOURCE, PATRICK FALLON/AFP

Firefighters work as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades
 IMAGE SOURCE, DAVID SWANSON/AFP  Firefighters tackled brush fires burning in Pacific Palisades - 

The first sign of worry for many was thick smoke blowing down from the hills of the affluent Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, which borders Santa Monica and the famous Malibu coast.

 

Santa Monica Pier with smoke from the Palisades fire in the distance
IMAGE SOURCE, MARCUS UBUNGEN/LOS ANGELES TIMES VIA GETTY IMAGES
Santa Monica Pier with smoke from the Palisades fire in the distance 

 

LA residents are accustomed to wildfires but the Palisades fire spread rapidly out of control. Dry conditions and fierce winds fanned the flames and made the largest blazes difficult to contain.

 

Winds whip up the fires in the brush of the hills near Pacific Palisades
Winds whipped up fires in the brush of the hills / IMAGE SOURCE, HANS GUTKNECHT/MEDIANEWS GROUP VIA GETTY IMAGES
In Altadena, the fire swept through homes and businesses, razing entire neighborhoods.
IMAGE SOURCE, BRIAN VAN DER BRUG/LOS ANGELES TIMES VIA GETTY IMAGES

 

 

A Super SCooper plane drops water on the Palisades fire
Planes tried to stem the spread by dropping water on the flames
Firefighters battle a house fire off Bollinger Drive in Pacific Palisades
Eventually firefighters had to stop trying to save houses
IMAGE SOURCE, WALLY SKALIJ/LOS ANGELES TIMES VIA GETTY IMAGES

 

People were ordered to evacuate. Some had only minutes to grab precious belongings and leave.


Patients are evacuated from the Brighton Care Center
 IMAGE SOURCE, JOSH EDELSON/AFP - Care home residents needed help leaving their accommodation

Families grabbed whatever they could carry
Families grabbed whatever they could carry / IMAGE SOURCE, CAROLINE BREHMAN/EPA

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Animals are evacuated from a number of wildfires, at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank,
Large animals were taken to safety by volunteers. MAGE SOURCE, CARLIN STIEHL/REUTERS



In an aerial view, destroyed homes are seen along the beach as the Palisades Fire continues to burn on January 09, 2025 in Malibu, California
 IMAGE SOURCE, MARIO TAMA/GETTY IMAGES
A firefighting helicopter drops water as the Sunset Fire burns in the Hollywood Hills on January 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California
 IMAGE SOURCE, MARIO TAMA/GETTY IMAGES
A wind-driven fire rips through homes on January 7, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
 IMAGE SOURCE, MARIO TAMA/GETTY IMAGES
A resident views his property as it burns during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles
 IMAGE SOURCE, MARIO TAMA/GETTY IMAGES
Burned cars in a lot destroyed by the Eaton wildfire in Altadena, California, USA, 08 January 2025.
 IMAGE SOURCE, MARIO TAMA/GETTY IMAGES

 

The two largest blazes are the most destructive to ever hit the city and early estimates suggest the cost of the damage will run into billions of dollars.


An aerial view of destroyed homes by the Palisades fire
 IMAGE SOURCE, MARIO TAMA/GETTY IMAGES

 

With thousands now homeless and others trying to track down loved ones, the fires have inflicted an emotional toll and deep uncertainty about the future.

 

Residents looks at the ruins of a home destroyed by the Eaton Fire in Altadena
IMAGE SOURCE, ZOË MEYERS/AFP

Credits

Produced and edited by Dominic Bailey, Pilar Tomas, Chris Clayton and Tom Finn. Development by Dan Smith and Giacomo Boscaini-Gilroy. Picture research by George Burke, BBC picture desk.