Shell-shocked Los Angeles residents on Thursday surveyed the devastation from wind-whipped fires that have engulfed entire neighborhoods and claimed at least five lives, as forecasters warned of further dangerous conditions.
Several blazes were still burning out of control, with zero percent containment of fires in upscale Pacific Palisade and the northern suburb of Altadena鈥攚hich have both been incinerated.
鈥楢ltadena is just devastated,鈥� said Judy Chu, the US congresswoman representing the region, who visited an evacuation centre where 1,000 displaced residents sought shelter.
鈥楾hey are numb. They don鈥檛 know what they will return to once this fire is contained,鈥� she told local news KTLA.
Over 130,000 people across the western US metropolis remained under evacuation orders as meteorologists warned that 鈥榗ritical鈥� windy and dry conditions, though abated, were not over.
鈥楽ignificant fire growth remains likely with ongoing or new fires鈥� throughout Thursday and into Friday, said a National Weather Service bulletin.
But there was some good news for Hollywood, the historic home of the movie industry.
Residents were sent scrambling Wednesday night when a fire broke out in the adjacent hills.
But evacuation orders were lifted Thursday morning, after emergency workers succeeded in dousing the so-called Sunset Fire.
鈥楩ortunately, the Sunset Fire is under control,鈥� said Margaret Stewart, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles City Fire Department.
鈥榃e had multiple helicopters continuously dropping (water). And within an hour, a bulk of the fire had been knocked down,鈥� she said.
Fast-moving flames fanned by powerful winds have levelled more than 2,000 structures, many of them multi-million dollar homes in a tragedy that the US media describe as the worst in the city鈥檚 history.
Millions of Angelenos have watched in horror as blazes have erupted around America鈥檚 second biggest city, sparking panic and fear.
Winds with gusts up to 100 miles an hour spread the fire around the ritzy Pacific Palisades neighbourhood with lightning speed.
At least 17,000 acres burned there, with 1,000 homes and businesses razed.
A separate 10,600-acre fire was burning around Altadena, north of the city, where flames tore through suburban streets.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said five people were known to have perished, with more deaths feared.
