North America correspondent Jade Macmillan reports on the damage on LA's west coast.
Street after street, there is little but dark ash and ruin where a wealthy seaside enclave favoured by celebrities once stood.
Blackened trees stand out amid the rubble, and the occasional mansion remains, suddenly exposed to view from all sides.
Some properties are still smouldering after flames destroyed entire neighbourhoods. (AP: Mark J. Terrill)
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Photos that an Associated Press photographer took from a helicopter on Thursday show the extent of the devastation from most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history.
The extent of the devastation from the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history is starting to become apparent in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood. (AP: Mark J. Terrill)
In some streets, occasional mansions stand unscathed directly alongside properties that were entirely destroyed in the fires. (AP: Mark J. Terrill)
Along Malibu's coastline, charred skeletons of homes that stood prior to the blaze are all that remain. (AP: Mark J. Terrill)
The fire, one of several in the area that left at least five people dead this week, levelled much of Pacific Palisades — a community that had long served as a backdrop in films and TV shows.
Smoke continues to rise from the charred skeletons of beachfront properties, as the white foam of the surf washes up on the sand just feet away.
On some lots, only the chimneys were left standing.
Properties worth millions that were located just metres from Malibu's famous beach line have been left as blackened, crumbling rubble. (AP: Mark J. Terrill)
In beachside area of Pacific Palisades, dozens of blocks of properties were destroyed and left completely flattened, with ashen palm trees all that remain. (AP: Mark J. Terrill)
The Palisades was once a highly-desirable location to live in Los Angeles. It has now been utterly transformed by devastation. (AP: Mark J. Terrill)
The Palisades was envisioned a century ago as a religious commune.
Its beauty and proximity to nature — a long stretch of Pacific beach, craggy bluffs and deep, verdant canyons — and downtown Los Angeles made it highly desirable.
The median home listing price there was $US4.6 million ($7.4 million), with one eight-bedroom estate priced at nearly $40 million, according to the website Realtor.com.
It has been utterly transformed.
Smoke plumes that continue to form over the greater Los Angeles basin area show just how sizable the fires are in comparison to the city. (AP: Mark J. Terrill)
Among the destroyed properties were homes belonging to Billy Crystal, Jeff Bridges, Paris Hilton and R&B star Jhené Aiko.
Among the landmarks that were damaged or ruined were Palisades Charter High School, which appeared in films including Carrie and a remake of Freaky Friday, the ranch of Hollywood legend Will Rogers, and the Reel Inn Malibu, a seafood shack whose fans include Cindy Crawford and Jerry Seinfeld, among others.
Four days after powerful winds gave fuel to what began as small fires, firefighters on Friday were battling several blazes in some places while in others evacuees returned to what was left of their homes.
The emotions
The devastation provoked strong emotions. One couple hugged, a wasteland of destroyed homes behind them.
Luke Dexter was visibly emotional while sifting through the rubble of his father's fire-ravaged beachfront home in Pacific Palisades. (AP: John Locher)
Another man, wearing a mask, put his hands on his head.
Another man, also wearing a mask, leaned on a garden rake, as if trying to figure out where to start working amid so much destruction.
Paul Perri's daughter lost everything in the Palisades blaze. (AP: Eric Thayer)
The rubble
In large areas of Los Angeles, the aftermath looked like bombed out war zones.
In large areas of Los Angeles, the aftermath of the fires resembled bombed out war zones. (AP: Jae C. Hong)
Where there once stood houses, now there was only rubble.
In an area once known for its proximity to nature's beauty, the fires have left little more than piles of crumbling rubble. (AP: John Locher)
Ongoing battle
Despite the destruction and emotional rollercoaster being lived by Angelinos, the fires were far from over.
At the Altadena Community Church, all that remains is a marble archway smeared with ash, bordering alongside the desrtuction caused by the Eaton Fire. (AP: Jae C. Hong)
Scenes of flames were everywhere, as many areas continued to burn all but unabated.
AP
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