Firefighters are battling to control a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed five people, ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and sent thousands of people frantically fleeing their homes.

Life in Los Angeles: The fires erupted quickly, in a way residents knew was possible but many were unprepared for. Families of notable sports figures were among those evacuating, and the flames forced cancellations of Hollywood events while some celebrities’ homes burned down.

The flames are threatening Pacific Palisades, an affluent coastal neighborhood that is home to about 24,000 people, roughly 20 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. Officials ordered residents to evacuate immediately. Part of the Pacific Coast Highway and several nearby schools were closed.

Firefighters are struggling to contain several wildfires as a windstorm sweeps through the Los Angeles County area.

At least five people have been killed and thousands of structures have burned in wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area

Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes in California as six fires continue to devastate the Los Angeles area.

In a post on X, Erik Scott, a fire captain for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said the plane was damaged and is now “out of service.” Air quality in downtown Los Angeles is listed as unhealthy for sensitive groups,

Two massive wildfires menacing Los Angeles from the east and west were still burning uncontained on Thursday, but a brief respite from the fierce winds that have fanned the flames for two days allowed crews to slow their explosive spread.