Powerful photos reveal dramatic scenes as LA fires rage

A person uses a cellphone to take a picture of a burning building while sitting on a stationary scooter with their hood up at the Eaton Fire in Altadena on Wednesday.David Swanson/Reuters
George Burke
BBC News

At least five different wildfires are still raging around north west Los Angeles, with the latest one engulfing the iconic Hollywood Hills.

Five people are confirmed dead, with more than 130,000 evacuated in what have become the most destructive wildfires in LA's history.

California fire chief David Acuna said there was "zero progress" in containing the fires because of high winds and dry conditions.

Photographers have captured dramatic scenes across the city as firefighters continue to work to control the blazes, which first erupted on Tuesday.

A Los Angeles County firefighter drags a water hose in front of a fire engine that's shooting water at a building, as they take up positions to battle the Palisades wildfire in Malibu on Wednesday.Allison Dinner/EPA

Weary firefighters have been battling the wildfires throughout Tuesday and Wednesday

Three Los Angeles County firefighters look away from camera and gesture next to a burning home while trying to protect homes from the Eaton wildfire in Altadena on WednesdayCaroline Brehman/EPA

California fire chief David Acuna said there had been "zero progress" in containing the fires on Wednesday because of high winds and dry conditions

Smoke rises from burnt-down beachfront homes along the coastal road to Malibu on Wednesday, showing rows of buildings destroyed from the fires.Mike Blake/Reuters

Powerful winds amplified the initial Pacific Palisades fire, which ripped through Malibu and devastated this stretch of the coast

Heavy smoke fills the LA skyline as multiple fires rage in Los Angeles on Wednesday.Carlin Stiehl/Reuters

A thick, hazy smoke could be seen enveloping the city after two days of raging wildfires without an end in sight

Thick smoke from the Palisades Fire rises over a wide view of Los Angeles on Wednesday.Getty Images

While more localised smoke billowed from the affected areas

A husband and wife embrace in their fire-ravaged neighborhood, in front of burnt rubble, both wearing helmets and protective face masks, after the Palisades Fire swept through in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Wednesday.Etienne Laurent/AP

Some residents of the Pacific Palisades have seen certain neighbourhoods reduced to rubble

A man in a wide-brimmed hat fetches water while standing next to a red vehicle with a kayak on top of it, along the Pacific Coast Highway on Wednesday.Daniel Cole/Reuters

People gathered essential supplies with so many forced to flee

California Governor Gavin Newsom looks away from camera as he surveys damage during the Palisades Fire, surrounded by personnel and with smoke rising in the background.Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register

California Governor Gavin Newsom said that more than 1400 firefighters have been deployed to tackle the "unprecedented" fires

A firefighting helicopter drops water as the Sunset Fire burns in the Hollywood Hills at night time on Wednesday, with a view of the LA skyline in the background.Mario Tama/Getty Images

The fires have spread north and east over Wednesday, with the Sunset Fire burning in the Hollywood Hills

A fire engine drives down Sunset Boulevard as a building butns in the background with smoke rising on WednesdayBellocqimages/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

As firefighters worked to contain the fires on Sunset Boulevard

A person carrying a US flag after removing it from the flagpole in their garden walks away from a burning house at the Eaton Fire in Altadena on Wednesday.David Swanson/Reuters

Residents rushed to save important items as their homes burned - this picture shows a man calmly removing the US flag flying in his cousin's front garden

A woman unloads her horse from its trailer, helped by an official, after evacuating Altadena at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank on WednesdayCarlin Stiehl/Reuters

Animals have also been taken to safety, with the Los Angeles Equestrian Center forced to evacuate from Burbank

Firefighters battle a blaze in an apartment complex on La Cruz Drive during the Palisades Fire on Wednesday, with fire and smoke rising from the building.Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register

Some areas of the Pacific Palisades still burned into Wednesday, pictured here a blaze on La Cruz Drive

Silhouetted firefighters gather in front of a fire engine next to a burning house in the Pacific Palisades areaKyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images

This followed huge efforts to tackle the initial Pacific Palisades fires on Tuesday

A helicopter drops water over burning hills, with a huge plume of smoke rising above them, in Pacific Palisades.David Swanson/AFP

Wind gusts of more than 80mph (126km/h) fanned the flames on Tuesday, with winds still high on Wednesday

Sparks and debris fly through the air with a firefighter holding a water cannon in the foreground and a fence and trees in the background, on the west side of LA.Ringo Chiu/Reuters

The fires caused many dramatic scenes as debris blew through residential areas on Tuesday

A close up view of a group of firefighters as they climb a smoky burnt hill with trees on it, in the Pacific Palisades.Caroline Brehman/EPA

Los Angeles County firefighters took up positions to tackle the blaze on Tuesday

A police officer escorts a homeless woman pushing her belongings on a trolley, on a street with a police car and burning mountain in the background, in Topanga Canyon Blvd.Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

While police officers were out on the streets, escorting people to safety and aiding evacuation efforts

A woman holds her dog and belongings while evacuating, as she walks down a street with fire in the background, in the Pacific Palisades.Caroline Brehman/EPA

More than 130,000 people have been ordered to evacuate the area as of Wednesday

Firefighters are silhouetted against a yellow sky as they battle fire from the on the beachfront along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News

Beachfront homes lit up with orange hues along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on Tuesday

A Los Angeles firefighter drags a hose past cars trying in a smoky street in Pacific Palisades.Caroline Brehman/EPA

And firefighters had to dodge residents evacuating areas affected by the fires

Rear view of a firefighter wearing a yellow helmet with the word 'Williams' on the back of it, as they fire a water cannon at a burning building in the Pacific Palisades.Caroline Brehman/EPA

Water cannons have been deployed across the city to extinguish the flames

A McDonald's restaurant is seen behind a burning palm tree bent by high winds in PasadenaJosh Edelson/AFP

The usually iconic-looking palm trees of Los Angeles have bent and burned in the wake of the wildfires

A silhouetted firefighter fires a water cannon in front of huge flames in a valley with burning hills and a fire helicopter in the background in Pacific PalisadesDavid Swanson/AFP

Helicopters have been working alongside fire officers to try and stop the spread across hilly, wooded areas of west LA

Top image shows an onlooker in front of a burning building at the site of the Eaton Fire in Altadena on Wednesday.

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