Dramatic photos show devastation caused by Southern California wildfires in just hours

The country’s second largest city has been engulfed in flames the past two days, prompting 155,000 to evacuate

Fires are tearing through Southern California forcing thousands to flee as panicked residents escape the fury being fueled by high winds.

The Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires started up in Los Angeles County on Tuesday, engulfing nearly 27,000 acres in the blaze as of Wednesday afternoon. Meanwhile, two others — the Tyler and Woodley fires — erupted nearby on Wednesday. Another erupted Wednesday night in the Hollywood Hills.

Officials are now warning that the situation is likely to get worse. Five people were killed and 150,000 were forced to evacuate.

Dramatic photos from Tuesday and Wednesday help tell the story of how a small fire exploded in hours, leading to disaster in the nation’s second-largest city.

A Los Angeles County firefighting helicopter drops water to battle the Palisades wildfire in Pacific Palisades, a neighborhood known for its beaches and celebrity residents. In a matter of hours, the blaze grew to more than 2,900 acres and prompted roughly 150,000 people to evacuate. Celebrities, including Hailey Bieber, Paris Hilton, and Chris Pratt offered prayers for the traumatized city. (EPA)

The Palisades Fire burns a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. There are five wildfires now burning in the Los Angeles area. They are rapidly growing with the help of a windstorm. Gusts of more than 70 miles per hour have been essentially fanning the flames. So much so that the Eaton fire now spans over 10,600 acres, almost surpassing the size of the Palisades fire, which started hours earlier on Tuesday, at 10:30 a.m. The Hurst fire, the smallest of the three, cropped up around the same time as the Palisades fire, and currently spans 700 acres. (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Elderly patients are rushed into emergency vehicles to be evacuated as the Eaton fire rages. Locals expressed concern about how the city’s notorious traffic was preventing people from being able to leave. Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar wrote on Instagram: “City of LA you want everyone to evacuate yet you have complete gridlock and not one traffic cop on the roads helping @cityoflosangeles @karenbassla.” Some residents trapped in traffic have even fled the area by foot, according to reports. (AFP via Getty Images)

Residents of a senior center are evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches Tuesday in Altadena. The flames, paired with the glow of emergency vehicles, have created a Mars red sky over the region, where an estimated 100,000 people are under evacuation orders. In Altadena alone, roughly 42,000 residents were forced to evacuate, according to the Washington Post. (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

A firefighter reacts as the Palisades wildfire burns multiple structures along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. Although thousands of emergency responders have been trying to put out the blazes, they are 0 percent contained as the windstorm fuels the fires, leading to more destruction. Actor Steve Guttenberg was spotted assisting fire crews near his home by clearing cars from the streets to give emergency vehicles access. He told Entertainment Weekly : “In a crisis, always remember that you are, you’re part of a community.” He continued: “And if you’re able-bodied, you’ve got to help. You’ve got to help. You can’t walk by somebody when they need something. You just can’t walk by them. You have to help them.” (EPA)

Firefighters spray water on a burning car on Sunset Boulevard. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass warned that the windstorm “is expected to worsen through the morning.” She said emergency shelters are available for those who have been evacuated due to the fires. As the largest three fires terrorize the region, the Woodley Fire also started burning in Los Angeles County just after 6 a.m. on Wednesday. It has already consumed 30 acres. (Getty)

Palisades Fire’s flames engulf a home in the Pacific Palisades enclave. The Tyler fire also started burning Wednesday morning at 3:30 a.m. in nearby Riverside, devouring 15 acres. Despite the raging blazes and smoke, no one has died from the fires as of Wednesday morning, officials said. “It is an absolute miracle that we do not have any reported fatalities at this point,” Los Angeles Councilwoman Traci Park said on the Today Show Wednesday. (Getty Images)

Firefighters surround the Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church during a powerful windstorm on January 8. Gavin Newsom, the state’s governor, declared a state of emergency Tuesday. President Joe Biden has offered federal assistance to suppress the fires and said that FEMA approved a grant to support areas that are impacted and help reimburse California for firefighting costs. (Getty Images)

A home is engulfed in flames during the Eaton fire in Pasadena, California on January 7. More than 150,000 people in Los Angeles County were experiencing blackout conditions, according to PowerOutage.us. as a result of the blazes. (AFP via Getty Images)

Police officers remove an eldery resident from her home during the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on January 8. “We were having dinner with the family and we just had to leave because the fire was coming so fast,” Darinka Whitmore from Eaton Canyon in Altadena, who fled with her husband and their four children, told The New York Times . “We just grabbed our backpacks and our kids and our doggies.” (AFP via Getty Images)

An estimated 1,000 structures have been destroyed by the blaze in the Palisades, making it the most destructive fire in LA’s history. Although no deaths had been reported in the area, there were a high number of significant injuries for residents who did not evacuate, according to LAFD fire chief Athony Marrone. The Sayre Fire, the last most destructive wildfire, occurred in November 2008. It destroyed 604 structures in the suburb of Sylmar. (REUTERS)

A cyclist pedals past a burning structure on Lake Avenue, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in the downtown Altadena section of Pasadena, California. (AP)