Most harrowing photos reveal LA’s ‘war scene’ from the wildfires

Flames have ripped through neighbourhoods and razed thousands of homes in a natural disaster that has been likened to a “war scene.” See the photos.

Flames have ripped through neighbourhoods and razed thousands of homes in a natural disaster that US President Joe Biden likened to a “war scene.”

The Los Angeles wildfires are “still very dangerous” and reprieve from the intense gusts that spread embers will not last, emergency chiefs have warned.

“The winds have died down today, but... are going to increase again in the coming days,” Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said.

Authorities have said it was too early to know the cause, as firefighters try to contain at least six blazes.

Gusty Santa Ana winds are also threatening to move the fire front faster, making it difficult for them to get on top of it.

As the scale of the damage to America’s second-biggest city came into focus — one new estimate suggested the bill could hit $A245 billion — LA locals grappled with the heart-rending ruin.

With fears of looting and crime growing, California Governor Gavin Newsom has deployed the National Guard to bolster law enforcement.

A nighttime curfew has been imposed in evacuated areas, and dozens of arrests made.

See how the tragic LA wildfires have unfolded so far below in photos:

The Palisades Fire ravages a neighbourhood amid high winds. Picture: AP

A Los Angeles County firefighters spray water on a burning home as the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California. Picture: AFP

A firefighter battles flames from the Palisades Fire. Picture: AFP

A McDonald's restaurant is showered in embers during the Eaton fire in Pasadena. Picture: AFP

Firefighters battle winds and flames as multiple beachfront homes go up in flames along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu in the Palisades Fire. Picture: Getty

A person uses a garden hose in an effort to save a neighbouring home from catching fire during the Eaton Fire. Picture: AFP

A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire while it burns homes at Pacific Coast Highway amid a powerful windstorm. Picture: Getty

A firefighter battles the Eaton Fire. Picture: AP

A helicopter flies over homes threatened by the wind-driven Palisades Fire. Picture: AFP

Flames from the wind-driven Eaton Fire engulf a house in Altadena. Picture: AFP

Firefighters battle the Palisades Fire as it burns multiple structures. Picture: AP

A helicopter drops water around homes threatened by the wind-driven Palisades Fire. Picture: AFP

A home burns during the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California. Picture: AFP

Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles. Picture: AP

Fire personnel respond to homes destroyed while a helicopter drops water as the Palisades Fire grows in Pacific Palisades. Picture: AFP

A firefighting helicopter drops water as the Sunset Fire burns in the Hollywood Hills with evacuations ordered. Picture: AFP

Water is dropped by helicopter on the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles. Picture: AP

Firefighters protect a structure as the Eaton Fire advances. Picture: AP

A resident of a senior center is evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches. Picture: AP

A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire while it burns homes at Pacific Coast Highway amid a powerful windstorm in Los Angeles. Picture: Getty

Firefighters work as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades, California. Picture: AFP

Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building on Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful windstorm in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles. Picture: Getty

General view of Sunset Boulevard during the wildfires in Los Angeles. Picture: Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire around a burned structure. Picture: AP

A firefighter protects a beachfront property while fighting the Palisades Fire in Malibu. Picture: AP

Megan Mantia, left, and her boyfriend Thomas, return to her fire-damaged home after the Eaton Fire swept through. Picture: AP

A spiral staircase stands amidst the smoldering skeleton of a house destroyed by the Palisades fire along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California. Picture: AFP

A man walks past a fire-ravaged business after the Eaton Fire swept through. Picture: AP

The Tahitian Terrace mobile home park on Pacific Coast Highway, destroyed in the Palisades Fire. Picture: AFP

The devastation from the Palisades Fire is seen from the air. Picture: AP

In this aerial view taken from a helicopter, burned homes are seen from above during the Palisades fire near the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood. Picture: AFP

In this aerial view taken from a helicopter, homes burned from the Palisade fire smoulder near the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood. Picture: AFP

Burned houses from the Palisades Fire are seen. Picture: Getty

The devastation from the Palisades Fire is seen from the air. Picture: AP

A US flag and Christmas decorations are seen on the remains of a home after the passage of the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades. Picture: AFP

In this aerial view taken from a helicopter, homes burned from the Palisade fire are shown. Picture: AFP

More homes burned from the Palisade fire as seen from a helicopter. Picture: AFP

Burned trees and wildfire smoke from the Palisades Fire are seen from Will Rogers State Park with the City of Los Angeles in the distance. Picture: Getty

Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles. Picture: AP

Photos from the International Space Station show the Palisades Fire burning. Picture: Nasa

Photos from the International Space Station show blacked out parts of LA. Picture: Nasa

Satellite image shows smoke rising as the Palisades Fire burns close to buildings near Topanga, California. Picture: Maxar Technologies / AFP

In this aerial view taken from a helicopter, burned homes are seen during the Palisades fire in the Malibu area of Los Angeles. Picture: AFP

This satellite image shows a view of downtown Altadena, California, with many homes and structures damaged or destroyed by the Eaton Fire. Picture: Maxar Technologies / AFP

This satellite image shows smoke rising from the Palisades Fire. Picture: Maxar Technologies / AFP

This satellite image taken shows fire fighters and fire victims at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, as the Eaton Fire continues to burn. Picture: Maxar Technologies / AFP

This combination of satellite images shows homes along West Loma Alta Drive in Altadena, California, on January 6, 2025 (top) and on January 10, 2025 after being destroyed by the Eaton Fire. Picture: Maxar Technologies / AFP

This satellite image shows smoke as the Eaton Fire continues to burn in Altadena, California. Picture: Maxar Technologies / AFP

A firefighter inspects a burned house from the Palisades Fire. Picture: Getty

In this aerial view taken from a helicopter, burned homes are seen from above during the Palisades fire in Malibu, Los Angeles. Picture: AFP

The Altadena Community Church lies in ruin destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Altadena, California. Picture: AFP

Burned-out cars and homes reduced to rubble by the Eaton Fire are seen in Altadena, California. Picture: AFP

The rubble of a home destroyed in the Palisades Fire is seen through a window frame. Picture: AFP

A person watches from a balcony as a firefighting aircraft drops the fire retardant Phos-Chek near homes during the Palisades Fire as wildfires cause damage and loss through Los Angeles County. Picture: Getty

A firetruck drives up a street with charred vehicles left by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California. Picture: AFP

A National Guard soldier mans a roadblock in Altadena, California during the Eaton Fire. Picture: AFP

Members of the Army National Guard eat lunch along Pacific Coast Highway while on deployment to assist with various fires in Los Angeles. Picture: AFP

Firefighters walk around a neighbourhood turning off gas valves at homes as the Eaton Fire continues to burn in Altadena, California. Picture: AFP

US President Joe Biden listens during a briefing on the federal response to the Los Angeles wildfires in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC. Picture: AFP

People arrive with their pets at an evacuation centre in the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California, as they flee wildfires. Picture: AFP

Danielle Maki hugs a family member while viewing her brother's burned home during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles. Picture: AFP

A sprinkler is utilized at a building as the Palisades Fire burns near the Mandeville Canyon neighbourhood. Picture: Getty

A firefighting helicopter drops water as the Palisades Fire burns toward the Mandeville Canyon. Picture: Getty

The Palisades Fire continues to burn above the remains of Community United Methodist Church, with a police helicopter flying past as wildfires cause damage and loss. Picture: Getty

A view of destroyed homes as the Palisades Fire continues to burn with wildfires causing damage and loss through Los Angeles County in Pacific Palisades. Picture: Getty

A CalFire helicopter drops water next to a building near hillsides scorched by the Palisades Fire in Fernwood, Topanga, a community in western Los Angeles County. Picture: AFP

LAFD emergency vehicles line up along Mulholland drive as the Palisades Fire burns towards the Encino neighbourhood in Los Angeles, California. Picture: AFP

Barely damaged patio furniture lies in the rubble of a house destroyed by the Palisades Fire, near Saddle Peak, in the Santa Monica Mountains between Malibu and Calabasas, California. Picture: AFP

Originally published as Most harrowing photos reveal LA’s ‘war scene’ from the wildfires