Landscapes turned into hellscapes, shock and the ongoing fight against wildfires in Los Angeles

Firefighters on Saturday raced to get the upperhand on blazes chewing through homes in the greater Los Angeles area, five days after powerful winds swept across a bone-dry landscape and fueled urban wildfires that have turned much of the world famous city into a hellscape.

The ongoing fight

While firefighters made gains on the fires, the battle was far from over. From both the air and the ground, firefighters attacked the flames. Hazardous smoke, from both active burning and smoldering homes, filled the skies.

The devastation

Parts of Los Angeles, the city internationally known for its movie industry, now looked like the sets of war movies. Large swaths of neighborhoods were all but eliminated, with houses flattened and blackened trees.

The shock

People returning to what was left of their homes were clearly in shock. They hugged, cried and sometimes just stood in place, as if trying to take it all in.

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