Recent wildfires have reduced Los Angeles – the second largest city in the United States and home to the country’s rich and famous – to rubble. Images taken from the air show Block after block of grayish-brown ash leaves only skeletal remains of homes, restaurants and shops in the once prosperous neighborhood.
Two fires that broke out on January 7 have burned an area roughly the size of Washington, D.C., according to the California Fire Department. The fire, one of the most devastating natural disasters in Southern California, has killed at least 28 people and damaged or destroyed nearly 16,000 structures.

(Source: Reuters)
While catastrophic destruction in Pacific Palisades and Malibu to the west grabbed most of the headlines, Altadena to the east suffered even more damage.
Photographs taken from helicopters of fire-damaged areas show some stone chimneys and trees standing in Altadena, the city that bore the brunt of the Easton Fire.

(Source: Reuters)
Several backyard swimming pools, burned cars, and twisted metal from homes were also visible from the sky.

(Source: Reuters)
To the west, the Palisades Fire carved a mark on the hill from where the upscale enclave offers postcard-perfect views of the Pacific Ocean.

(Source: AFP)
Fueled by extreme autumn drought and ferocious Santa Ana winds, the fire turned the dry hills of Los Angeles into smoldering flames, sparking a sustained inferno that has raged for more than a week. As of Wednesday, the Eaton fire was 91 percent contained and the Palisades fire was 68 percent contained, according to a report by . reuters,
But as firefighters brought the two previous blazes under control, plumes of smoke began rising from a new blaze in Hughes, north of Los Angeles. The new one quickly spread to 9,400 acres (38 square km), prompting mandatory evacuation orders for more than 31,000 people on Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, but it occurred during red flag fire conditions – when meteorologists say strong winds and low humidity create the perfect conditions for a fire to spread rapidly.