"It’s hard to see, because there’s so much pain and suffering,” said one local, who dropped off toys at the Westwood Recreation Center in West Los Angeles.

Across Los Angeles, phones rang loudly with an alert to evacuate just before 4 p.m. on Thursday.Times staff across the metropolitan area — from Long Beach to Echo Park and beyond — received the alert,

At least five people were killed and nearly 2,000 structures were destroyed as fierce wildfires raged in the Los Angeles area, officials said. Fast-moving flames burned through homes and businesses as residents fled smoke-filled canyons and picturesque neighborhoods that are home to many celebrities.

Residents in Los Angeles are returning to their homes to assess the damage and destruction left behind by fires burning simultaneously in the region. Firefighters have been unable to contain some of the fires,

Firefighters struggle to contain the blazes that have displaced tens of thousands of residents in America’s most populated county and destroyed thousands of homes, business and other buildings.

The massive fires that have destroyed much of Pacific Palisades and demolished more than 2,000 homes in Los Angeles County threaten an effort to fix California's troubled home insurance market.