Pictures of L.A. fire damage show aftermath of California blazes
As wind-whipped fires turned the L.A.-area neighborhoods of Pacific Palisades and Altadena from sunny Southern California paradise into smoky hellscape, photojournalists who captured the blazes have also documented their aftermath.
The two largest Southern California fires that sparked last week have destroyed more than 12,000 structures, including homes and businesses. The fires continue to burn, and the full extent of the damage is still unknown.
These latest photos show what's left of places thousands of people call home:
Palisades Fire damage
What caused the massive blaze in Pacific Palisades is still unknown, but CBS News has analyzed maps, photos and videos to link the Palisades fire that started last week to another fire in the same area on New Year's Eve.
Officials said they have not ruled out whether embers from the New Year's Eve fire sparked back up amid high winds on Jan. 7.
In the photo below, Patrick O'Neal sifts through the remains of his home in Malibu after it was destroyed by the Palisades Fire.
"I'm trying to figure out where I am in the house... I think i'm standing in my dad's bathroom," he said. "To be honest, I don't even know what I'm looking for I guess I'm just trying to make sense of it. There's nothing left, just ash and bricks — there's nothing."
Eaton Fire damage
The second of the largest wildfires burning in the L.A. area has decimated Altadena neighborhoods and spread to communities along the Angeles National Forest line, including Pasadena and Sierra Madre.
Attorneys representing some of those affected by the Eaton Fire filed a lawsuit against Southern California Edison alleging that the company's equipment sparked the disastrous blaze.
L.A. fire damage map
To see the documented destruction in details, down to a specific address, Los Angeles County has provided preliminary maps that show which structures and homes are damaged or destroyed.
