Major wildfires around Los Angeles raged for a fourth straight day on Friday, as firefighters struggled to put out blazes in some areas while in others evacuees returned to their homes, only to find them smoldering in ash. Ongoing battle A stairway is all that's left of a house that burned down from the Paradise Fire on PCH in Malibu. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)The Altadena Community Church is pictured the day after it was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)Homes are seen burned while a few still stand, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)Beachfront properties are left destroyed by the Palisades Fire, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)A firefighter communicates in front of the advancing Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)A man and woman hold each other in the rubble of destroyed homes in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/John Locher)Nancy Belanger pours water on a neighbor's fire-ravaged property in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)An emergency vehicle drives through a neighborhood devastated by the Eaton Fire, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)Two people hold hands while sifting through a fire-ravage property in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)A person walks amid the destruction left behind by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Beachfront properties are left destroyed by the Palisades Fire, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)Beach front properties are left destroyed by the Palisades Fire, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)A home reduced to stone and ashes during the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in Palisades, California, US, on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. Firefighters are making some progress on controlling several blazes that have scorched Los Angeles, as the toll of devastation continued to rise with entire neighborhoods reduced to ash. Photographer: Michael Nigro/Bloomberg via Getty Images All around Los Angeles, scenes of flames were everywhere, as many areas continued to burn all but unabated. Many people were forced to go about their lives. One person rode a bike past flames, while others walked past houses that were burning. The rubble In areas where people who had been evacuated could return, what awaited them was dire. Sunrise illuminated charred timbers of what had been buildings. The wreckage of a home and a charred outdoor fireplace stood next to a swimming pool with water turned brackish from soot. A couple, arms around each other, looked at what was left of their smoldering home. Another person stood, using their arm to cover their face, next to a home that looked like it had been bombed. Seeing destruction from above While active fires were far from under control, how much had already been destroyed was coming into view. From above, huge areas looked as if they had been bombed. One neighborhood was only recognizable by the outlines of the streets, as every house had been leveled by flames. Meanwhile, another neighborhood looked like a patchwork of both standing houses and others that were gone, smoke bellowing into the sky.