The Palisades Fire began as a brush fire on Tuesday morning amid wind gusts above 50 miles per hour. In less than an hour, smoke was billowing up, and the blaze would become a monster conflagration.

Los Angeles is reeling from the most destructive wildfires in its history, and firefighters are struggling to contain the devastating blaze.

Crews have reported some progress in the battle against LA’s deadly wildfires, but tens of thousands remain under evacuation orders. Follow for live updates.

For five consecutive days, wildfires fanned by strong winds have ravaged neighborhoods in Los Angeles, destroying more than 12,300 homes and buildings and leaving at least 11 dead. Fresh evacuations were ordered from Mandeville Canyon to the Interstate 405 freeway on Friday evening because of a flare up of the massive Palisades Fire.

As wildfires roar into residential neighborhoods, firefighters in California and elsewhere are finding that water systems can’t keep up with the demand.

Fierce winds that have supercharged wildfires sweeping parts of Los Angeles finally eased on Friday night, bringing some relief to weary firefighters, but the largest blaze was reported to have shifted direction,

Many watched their homes burn on television in a state of shock. Since the flames erupted in and around Los Angeles, scores of residents have returned to their still smoldering neighborhoods even as the threat of new fires persisted and the nation’s second-largest city remained unsettled.

By Jorge Garcia, Rollo Ross and Maria Alejandra Cardona LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Firefighters finally started gaining control over two major wildfires on the eastern and western flanks of Los Angeles on Friday as fierce winds that supercharged the fires for days finally eased.

Firefighters have partially gained control over two large forest fires in Los Angeles. The Palisades and Eaton fires have been partially extinguished with support from neighbouring states, the federal government,