Los Angeles residents face hours-long waits to reenter homes after wildfire

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, US - JAN. 10, 2025: Los Angeles residents faced hours-long queues to access their homes and collect belongings after a destructive wildfire prompted widespread evacuations across the region. Under police supervision, evacuees seeking to check on their properties or retrieve essential items, such as medications, were escorted into the affected areas to ensure security. Firefighters are still battling to control huge wildfires in Los Angeles that have devastated several areas across the second-largest city of the US. At least six wildfires are still burning across the Los Angeles County and 11 people have died, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The fires have burned 36,000 acres by Friday, destroyed more than 12,000 structures and over 100,000 people are under evacuation order. The largest inferno has burned 21,317 acres in and around the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood near the coast. Further inland, the Eaton Fire has burned 14,117 acres in the foothills in and around the city of Altadena, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The Palisade fire is 8% contained, while the Eaton fire remains at a low 3% amid strong winds that have fueled the inferno and sent burning hot embers shooting through the air. Four other smaller fires – the Hurst, Lidia, Archer and Kenneth fires – are also burning in the LA area. (Footage by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)