Scores of residents have returned to their still smoldering neighborhoods even as the threat of new fires persisted.

Dozens of people are believed to have died in the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have burned down whole swaths of communities

Numerous wildfires have ignited in southern California this month, killing at least 27 people and spanning thousands of acres.

A new wildfire erupted north of Los Angeles on Wednesday, exploding in size and sparking orders for tens of thousands of people to evacuate in a region already staggering from

CASTAIC, California >> A rapidly growing wildfire broke out some 50 miles north of Los Angeles on Wednesday, burning 5,054 acres (20 square km) while two major fires burning in the metropolitan area for more than two weeks were getting under control,