Devastated residents of Pacific Palisades have returned to their neighborhoods to find their homes and businesses reduced to rubble and ash by deadly wildfires.
Harrowing video reveals the once bustling enclave of Los Angeles is now a creepy ghost town.
CBS correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti couldn’t contain his emotions as he drove through the smoldering streets on Wednesday.
“Oh my god, look at this, incomprehensible,” he is heard saying as he bursts into tears. “It’s very sad.”
The video shows the charred remains of several businesses and homes, including a Starbucks, as flames continue to rise in the background.
The apocalyptic scene shows crumpled power lines above piles of rubble lying among the city’s iconic palm trees.
Vigliotti reported that the mall survived the destruction, but “everything else is gone.”
The once-posh neighborhood has been decimated by the fire that started Tuesday and spread quickly amid 60-mile-per-hour Santa Ana winds.
Residents of Pacific Palisades have returned to the neighborhood to find their homes and businesses reduced to rubble and ash by deadly wildfires. The photo shows a burned-out building with a Starbucks inside
The same building is pictured before it was destroyed by flames that ravaged the chic enclave
About 30,000 residents of Pacific Palisades and surrounding areas are now under mandatory evacuation
About 30,000 residents of Pacific Palisades and surrounding areas are now under mandatory evacuation orders, amid warnings there is an immediate threat to their lives.
At least four separate fires are burning in the metropolitan area, from the Pacific coast inland to Pasadena.
As of 8 a.m. local time, the fires were 0 percent contained. Two people have been killed and many more injured after the fires destroyed more than 5,000 hectares.
The deaths were related to the Eaton fire, although the exact nature of its cause has not been released.
LA Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said as many as 1,000 buildings have been destroyed in the LA fires.
With thousands of firefighters already attacking the flames, the Los Angeles Fire Department put out a plea for off-duty firefighters to help, and weather conditions were too windy to fly firefighting planes, further hampering the fight.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has now declared a state of emergency, amid warnings that the situation could worsen.
A CBS reporter captured the scenes of destruction in the once bustling metropolitan center
California Governor Gavin Newsom has now declared a state of emergency after four separate fires were identified
Torrance firefighters are seen preparing to battle the Palisades fire. Fighting the fires is difficult due to the strong winds
Southern California Edison shut off power to nearly 120,000 customers in six counties due to safety concerns caused by high winds and the risk of wildfires.
Another 440,000 customers could face similar closures, depending on the weather.
Among the high-profile evacuations were former husband and wife Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck and their three children.
The ex-couple eloped together after Affleck was ordered to leave his $20 million bachelor party just steps from Garner’s home.
Star Wars actor Mark Hamill and actor James Wood have also been evacuated, while reality stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt have lost their homes.
Two people were arrested for looting amid the chaos, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, told CNN that the ongoing fires in Southern California could be historically costly.
Southern California Edison shut off power to nearly 120,000 customers in six counties
An oceanfront home in Malibu is pictured destroyed by the flames of the Palisades fire
“It’s likely that the Palisades Fire in particular will be the costliest fire ever, not just in California, but in general,” Swain told CNN.
“We probably checked that box this time. I hope we don’t tick other boxes too.’