Wildfires are tearing through Los Angeles, forcing thousands to flee to safety and destroying modest homes and vast mansions. As the fires rage on, powerful images tell stories of fear, desperation and solidarity in the sprawling California city.

State authorities previously listed the Palisades as one of the five Southern California areas with the highest concentration of potential wildfire risks. The community also is among the areas most impacted by an unavailability of insurance coverage.

Firefighters battled Thursday to control a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed seven people, burned at least 10,000 structures from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and sent thousands of people frantically fleeing their homes.