The signs of a ferocious and merciless blaze are everywhere: a backyard basketball hoop - buckled and scorched; a washing machine - now an empty black shell; and the chassis of a car turned to molten metal, running down the ash-strewn street.
This is Altadena, a neighbourhood at the foot of the hills over which the hot and dry Santa Anna winds blew in 160km/h gusts, fanning the Eaton Fire to consume more than 14,000 acres and lay waste to the timber-framed houses that once stood here in neat rows.
Now only brick chimney stacks rise from the ashes.
Yet, every now and then, we come across a house that seems to have suffered no damage at all - the flames sped past, the embers didn't land.
A homemade cardboard sign propped up against a pole reads in red paint "looters beware!".
But the looting goes on regardless.
Yesterday, the Los Angeles Police Department reported the arrest of two individuals dressed as firefighters who were, according to a spokesperson, "going in and out of houses".
The Eaton Fire may have started in an electrical transmission tower, according to local authorities.
Across town, in the affluent suburb of Pacific Palisades, it’s eerily quiet. The evacuation order is expected to stay in place until later this week. For now, the scorched streets are abandoned.
Authorities fear that the burnt-out structures are not safe.
There is also a concern that the winds could pick up again, fanning the Palisades Fire that still smoulders on the hillside above and which remains minimally contained.
But this time, local authorities hope they are better prepared and that the winds will be less severe.
Over the weekend, helicopter and airplane sorties dumped thousands of gallons of water and flame retardant from the skies.
On the oceanfront, we come across a group of volunteers grilling and packing hamburgers for delivery to the first responders tackling the fires.
"We have been putting out burgers at a rate of one every 7.2 seconds," Randy Thomas, Director of Rapid Relief Team, told RTÉ News.
"This weekend we would have served right around 5,000 meals," he said.
"Some of the comments that we're hearing is that this is what’s keeping them going, because all they've had is a granola bar or some cold food.
We need your consent to load this comcast-player contentWe use comcast-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
"Taking a warm meal to them has been able to provide them with what they need to keep ... safe and keep going," he added.
"Our plan is to be here till next Friday," he said.
The impact of these fires is being felt across the city, even for those one step removed from the devastation.
Lilli Fox, whose mum, Una Fox, is from Dundalk, has seen many of her friends lose their homes. Part of Lilli’s school was also damaged. Lessons have been moved to online learning.
"The fact that we might not be able to finish our senior year in person is kind of devastating," she said.
"It’s almost as if we’re back in Covid days," she added.
