There were too many houses to protect, and not enough engines,” one fire captain in Los Angeles said. Though fire officials say they were well-prepared and simply overwhelmed by the elements, questions are being raised about whether the intensity of modern fires requires a new playbook.

Small canvas bags that Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) firefighters used as makeshift water containers to quickly put out a trash fire have been misdescribed on social media as women’s handbags, suggesting the LAFD is under-resourced because of budget cuts and donations of firefighting supplies to Ukraine.

The two biggest fires devastating the Los Angeles area grew just slightly Friday as firefighters beat back the blazes that have killed at least 10 people, obliterated neighborhoods and left the nation's second-largest city on edge.

Many watched their homes burn on television in a state of shock. Since the flames erupted in and around Los Angeles, scores of residents have returned to their still smoldering neighborhoods even as the threat of new fires persisted and the nation’s second-largest city remained unsettled.

Firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department stand vigilant as they battle wildfires in Los Angeles while several blazes continue to tear

Firefighters have partially gained control over two large forest fires in Los Angeles. The Palisades and Eaton fires have been partially extinguished with support from neighbouring states, the federal government,

Officials expressed optimism that a short break from the punishing winds stoking the flames will allow firefighters to make headway on the fires.