California has been overtaken by a string of deadly wildfires, which continue to blaze in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties in the southern part of the state and around the town of Paradise, California in the north.
Since the fires began on November 8, the wealthy coastal enclave of Malibu has been engulfed by the Woolsey Fire, which has spread across more than 96,000 acres of land outside of LA and is now 35% contained. At least two people were declared dead in Malibu on Friday. Their burned bodies were found in a car near Mulholland Highway.
Nearby, the Hill Fire destroyed more than 4,500 acres, but is now 90% contained on Monday.
In Northern California, the Camp Fire destroyed the entire town of Paradise in less than a day. It’s killed at least 42 people and decimated over 6,500 structures. Those numbers make it the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history.
The Woolsey Fire has destroyed an estimated 435 structures so far, and more than 50,000 are threatened because of the blaze. Mandatory evacuations remain in place for people in Topanga, Malibu, portions of Calabasas, and a few other areas.
Take a look at how the luxury community has changed in the last few days.
Malibu is home to some of the nation's most expensive properties.
A home on Billionaire's Beach recently sold for $110 million, marking the priciest home sale in LA County history.
Today, some of the city's oceanfront properties have been reduced to charred remains.
Woolsey is the worst fire to hit Malibu since the Corral Fire in 2007, which burned more than 4,900 acres and destroyed 53 homes.
Source: Los Angeles Times
On Friday, all of the city's residents were told to evacuate their homes.
All Malibu schools will be closed until at least Friday, November 16.
Residents of Point Dume and Encinal Canyon were told to either boil water or use water bottles to drink, cook, and brush their teeth.
Source: Malibu City
Before the flames started, Malibu's Zuma Beach hosted plenty of tourists and locals.
As the fire began to spread, the beach quickly teemed with evacuees, who brought along their belongings and animals.
Mulholland Highway, a popular route that connects to many regional parks, looked peaceful and pristine before the blaze.
By Sunday, the road was littered with debris and toppled power lines.
Homes on Dune Drive stood tall before the fire.
On Friday, many were burned to the ground.
The low-lying homes on Wandermere Road were once shaded by a canopy of trees.
Now, all that's left in some areas is scorched land and ruined belongings.
Celebrities' mansions have also been destroyed near Malibu Lake.
Celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Neil Young, and Gerard Butler all lost their Malibu homes.
Read more: All of the celebrities who have evacuated or lost their homes as wildfires spread across California
Firefighters have been working nonstop to contain the flames. More than 3,500 total fire personnel — including 619 fire engines and 22 helicopters — are battling the blaze.
Source: Malibu City
Local authorities have deployed water and flame retardant to try and quell the fire.
"Malibu is a really small community and gets a bad rap for being this kind of elitist, snobby place, and it's exactly the opposite," one local told the LA Times.
"It's built off the shoulders of hard-working blue-collar families, and that's really going to show when we rebuild this place," he said. "It's a real community; it isn't something people buy into."
Source: Los Angeles Times
