Ruins of California as wildfire reduces neighborhoods to ashes (video)

Benson Michael

A catastrophic wildfire is ravaging Southern California, scorching over 25,000 acres of land, and destroying more than 1,000 buildings.

Fueled by powerful winds and exacerbated by a dwindling water supply, the inferno has proven nearly impossible for firefighters to contain.

It has led to the death of at least five people with tens of thousands of residents displaced.

As of the latest reports, the widespread devastation has left an estimated 1.5 million customers without power.

The Palisades fire, one of the most destructive in California’s history, has earned a spot among the top 20 most devastating wildfires in the state, based on the sheer number of structures reduced to rubble.

In a desperate bid to tame the flames, officials deployed helicopters and planes to drop water on the blazes, taking advantage of a slight weakening in the winds. However, the fire’s fury remains unabated, with gusts reaching speeds of up to 100 miles per hour in some areas.

Councilwoman Traci Park poignantly captured the essence of the disaster, stating, “This is going to be devastating – a devastating loss – for all of Los Angeles.”

Below is the current state of some neighborhoods in California: