From those who have lost everything, to those trying desperately to prevent further damage, the devastation of the Southern California wildfires has impacted thousands.
Multiple wildfires continued to spread Wednesday in Los Angeles County, including a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades area that, as of Wednesday afternoon, had burned over 11,800 acres and 1,000 structures.
Some residents, business owners and firefighters impacted by the wildfires have shared their stories.
‘Our worst fear happened.' Malibu man reacts to losing home in Palisades Fire
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A Malibu resident was brought to tears Wednesday while standing amid the wreckage of his home, one of the thousands of structures destroyed by multiple wildfires that continue to spread through Southern California.
"Our worst fear happened," he said. "That's alright, we're survivors, we'll get through it. We'll build another home. But we lost all of our things. That's the part that hurts. All our photographs. My grandpa's antique chest and all that kind of stuff...We lost everything we owned. It doesn’t even look like a house anymore."
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‘I didn't take it seriously': Man describes his escape before he lost his home
A longtime Los Angeles resident who fled his home on Tuesday due to the wildfires returned to find that his house and much of his community had burned.
"You just can't believe that from 8 until now, all of this damage has happened," the homeowner Brizona Kraft told NBC Los Angeles. "And then as you’re driving through the community, it's the same thing. I'm saying 70 percent of the business gone, 30 percent of the houses for sure gone, and it may be closer to 50 percent, but I tend to want to air on the side of being cautious."
He was hesitant to leave his house, and when he finally did, he did not take any belongings with him.
"I didn't take it serious, so I didn’t grab anything because I'm like, 'OK, we're gonna be alright!'" he said.
He returned hours later to find that his home and property were destroyed by the fire.
"Everything is burned up," he said. "The house is completely engulfed in flames. I have a secondary home behind it, it's gone. The car, it's gone. The trailer, it's gone. Everything is gone."
'It's just not enough': Fire chief on challenges of fighting Eaton fire
As multiple wildfires continue to spread through Southern California, personnel from surrounding areas have joined forces to battle the blaze. But even with the added support, containment has remained impossible due to high winds.
"It's extremely frustrating," a fire chief from El Dorado Hills in Northern California told NBC Los Angeles while helping fight the Eaton fire. "I mean everyone’s doing the best they can with what we have, and it's just frustrating that it's just not enough."
‘It's gone': Woman shares story of losing everything in Eaton Fire
Even as the flames neared, an Altadena resident didn't want to leave his childhood house that was passed down to him by his late father.
"I had to like force him," his wife, Jennifer, told NBC Los Angeles. "We have to go."
When they returned, there was nothing left.
"It's gone," Jennifer said after showing video of the destruction. "That's all we got. I can't believe it. We tried to hose our house down before we left, but there’s only so much you can do."
She had been at work when a coworker informed her to go home because Altadena was being evacuated.
"So, I called my daughter, and she was crying," Jennifer said. "She's like, 'There's flames.' So I had to rush down there."
The family took their two German Shepherds and left the house, initially pulling into a nearby Food 4 Less parking lot hoping the fire would simply pass by so they'd be able to return to their home.
"I'm hoping I just wake up and its a dream, but it's not," Jennifer said. "My kids are safe. My dogs are safe. We're alive. But it's just, it was our home."
‘My community is just completely eviscerated': Palisades Village resident describes damage
A Palisades Village resident rode his electric bicycle while wearing a gas mask to survey the damage his longtime community had suffered.
"Everything I've seen has just been an absolute heartbreak," he told NBC Los Angeles. "The three homes that I grew up with, they all have been completely decimated."
His friends' houses, his elementary and high schools, neighborhood businesses, all lost in the Palisades Fire that has destroyed thousands of structures in the area.
"My entire childhood, my entire home, my community is just completely eviscerated," he said.
This story will be updated
