The destructive wildfires in southern California have left Los Angeles residents in despair as the flames continue to devastate their homes and businesses.
A break from destructive winds allowed firefighting planes to take off once again as residents of the Palisades in the Los Angeles area were waiting anxiously to get back into their neighborhood to see what's left of their homes.
Ram Miller lost his family home of 25 years.
"Certainly, we weren't prepared for something of this magnitude. And I think that they were so overwhelmed with the fires, so concentrated and so large in that area. With the high wind that we had there was no possible way to fight it," he said.
The Palisades fire is the first and biggest of multiple fires that have been raging around Los Angeles for two days.
Karol Darsa owned a therapy center in the city, which she's now struggling to recognize.
"Oh my God! I cannot… Wow! There's nothing left in here. Wow. Wow. This is the area where I went everyday [for] 12 years. How could that be? Now, it really feels like a movie. So weird!" she exclaimed.
It's a painful walk for Darsa realizing that most of her neighborhood is gone.
Several of her clients and friends have also lost their homes.
As a trauma therapist herself, she says it will take a long time for her community to recover.
"It's one of those things that there is not so much one can do. It's just really a grieving process. You have to allow the grieving. You can't bypass emotions, you have to first feel the grief and the loss, and the sadness. Here we're seeing some people with suitcases," said Darsa.
Nearly 180,000 people have come under evacuation order as windy conditions continue to fuel the most catastrophic fire in the city's history.
Los Angeles residents sad, desperate over devastating wildfires
Los Angeles residents sad, desperate over devastating wildfires
Los Angeles residents sad, desperate over devastating wildfires
Los Angeles residents sad, desperate over devastating wildfires
