Pacific Palisades, a coastal community of about 23,000 people, was still burning from the wildfires that have swept through the city this week

Los Angeles Times reporter Jack Dolan reports from the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades where residents return to see homes lost and wonder if things will ever be the same. Jack Dolan is an investigative reporter for the Los Angeles Times.

The massive Palisades Fire broke out in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon, prompting mandatory evacuations affecting tens of thousands of people and highway closures. Later Tuesday, the Eaton Fire broke out in the foothills of Pasadena on the other side of Los Angeles County.

A fast-moving series of fires beginning Jan. 7 has devastated areas of Southern California, causing thousands of residents to have to flee their homes — including many stars, such as Milo Ventimiglia,

Two massive wildfires menacing Los Angeles from the east and west were still burning uncontained on Thursday, but a brief respite from the fierce winds that have fanned the flames for two days allowed crews to slow their explosive spread.