But this is all too real for the residents in the Southland, with “30,000 residents who are are under evacuation orders,” per The Associated Press. According to KTLA-TV, “1,000 structures, many of them homes, have been destroyed.” One of the blazes, the Eaton Fire, has claimed two lives so far, according to the Los Angeles Times.

This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.

During a dizzying Tuesday press conference, President-elect Donald Trump said he would rename the Gulf of Mexico, among other jarring The catastrophic wildfires that tore through Los Angeles early Wednesday have quickly turned political.

Strong winds that sent wildfires ripping through the mountains and foothills around Los Angeles on Tuesday fed a spectacle of smoke, flames and flight. Vivid orange flames lit the sky in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood,