LOS ANGELES (AP) — Multiple massive wildfires tore across the Los Angeles area with devastating force early Wednesday as residents made a desperate escape from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds and towering clouds of smoke.
Thousands of firefighters were battling at least three separate blazes in the metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, home of the famed Rose Parade. The Los Angeles Fire Department put out a plea for off-duty firefighters to help, and weather conditions were too windy for firefighting aircraft to fly, further hampering the fight.
