Patty Burns, a 93-year-old with a sparkling memory, has lived in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles for more than 60 years. He always had a black suitcase full of important documents ready, in case of a fire.

On Tuesday, he needed it.

His daughter, who lived across the street, came to his door that morning to let him out of the house. The flames, fanned by strong winds, are already burning in the Santa Monica Mountains in what could be the most destructive wildfire in THE history.

Burns took his medicine, stopped to put on a pair of dark blue dangly earrings, and then left his house for what was to be the last time. “We’ve been afraid of it for years,” he said. “I keep thinking about things I need to do at home or things I need to get. But everything is gone.”

The Palisades fires have burned about 20,000 acres, destroyed 5,000 structures and killed at least two people. Blocks upon blocks were destroyed, leaving the area as it was after a bombing raid. And four days later, the fires still burning – in the Palisades and other LA neighborhoods and its suburbs.

This week’s devastation has further rattled a city juggling multiple social and economic problems. LA is still struggling to solve its homelessness crisis and lack of affordable housing. Its most visible industry – Hollywood – is grappling with the disruptive impact of the streaming revolution and subsequent long strikes. Studios halted work this week on LA productions due to the fires.

And now LA faces a costly recovery effort in severely damaged communities across the city, with estimated financial losses from the fires reaching more than $150bn, according to AccuWeather . All as LA prepares to host the Olympics in 2028.

The Palisades, known for its winding streets, beautiful ocean views, deep canyons, modern architectural masterpieces and Hollywood celebrity residents, has become one of the most desirable addresses in the US within the decade.

But this week the winding hillside roads that make the area so spectacular have turned into hellish evacuation routes. Traffic came to a standstill as the fire raged in the hills behind. Many drivers abandoned their Teslas and Priuses, choosing to flee on foot as the fire tore through the canyons.

As firefighters struggled to contain the Palisades fires, flames broke out in other parts of LA: first to Santa Monica, where some residents were told to evacuate, then to Altadena, about 30 miles away. east.

Over the next two days, several fires broke out in the Hollywood Hills – dangerously close to the Hollywood sign and other landmarks – Pasadena and the San Fernando Valley.

The fires are fueled by Santa Ana’s dry, seasonal air, and have enough fuel due to months of drought conditions.

The effort to put out the flames was overwhelming. Strong winds, which reached hurricane levels at times, grounded helicopters and “super scooper” planes used to fight the fire from the air. The Palisades periodically struggled with low water pressure, which hampered firefighters on the ground who found fire hydrants running dry.

Nearly 400,000 LA county residents were under evacuation orders or warnings as of late Thursday. Many homes that were safe from the burning hills were filled with friends who had lost their homes or were unsure if they were still standing.

“It’s like a rich man’s refugee crisis,” said Brydon Gerus, an app developer who also owns a branding agency. Gerus’ home in Palisades burned Tuesday, forcing his family to stay with friends in Brentwood.

“The clothes we wear are ours. That’s it,” he said. “We have to become more familiar with the idea that everything is going to disappear.”

California governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency, and President Joe Biden released federal funds to pay for temporary housing, home repairs and loans to cover the loss of property without’ y certainty.

But the fires have turned political, with president-elect Donald Trump blaming Newsom for the crisis. And in LA, Mayor Karen Bass was criticized for being part of a delegation to Ghana when the fires broke out, which critics say slowed the response.

The Altadena fires have been devastating, with between 4,000 and 5,000 structures thought to have been damaged or destroyed. Among them is the new house recently purchased by Jake, a musician, and his wife, who were attracted to the upcoming area near the San Gabriel Mountains.

“We got married about a year ago and we’re dating. We just bought our house,” he said. “We spent our first night at home a week ago. The boxes have not been fully unpacked.”

They packed the “go bags” when they heard about the Palisades fires. They evacuated after winds began whipping trees around their home on Wednesday, and discovered their new home was on fire from a television clip.

Jake has home insurance from California’s Fair Plan, but he knows it won’t cover all losses. “We’re working on insurance claims and trying to figure out what to do next,” he said. “The whole town of Altadena was on fire.”

In the Palisades, there are concerns about the fate of some mid-20th century modern landmark buildings, such as the Eames House, built in 1949 by Charles and Ray Eames. The couple and other architects, including Richard Neutra, built several groundbreaking Case Study homes in the Palisades that helped shape the modern, open style that became associated with the rugged Pacific coast.

“We’ve never had a fire of this caliber in terms of magnitude,” said Adrian Scott Fine, president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Conservancy. “It’s serious in terms of what we might be looking at in terms of losses of historic places, not just individual buildings, but entire neighborhoods.”

Other properties have already burned, including the Keeler House, a modernist building built by Ray Kappe in 1991, Fine said. But it is not only the modern architectural landmarks that have disappeared.

William Fowler, an app developer who evacuated from Topanga Canyon, in the Santa Monica Mountains, said more low-lying areas will also be overlooked. He said the Malibu Feed Bin, a rustic barnlike structure where people buy animal feed and firewood, burned, as well as The Reel Inn, a fish and chip shop along Pacific Coast Highway.

“A lot of things are not the same,” he said. But he believes that people still want to live on the beach in LA, despite the devastation of the fires.

“Everybody knows the risks,” he said. “People want to rebuild the Palisades.”

Cartography by Steven Bernard