Photo gallery: Daylight unveils utter destruction in California fires

As firefighters from Los Angeles County agencies and across the West continue to battle five major fires from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena, local residents are getting their initials looks at the first rounds of destruction that the wind-fueled wildfires have done in Southern California.

Some exclusive beach homes in scenic Malibu, a couple of miles from the Palisade fire’s path, were gutted when embers from the fire traveled down to the coast.

President Joe Biden gathered with Vice President Kamala Harris and a number of government agency leaders later Thursday for a briefing on the wildfires in California. Agency leaders shared updates on the status of the fires and firefight effort and shared what resources are being deployed to help California.

The current death toll remains at five as of late Thursday, but officials caution there will likely be more, according the L.A. Times.

One of the fatalities from the Eaton fire was discovered still holding a garden hose.

KTLA-TV reported that “according to his loved ones, 66-year-old Victor Shaw died trying to defend the home that had been in his family for nearly 55 years.”

Here’s a look at some of the most powerful images over the last 24 hours as residents returned as daylight Thursday exposed the devastation.