Los Angeles is reeling from the most destructive wildfires in its history, and firefighters are struggling to contain the devastating blaze.

Film actor and director Mel Gibson said Thursday that his Malibu home has been destroyed by the wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area, calling the experience “devastating.” “It’s emotional,” Gibson told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” in an interview. “I had my stuff there. I’ve been relieved from the burden of my stuff because it’s all in cinders.”

Wildfires are tearing through Los Angeles, forcing thousands to flee to safety and destroying modest homes and vast mansions. As the fires rage on, powerful images tell stories of fear, desperation and solidarity in the sprawling California city.

The wildfires that destroyed homes in multiple sections of the Los Angeles area will test California’s efforts to stabilize the state’s insurance marketplace after many insurers stopped issuing residential policies due to the high fire risk.

As residents in the Los Angeles area grapple with the ongoing realities of the devastating wildfires ravaging the densely populated metropolis nestled between the Pacific Ocean and mountain ranges, several iconic landmarks and beloved local institutions have fallen victim to the flames.

Drone video shows the aftermath of the Palisades Fire, devastating the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Firefighters are making progress slowing the major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed five people, ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and caused thousands of people to

California's wildfire crisis has ravaged Los Angeles, with satellite images from Maxar Technologies revealing the extent of the damage. California's wildfires have devastated Los Angeles. Newly released satellite images from Maxar Technologies show the extent of the damage caused by the Palisades and Eaton fires.

Firefighters are making progress slowing the major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed five people, ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and caused thousands of people to flee their homes.

Ferocious winds that drove the flames and led to chaotic evacuations have calmed somewhat and were not expected to be as powerful during the day. That could provide an opportunity for firefighters to make progress reining in blazes that have hopscotched across the sprawling region,