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Photos: Southern California residents return to devastation as two major wildfires rage on

Friday, Jan. 10: Rev. John Shaver (R) looks on while visiting the remains of Community United Methodist Church, where he is pastor.
Mario Tama
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Getty Images
Friday, Jan. 10: Rev. John Shaver (R) looks on while visiting the remains of Community United Methodist Church, where he is pastor.

More than 100,000 Los Angeles County residents remain under evacuation orders, and the threat of fire there is not over. there were fresh evacuations last night and strong Santa Ana winds are expected to pick up again today.

The Palisades Fire, which is the region's largest, has now burned more than 21,000 acres.

That means just one of LA's many fires has destroyed an area larger than all of Manhattan.

In Altadena, near the Eaton fire, law enforcement is keeping residents from returning to what's left of their homes. Residents are unable to survey damage there as search and rescue operations go on. Dangerous conditions continue to prevail.

Though winds have died down for now, forecasters expect another Santa Ana wind event to blow in early next week. Gusts are expected at more than 40 miles an hour on Monday and Tuesday.

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Friday, Jan. 10: Smoke billows from the Palisades fire as seen near Fernwood, Topanga, a community in western Los Angeles County.
Agustin Paullier / AFP via Getty Images
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AFP via Getty Images
Friday, Jan. 10: Smoke billows from the Palisades fire as seen near Fernwood, Topanga, a community in western Los Angeles County.
Friday, Jan. 10: A person helps up Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, center, as he meets with victims of the Eaton Fire.
Ethan Swope / AP
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AP
Friday, Jan. 10: A person helps up Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, center, as he meets with victims of the Eaton Fire.
Friday, Jan. 10: Melted metal from a burned vehicle is seen on the ground of a property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
Eric Thayer / AP
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AP
Friday, Jan. 10: Melted metal from a burned vehicle is seen on the ground of a property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
Friday. Jan. 10: Fire crews monitor the Palisades Fire in the outskirts of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
Eric Thayer / AP
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AP
Friday. Jan. 10: Fire crews monitor the Palisades Fire in the outskirts of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
Friday, Jan. 10: This aerial photo shows homes and businesses reduced to smoldering rubble by the Palisades Fire.
David Swanson / AFP via Getty Images
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AFP via Getty Images
Friday, Jan. 10: This aerial photo shows homes and businesses reduced to smoldering rubble by the Palisades Fire.
Friday, Jan. 10: Betty Comas, left, waits in line with her dog at an aid center for those affected by wildfires at the Pasadena Convention Center.
Richard Vogel / AP
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AP
Friday, Jan. 10: Betty Comas, left, waits in line with her dog at an aid center for those affected by wildfires at the Pasadena Convention Center.
Friday, Jan.10: Wildfire smoke and burned houses are seen from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
Apu Gomes / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Friday, Jan.10: Wildfire smoke and burned houses are seen from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
Friday, Jan. 10: Luke Dexter reacts as he sifts through the remains of his father's fire-ravaged beachfront property.
John Locher / AP
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AP
Friday, Jan. 10: Luke Dexter reacts as he sifts through the remains of his father's fire-ravaged beachfront property.
Friday, Jan. 10: A firefighter clears away smoking debris at the site of a structure on Lake Avenue in Altadena.
Chris Pizzello / AP
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AP
Friday, Jan. 10: A firefighter clears away smoking debris at the site of a structure on Lake Avenue in Altadena.
Friday, Jan. 10: A worker clears debris from the Palisades Fire in Malibu.
Eric Thayer / AP
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AP
Friday, Jan. 10: A worker clears debris from the Palisades Fire in Malibu.

Mhari Shaw
Elise Hu is a host-at-large based at NPR West in Culver City, Calif. Previously, she explored the future with her video series, Future You with Elise Hu, and served as the founding bureau chief and International Correspondent for NPR's Seoul office. She was based in Seoul for nearly four years, responsible for the network's coverage of both Koreas and Japan, and filed from a dozen countries across Asia.