Fires rage on today in Los Angeles, engulfing homes and vehicles and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes to escape.

“The flames burned our dreams, we lived here for decades, said one resident, William Gonzales, in front of his home in the city of Altadena, of which nothing but ashes remain. “We lost everything, he added.

More than 130,000 people evacuated many areas where the fires raged, pushed by strong winds as well, in the second most populous U.S. city.

At least five people were killed. One of the five victims was an Altadina resident, 66-year-old Victor Shaw, who tried until the last moment to save his home, where his parents had lived for 55 years, was found by a friend charred, still clutching a watering hose tightly in his hand.

The flames were threatening Hollywood, the “heart”of American cinema, but the evacuation order has since been lifted, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced.

The winds “have hurricane force”and are fueling the fires due to the “extreme drought”, the mayor explained at a news conference. Wind gusts of up to 160 kilometers per hour died down briefly this morning but were expected to increase again in the evening, the U.S. weather service NWS warned.

The flames, which have been moving at lightning speed since Tuesday, are engulfing the expensive suburb of Pacific Palisades, where many celebrities have their mansions. More than 2,000 buildings were destroyed and 65,000 acres burned. By Wednesday night they had reached the outskirts of Hollywood, within a few hundred yards of the famous Hollywood Avenue and the Chinese Theater.

The outbreaks are also multiplying, often within minutes, in the northern suburbs of Los Angeles. “We don’t have enough firefighters in Los Angeles County to deal with the situation,” commented the agency’s chief, Anthony Marrone.

California Governor Gavin Newsome said more than 7,500 firefighters, many of whom arrived from other states, have been thrown into the battle with the“unprecedented wildfires”. Authorities have urged Californians to conserve water because the three reservoirs from which the fire department is drawing water in Pacific Palisades have emptied.

The fires also hit the movie industry: many filming of movies and TV series were halted, and the Universal Studios Hollywood amusement park was closed. The announcement of the Academy Award nominees has been postponed until January 19.

The mansions of many celebrities, including Joe Biden’s son Hunter, actor Anthony Hopkins, Paris Hilton and Leticia Holliday, widow of Johnny Holliday, were burned down.

“We lost everything. There is nothing left. I watched our house turn to ashes” Haliday wrote on Instagram. “It wasn’t just a house… It was our refuge, here we were reborn after mourning, added the widow of the famous rock star, who died in December 2017.

According to US media outlet TMZ, the villas of Adam Brody and Layton Mister, Actress Anna Farris (Scary Movie), actor and director Billy Crystal, singer Fergie also burned down. Paris Hilton, the Hilton Hotels heiress, announced herself that she saw her house burn down, on television.

French singer Patrick Bruelle, who has a residence in Pacific Palisades, said he did not know if that house “remains standing.”

With the destruction of all those mansions, fire damage could be as high as $57 billion, according to the AccuWeather weather service.

An investigation by American media reveals that insurance companies operating in California have indeed canceled thousands of policies, particularly in areas currently being ravaged by wildfires.

The companies argue that it is impossible to continue providing coverage for residents, as doing so threatens their financial viability. They point out that despite significant increases in property insurance premiums, federal laws and the cap on premiums imposed prevent the issuance of new policies and hinder the servicing of existing commitments.