Terrified residents caught in blazing neighbourhoods, influencers ignoring the ban on drones and the frightening unpredictability of the wildfires are just some of what journalists covering the fires ravaging Los Angeles for AFP have had to manage.

Two wildfires still burning in Los Angeles have torched more urban area than any other fire in the state since at least the mid-1980s

More than a week into what could be the costliest wildfires in U.S. history, weary and anxious Los Angeles-area residents were hoping for a favorable shift in the winds expected Thursday and an end to the constant fear that their lives might be further upended.