Flames were licking his fence, he was choking on smoke, and bullets were whizzing by his leg. Despite it all, Tristin Perez never left his Altadena home during the deadly Eaton fire.

At least two dozen people have been reported dead in fires raging across Los Angeles. Five lived near one another in a ravaged Altadena neighborhood.

Millions of people across SoCal are facing a critical fire threat as crews try to gain more control over two of the most destructive fires in the region's history

This is the first in a short series of photo essays about the California wildfires. This first post will focus on the fires themselves. California Wildfires: The Fire Still Rages originally appeared o