Mandy Moore, Anna Faris, Milo Ventimiglia, Paris Hilton, Jeff Bridges, Bozoma Saint John, Mel Gibson, Billy Crystal, James Woods and Diane Warren are among the celebrities whose houses were destroyed by the blazes.

A pair of massive wildfires menacing Los Angeles from the east and west were still burning unchecked early on Thursday, two days after they ignited, but firefighting crews made progress overnight in controlling a smaller blaze burning in the hills overlooking Hollywood Boulevard.

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,