Firefighters battled early Thursday to control major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed five people, ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and caused thousands of people to frantically flee their homes. Ferocious winds that drove the flames and prompted chaotic evacuations have calmed somewhat and are not expected to be as powerful during the day. That could provide an opportunity for firefighters to make progress in reining in blazes that have hopscotched across the sprawling region, including massive ones in Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Flare-ups overnight illuminated the Santa Monica Mountains above Pacific Palisades. Homes continued to burn, but unlike the previous night when a fierce wind blew embers sideways and fueled new outbreaks, sparks mostly drifted upward. MORE: https://www.wthr.com/article/news/nation-world/los-angeles-wildfires-wednesday-winds-ease-somewhat/507-d48a7378-b87b-4126-9361-0586e87242f3