Many watched their homes burn on television in a state of shock. Since the flames erupted in and around Los Angeles, scores of residents have returned to their still smoldering neighborhoods even as the threat of new fires persisted and the nation's second-largest city remained unsettled.

The blazes have killed at least 11 people, obliterated neighborhoods and left the nation’s second-largest city on edge.

Some Los Angeles area residents have begun returning to their still smoldering neighborhoods to search for memories even as the threat of new fires persists