Frustrated residents, anxious to see what remains of their homes, are growing increasingly eager to return. However, officials have urged evacuees to remain patient as the ongoing search for human remains and the removal of toxic waste continue. The process of clearing the affected areas is still in progress, and it remains too dangerous for people to go back.

Los Angeles officials announced on Thursday that most residents evacuated from areas affected by the ongoing wildfires should remain away from their homes for at least another week. The authorities requested the evacuees' continued patience, stressing that it was still too hazardous to return home as emergency responders were still conducting searches in the devastated neighborhoods.

"The properties have been damaged beyond belief," said Mark Pestrella, Director of Los Angeles County Public Works, during a briefing. "They are full of sediment, debris, silt, and hazardous materials."

Over a week has passed since the fires began ravaging the Los Angeles area, and the death toll has reached at least 25 people. While smaller fires across Southern California have been either fully or largely controlled, the two major blazes continue to rage. The Palisades Fire on the western edge of Los Angeles is currently 22% contained, and the Eaton Fire is 55% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Combined, these two fires have consumed 59 square miles (153 square kilometers) of land — a size greater than that of Paris. Over 80,000 individuals remain under evacuation orders, with an additional 90,400 people under evacuation warnings. Many of the evacuees are eager to return to their properties to assess the damage and recover any personal belongings that might have survived the destruction.

At least 12,000 structures, including numerous homes, have been destroyed by the fires. Although the government has yet to release official damage estimates, private companies predict that the financial losses could reach tens of billions of dollars. The ongoing wildfires are expected to become the most expensive fire disaster in U.S. history.