Multiple wildfires, including the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire, are raging across southern California early Thursday, leaving at least 5 dead and burning more than 27,000 acres, officials say. The Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles is the most recent to break out.

The wind-driven wildfires burning out of control in the Los Angeles area couldn't have emerged at a more perilous moment for California's homeowners, as officials try to rehab what they concede is a deepening "insurance crisis.

Major fires have killed five people, ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena, and sent thousands of people frantically fleeing their homes.