The Pacific Palisades, one of the wealthiest communities in the U.S., is experiencing the worst fire in its history.

Friday was a grim day in Pacific Palisades as residents lined up to see what's left of their homes after the wildfire that tore through the community.

Though the Palisades Fire continues to rage, currently estimated to have consumed nearly 20,000 acres, destroyed over 5,000 structures and caused at least two deaths, residents are beginning to return to their fire-stricken neighborhoods.

LAFD firefighter Cpt. Robert Hawkins and his crew monitored a burning garage to make sure the fire wouldn't spread to the house next to it.

I was sure the house my family loved was the last one I’d ever live in. Now I can hardly convince myself that it’s gone forever.

Amid the wide destruction of the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, there were symbols of hope. One of them was a temple still standing amid the destruction. It's a place that NBC News' Jacob Soboroff knows well.

Los Angeles Times photographer Robert Gauthier took an aerial tour of the damage to Pacific Palisades after the fires. Robert Gauthier has been with the Los Angeles Times since 1994. He was the photographer for a project detailing the failings of an L.

Street after street, there is little but dark ash and ruin where a wealthy seaside enclave favored by celebrities once stood. Blackened trees stand out amid the rubble, and the occasional mansion remains,