Firefighters are battling to control a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed five people, ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and sent thousands of people frantically fleeing their homes.

Firefighters for the first time have made progress containing the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena, officials said on Friday. It started on Tuesday night and has burned more than 5,000 structures, a term that includes homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles.

The flames are threatening Pacific Palisades, an affluent coastal neighborhood that is home to about 24,000 people, roughly 20 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. Officials ordered residents to evacuate immediately. Part of the Pacific Coast Highway and several nearby schools were closed.