Wildfires burning in Los Angeles County have left five people dead and burned thousands of structures to the ground this week, becoming some of the most destructive the area has seen in decades.

Firefighters battled early Thursday 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.

(Reuters) -Actor Alec Baldwin sued New Mexico prosecutors and sheriff's office officials on Thursday alleging a "malicious" prosecution against him for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western movie "Rust."

Alec Baldwin on Thursday sued New Mexico prosecutors, sheriff's office officials and others, alleging malicious prosecution and civil rights violations in the 2021 "Rust" shooting trial. The lawsuit filed in a Santa Fe court follows the dramatic dismissal of Baldwin's case during his July manslaughter trial in the New Mexico capital.

Baldwin, whose involuntary manslaughter charge was dismissed in July, accused New Mexico officials of abusing their power in prosecuting him.