Thousands remain evacuated as crews work to contain Los Angeles County wildfires

Malibu resident Joseph Church returned to find his home -- and his classic 1965 Porsche -- destroyed by the Palisades Fire.

"There's nothing left -- not a damn thing," he said softly as he approached his property in the aftermath of the inferno.

Nothing remained of his dream home except charred rubble.

Malibu resident Joseph Church returned to find his home -- and his classic 1965 Porsche -- destroyed by the Palisades Fire.

Days earlier, as the Palisades Fire approached, other homes exploded in the distance and popping sounds were heard all around.

Church was left with nothing more than a few items, having left behind treasures including his rare Porsche -- one of only 156 ever made.

"I saw the fire coming up from PCH," Church recalled. "I felt I was getting pinched in. There was no time get out. Nothing's worth dying for."

A vegetation fire erupted in San Bernardino County Wednesday afternoon, posing a potential threat to nearby structures.

San Bernardino County Fire Department responded to Little Mountain Drive and west Edgehill Road at around 2:44 p.m. and estimated the Little Mountain Fire at approximately 30 acres with a rapid rate of speed.

Forward rate of progress of the Little Mountain Fire was stopped at around 3:43 p.m. at 34 acres.

There were no reports of damage to structures or injuries. Crews remained on scene to ensure complete mop up of hotspots.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

With so much unknown for people impacted by the wildfires, ABC7 Eyewitness News looked into top searched questions about housing and payments to provide some definitive answers for the now.

Do you have to pay your mortgage if your house was destroyed in the L.A. County wildfires?
Homeowners are often eligible for reduced or suspended mortgage payments for up to 12 months if they are impacted by a disaster, according to the Federal National Mortgage Association, commonly known as Fannie Mae.

Do you have to pay rent if your home, apartment or business was destroyed in the L.A. County fires?
No, according to the L.A. County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs. If a rental unit has been destroyed in a disaster, the rental agreement void, under California law.

Get answers to more housing-related questions here.

Firefighters marched into the foothills above Altadena to perform brush clearance in the Eaton Fire burn area, while also going door-to-door and checking the structural integrity of homes that remained standing.

The firefighters -- carrying chainsaws, axes and spade shovels -- were seen walking in a single-file line through a residential neighborhood that abuts a hillside, where they worked to clear out fuels for another brush fire.

Cal Fire personnel were also conducting inspections in the Eaton Fire zone that were 45% complete Wednesday afternoon, examining houses and other structures that were not destroyed.

Firefighters marched into the foothills above Altadena to perform brush clearance in the Eaton Fire burn area, while also going door-to-door and checking the structural integrity of homes that remained standing.

Among the surviving homes was the one owned by a man who stayed behind during the wildfire. In an interview, he described how he used water hoses and buckets to protect the house from flying embers.

"I have a two-story house, so I was up on both floors -- the ground floor and the second floor, spraying into it. I had some good nozzles," he said in an interview. "And then at that one time when the wind did cease and the embers stopped coming in like crazy, that's when I decided I could try to go across the street and fight the fire before it got to my neighbors' houses.

"But I was able to stop it there and another house around the corner," he said, his voice choked with emotion.