From tears of despair to glimmers of hope - how Californians reacted to deadly wildfires

The faces of those affected by California's deadly wildfires. Credit: AP

California has been gripped by deadly wildfires in the last week with the death toll rising to 42 people.

It is the deadliest blaze in the state's history.

The fire continues to rage, with gusty winds making it difficult for firefighters to bring the blaze under-control.

This is how Californians reacted to the devastation.

  • Santos Alvarado and his son Ricky recover a safe deposit box from their destroyed home at Seminole Springs Mobile Home Park.

  • Malibu residents Rocky and Henry walk to a friend's house to help with fire relief along the pacific coast highway in Malibu.

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  • A man wears a mask to protect from smoke from wildfires before an NFL football game between the Oakland Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers in Oakland.

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  • Araya Cipollini cries near the remains of her family's home burned in Paradise.

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  • Warden Jake Olsen tells his wife her wedding ring was found in the ashes of their home they share with their four children in Paradise. This is the moment where she called to check in and he tearfully told her the good news. “It's something,” he said with a sad smile.

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  • Cathy Fallon sits near her dog Shiloh, a 2-year-old golden retriever, whose face was burned in the fire in Paradise. They are spending nights in this horse trailer because the family home burned down.

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  • Shiloh, a 2-year-old golden retriever, lies down with its face burned.

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  • Gill Netter walks in front of his neighbours' wildfire-ravaged home. He used water from his pool to save his home.

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  • Krystin Harvey looks through the remains of her home burned in Paradise.

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  • Araya Cipollini holds on to her dog T.J. near the burned out remnants of her neighbour's home in Paradise.

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  • Yaniv Scholo, left, uses a hose to put out hot spots by the street.

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  • Dina Arias watches the charred remains of her friend's burned out home in Malibu.

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  • Capt.Steve Millosovich carries a cage of cats while battling the Camp Fire in Big Bend.

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  • Cathy Fallon wipes her face beside her son Gabriel Fallon as she stands near the charred remains of her home. “I'll be darned if I'm gonna let those horses burn in the fire”, said Gabriel, who stayed on her property to protect 14 horses. All of the horses survived.

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  • Tracey Moechel sits with her dog Muggsy outside of an evacuation center set up at the Taft Charter High School gymnasium in Los Angeles.

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  • People lead horses and ponies down Pacific Coast Highway to an evacuation area at Zuma Beach in Malibu.

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  • Orlando Verganza hoses down a property as flames from a wildfire approach in Malibu.

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  • Marty Cable is one of dozens of horse owners who evacuated her home in Encinal Canyon to bring their animals to an evacuation area at Zuma Beach in Malibu.

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  • Jake Green runs down a road from where his father if fighting to save their home up the hill in Malibu.

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  • Caretakers from an assisted living facility for the elderly Evangeline Nary, right and Angel Marie Leyba sit with their residents at an evacuation centre.

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  • Donna Phillips (left) finds a charred ceramic sun among the possessions of her friend Marsha Maus' (right) home.

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  • Alexander Tobolsky hugs his girlfriend Dina Arias in his burned out home in Malibu.

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  • Firefighter Eric Santana looks for hotspots after a wildfire swept through.

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  • John Honigsfeld surveys the damage to a neighbour’s property after a wildfire swept through.

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