The extent of the damage from wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area is horrific however it's tallied: Neighborhoods have been erased, landmarks destroyed and lives lost. But officials have prompted some confusion by suggesting their count of “structures” damaged — more than 12,

A spokesperson said the Department of Homeland Security was not conducting any large-scale operations in Southern California amid fires.

Fierce winds fueled new fires and made it harder to contain the largest blazes, which have destroyed whole neighborhoods and have become some of the most devastating in California’s history.