California fires live updates: Palisades Fire one of most destructive in LA history

Five school campuses in Altadena have been "substantially damaged" by the Eaton Fire, according to Pasadena Unified School District Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco.

"We are continuing to assess damage," she said during a press briefing while warning that some schools still remain in the path of the fire.

"We're working together with our city partners to do everything we can to preserve our schools," Blanco said.

All schools in the district will remain closed for the rest of the week, she said.

Pasadena City College has sustained minor damage and will resume classes on Monday, the school's president, José Gómez, said during the briefing.

Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo confirmed five people have died and "hundreds of homes have been lost" in the Eaton Fire during a press briefing Wednesday afternoon.

"We have experienced a tremendous tragedy here in our community," Gordo said.

Between 200 and 500 structures have been damaged or lost, according to Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin based on a preliminary assessment.

Miguel Márquez, the city manager for Pasadena, called firefighters' efforts "heroic" to battle the blaze in 80 mph winds and evacuate the area amid the "brutal conditions."

"They saved many, many lives in the last 22 hours," Márquez said during the press briefing.

With the fire still burning, officials urged people to follow evacuation orders.

Malibu took an "extremely hard hit" Wednesday afternoon in the Palisades Fire, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Lyndsey Lantz told ABC News Live as the fire continued to burn uncontrolled.

The Palisades Fire is moving both east and west amid high winds, which are hindering firefighting efforts, Lantz said.

"We don't have a handle on it yet," Lantz said.

The fire department has been "overrun" by calls for service, with call volume increasing almost threefold in addition to the fires, Lantz said.

"We have a lot of agencies helping us, coming in from all over California and the western U.S.," she said. "We are extremely grateful for all of that help. But we are fighting against these winds right now ... and still trying to prioritize life safety before we really have any hope of getting a handle on these flames right now."

Five people have now died in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna confirmed to ABC Los Angeles station KABC.

Previously, two deaths were reported.