Thousands of families were displaced on Tuesday when fires torched homes throughout Pacific Palisades and Altadena, kicking off a regionwide house hunt as victims scoured a tight market looking for homes to rent — or even buy.

People are desperate, local agents said. Their homes are in ashes, and they’re looking for stability — somewhere for their family to go that’s not a shelter, a friend’s house or a hotel room. Some landlords are now sharply raising rent, even beyond what temporary price gouging protections allow. And some would-be renters are offering a year’s rent upfront in cash and engaging in bidding wars.

“Dozens and dozens of people are going after the same properties,” said David Berg, a Compass real estate agent with Smith & Berg Property Group. “Since Tuesday afternoon, our phones have rung hundreds of times.”