The fires blanketed the city with a thick cloud of smoke and ash and destroyed homes across the metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, home of the famed Rose Parade.
One of the fires was the most destructive in the modern history of the city of LA and reduced grocery stores and banks to rubble, levelling entire blocks.
With thousands of firefighters already attacking the flames, the Los Angeles Fire Department put out a plea for off-duty and out-of-state firefighters to help. The winds temporarily stopped aircraft from dumping water from above until they were able to resume flights.
Images of the devastation showed luxurious homes that collapsed in a whirlwind of flaming embers. Swimming pools were blackened with soot, and sports cars slumped on melted tires.
Vehicles destroyed in Altadena, California
“This morning, we woke up to a dark cloud over all of Los Angeles. But it is darkest for those who are most intimately impacted by these fires. It has been an immensely painful 24 hours,” LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said.
At least 70,000 people were ordered to evacuate - a number that kept changing because evacuation orders were continually being issued, officials said.
The flames marched toward highly-populated and affluent neighbourhoods, including Calabasas and Santa Monica, home to California’s rich and famous. Hollywood stars, including Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore and James Woods, were among those forced to flee.
The Palisades fire is the largest in the county
The fires have consumed a total of about 108 square kilometres.
Flames moved so quickly that many barely had time to escape. Police sought shelter inside their patrol cars, and residents at a senior living centre were pushed in wheelchairs and hospital beds down a street to safety in the foothills northeast of LA.
California’s wildfire season typically begins in June or July and runs through October, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association, but January wildfires are not unprecedented. There was one in 2022 and 10 in 2021, according to CalFire.
The winds increased to 129 kph on Wednesday, according to reports received by the National Weather Service, and could top 160 kph in mountains and foothills.
President Joe Biden pledged to sign a federal emergency declaration after arriving at a Santa Monica fire station for a briefing with Governor Gavin Newsom.
Several Hollywood studios suspended production, and Universal Studios closed its theme park between Pasadena and Pacific Palisades. (AP)
