The terrible fire began on Tuesday in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, near Malibu, with others subsequently breaking out across the north of the city.
The situation
Despite the efforts of thousands of firefighters, the biggest blazes remain totally uncontained with weather conditions and the underlying impact of climate change expected to continue fanning the flames for days to come.
In LA country 179,000 people are under evacuation orders. Another 200,000 residents are under evacuation warning, meaning they may need to leave their homes soon. More than 10,000 buildings have been razed by the fires. A further 60,000 are also at risk.
Five people confirmed to have been killed and the great homes of a number of celebrities – including Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, Mel Gibson and Adam Brody – have been destroyed.