Firefighters in California are battling a fast-moving wildfire which is sweeping an exclusive Los Angeles hillside dotted with celebrity homes.
Officials say the wildfire is being fanned by gusts from a “life-threatening” and “destructive” wind storm hitting southern California.
Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Fire crews are battling a handful of small blazes in the Los Angeles area, including in the foothills of the Pacific Palisades, between Santa Monica and Malibu.
Around 30,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate.
The smoke cloud from the flames is so high, it can be seen from LA’s famous Venice Beach, more than six miles away.
Actor James Woods has shared footage of flames burning through bushes and past palm trees on a hill near his Pacific Palisades home.
Smoke from a wildfire is seen from Venice Beach. Pic: AP
Meanwhile, actor Steve Guttenberg, who also lives in the area, has been helping to move parked cars to make way for fire engines.
“This is not a parking lot,” he told local media.
“I have friends up there and they can’t evacuate… I’m walking up there as far as I can moving cars.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Wildfire reaches California houses
Kristin Crowley, fire chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department, says the area is experiencing “extreme fire weather conditions” and that more than 250 firefighters are currently attempting to battle the blaze.
She said the fire was initially reported as a 10-acre fire, but, fanned by 40mph winds, had since spread to more than 1,200 acres “and growing”.
Ms Crowley says the job of firefighters tackling the blaze is being made “extremely challenging” due to “strong winds and surrounding topography”.
No injuries have so far been reported, but the service has received “multiple reports” of damage to buildings in the area.
Pic: AP
Pic: AP
California governor, Gavin Newsom, says many structures have already been destroyed.
The US National Weather Service said what could be the strongest Santa Ana wind storm for more than a decade would begin in the afternoon across Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
It is expected to peak in the early hours of Wednesday, when gusts could reach 80mph, and up to 100mph in the mountains and foothills.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.