What to know about wildfires raining embers on the LA area

Five people were killed, and more than 1,000 structures were destroyed as fierce wildfires raged in the Los Angeles area.

Fast-moving flames burned through homes and businesses as residents fled smoke-filled canyons and picturesque neighbourhoods home to many celebrities.

Many of the towering fires began Wednesday and were fuelled by powerful Santa Ana winds, which gusted to more than 112 km/h in some spots. The winds persisted Thursday and, for a while, made it too dangerous for aircraft to attack the fires from the sky, further hampering their efforts. Aerial firefighting resumed Thursday.

Governor Gavin Newsom said the state has deployed more than 1400 firefighting personnel to battle the blazes. In a rare, urgent plea, the Los Angeles Fire Department asked all off-duty firefighters in the city to help. Oregon is sending 240 firefighters and 60 engines.

AccuWeather estimates US$52 billion (NZ$92.6 billion) to US$57 billion (NZ$101.5 billion) in preliminary damage and economic loss has occurred from the fires.

Here's what to know about the fires:

An estimated 1,000 structures have been destroyed in the hilly coastal neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades, making it the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history.

The wreckage surpassed that of the Sayre Fire of November 2008, which destroyed 604 structures in Sylmar, the northernmost suburb of the city, according to statistics kept by the Wildfire Alliance, a partnership between the city’s fire department and MySafe:LA.

The Pacific Palisades area is dotted with celebrity homes and was memorialized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit Surfin’ USA. The flames burned part of Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in many Hollywood productions, including the 1976 horror movie Carrie and the TV series Teen Wolf.

Residents rushing to escape created a traffic jam, blocking emergency vehicles from getting through. Crews used a bulldozer to push the abandoned cars off to the side. Photos depict what some residents describe as an apocalyptic scene.

Farther inland, the Eaton Fire erupted Wednesday north of Pasadena. At a senior centre, employees pushed dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds to a parking lot to escape.

The Eaton fire has burned more than 42.9 square kilometres, according to state fire personnel, and stands to become the largest wildfire in California during the month of January in the past 41 years.

The Hurst Fire started about 10.30pm Tuesday (local time) and prompted evacuations in Sylmar. That fire had grown to nearly 2.6 square kilometres by early Wednesday.

At least 70,000 people were ordered to evacuate — a number that keeps changing because evacuation orders were continually being issued.

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 NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames. They had been set to play at the Kings’ downtown arena on Thursday.

The Critics Choice Awards rescheduled their Monday ceremonies for January 26. They're due to be held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, only miles from Pacific Palisades.

Film studios cancelled two movie premieres because of the fires and windy weather, the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park closed for the day because of smoky, windy conditions and the J Paul Getty Trust said two of its museums, the Getty Villa and Getty Centre, will remain closed for the next few days.

Universal Studios also cancelled shooting for numerous series, including Hacks, Ted Lasso and Suits LA.

About 1.5 million customers were without power in Southern California, with nearly a million of them in Los Angeles County, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide.