At least two people have been killed as fast-growing wildfires rage out of control near Los Angeles, destroying hundreds of buildings, scorching hillsides and prompting officials to order 70,000 people to flee their homes.

Hollywood celebrities are among those who have fled their homes as out-of-control wildfires fanned by hurricane-force winds engulf ritzy suburbs.

Four uncontrolled wildfires have ripped through upmarket Pacific Palisades, Eaton, Hurst and Woodley, stretching firefighters to their limits.

Dozens have also been injured as towering flames rapidly spread, destroying mansions and blanketing hills.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency.

The largest of the four fires, Pacific Palisades – an area home to many film and music stars – has destroyed more than 1000 structures.

More than 37,000 people have fled the Pacific Palisades fire and 32,000 have fled the Eaton fire.

Extreme winds have driven the fire across the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood. Photo: AAP

Meteorologist Ryan Maue warned that the winds would not die down until noon on Wednesday (local time).

“The worst is yet to come in next few hours with 80-105mp/h (128km/h to 168km/h) gusts,” he wrote on X.

“This is a hurricane of fire.”

The LA County Fire Department said it had managed “zero containment” of the Palisades blaze, while police warned that the fire behaviour was unpredictable.

Hollywood celebrities are among those forced to evacuate by car and on foot as the flames chewed through upscale areas of the city.

Actor Jennifer Love Hewitt posted about watching “everything burn” while Schitt’s Creek creator Eugene Levy told The Los Angeles Times he was fleeing his home.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ex-wife Maria Shriver tweeted that she evacuated on Wednesday morning.

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill said he was evacuated from Malibu amid the wildfires and told residents to “stay safe”.

He described the fire as the “most horrific” since 1993.

Golden Globe and two-time Emmy-winning actor James Woods shared security camera footage on X of flames engulfing a nearby home and at the bottom of his balcony.

Roads were jammed with people rushing to escape, some abandoning their cars as flames licked the edges, and plumes of smoke and flames rose in the night sky.

Pacific Palisades resident Cindy Festa said that as she fled, fires were “this close to the cars”, demonstrating with her thumb and forefinger.

“People left their cars on Palisades Drive. Burning up the hillside. The palm trees – everything is going,” Festa said from her car.

Mansions burn in Malibu. Photo: AAP

Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass said the windstorm was expected to worsen through the morning.

A second blaze, dubbed the Eaton Fire, broke out 50 kilometres inland in Altadena, near Pasadena, and rapidly increased in size to 400 hectares in a few hours, according to Cal Fire.

Fire officials said a third blaze named the Hurst Fire had started in Sylmar, in the San Fernando Valley north-west of Los Angeles, prompting more evacuations.

The Hurst fire has grown to 200 hectares from 40 hectares earlier, according to Cal Fire.

More than 220,000 homes and businesses in Los Angeles county were without power late on Tuesday, data from PowerOutage.us showed.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley had earlier said that more than 25,000 people in 10,000 homes were threatened.

Firefighting aircraft scooped water from the sea to drop it on the flames as they engulfed homes.

Bulldozers cleared abandoned vehicles from roads so emergency vehicles could pass, television images showed.

The fire singed some trees on the grounds of the Getty Villa, a museum loaded with priceless works of art. The collection remained safe largely because nearby bushes had been trimmed as a preventive measure, the museum said.

Hollywood celebrities flee

The wildfires hit the heart of the city’s movie industry with Hollywood stars and their families among those fleeing and losing property.

Hollywood actors including Chris Pratt have praised the “brave firefighters and first responders” who are tackling the wind-driven wildfires.

Guardians Of The Galaxy star Pratt, encouraged people to “come together” and “support one another” amid the destruction.

“Please send prayers and strength tonight to everyone in Los Angeles affected by these devastating fires,” he posted on social media

“Thank you to the brave firefighters and first responders who are working tirelessly to protect lives, homes, and wildlife as they battle fast-moving wildfire fuelled by fierce winds.

“You are true heroes, and we are endlessly grateful for your sacrifice and courage.”

Actor Josh Gad, who voices Olaf in the Frozen films, also praised the emergency services and posted a video showing a blaze ripping through a hillside.

“My deepest gratitude and appreciation goes out to our brave fire and rescue and police forces who are doing everything in their power to keep the residents of Los Angeles safe right now,” he said.

Actor Steve Guttenberg, who also lives in the Pacific Palisades, urged people who abandoned their cars to leave their keys behind so they could be moved to make way for fire engines.

“This is not a parking lot,” he told TV station KTLA. “I have friends up there and they can’t evacuate … I’m walking up there as far as I can moving cars.”

It comes less than a month after residents in Malibu were evacuated from a wind-driven blaze dubbed the Franklin Fire, in which more than 1600 hectares burned and stars including Dick Van Dyke, Cher and Jane Seymour forced to leave their homes.

-with AAP