Hollywood A-list celebrities were told to ‘flee for your lives’ today as wildfires ripped through some of Los Angeles most celebrated neighbourhoods.
Huge flames licked through Pacific Palisades, fanned by hurricane force winds, as desperate emergency services tried to douse the inferno.
Celebrities already said to have joined tens of thousands of people in evacuating their homes include A-listers Tom Hanks and Ben Affleck.
Movie star James Woods shared footage of the blaze to Instagram account as he announced that he too was evacuating.
The blazes, which began on Tuesday night before spreading at an alarming rate, led to urgent warnings to flee, with residents abandoning their cars and running on foot to safety with many roads blocked.
Firefighters battling the blaze, which authorities said was burning through an area akin to five football fields a minute, warned they were running out of water and supplies, as evacuation warnings spread to Malibu and Calabasas.
Tankers full of water had been dousing the inferno from the skies all afternoon, but all aircraft were later grounded amid deteriorating wind conditions and visibility.
Good Will Hunting star Affleck, 52, was pictured with a glum face after inspecting his bachelor pad property before fleeing the area.
In addition to destroying multiple homes in the upscale address, the blaze also led to the cancellation of multiple Hollywood premieres, including the event for his ex Jennifer’s latest film Unstoppable.
In total, at least 30,000 residents are now under mandatory evacuation orders with more still warned they should be prepared to leave, a fire that broke out in the foothills near Eaton Canyon has grown to 600 acres.
LA’s fire chief Kristin Crowley said the blaze had grown to more than 1,260 acres and was expanding extremely quickly, according to aerial reconnaissance.
It had previously been reported as 12,000 acres but is now clarified by officials as 1,262 acres.
She said the fire was being fuelled by the fierce winds and the dry, brush area. She added that it had been “extremely challenging for our personnel that are assigned”.
There are 250 firefighters at the scene, with helicopters, fire engines and more.
But the fires have also caused mayhem for the movie industry.
The LA premiere of Robbie Williams biopic Better Man was quickly cancelled due to the fires, US media reported.
“Due to the dangerous conditions affecting Los Angeles we are cancelling tomorrow’s [Wednesday’s] premiere of Better Man,” a spokesperson for Paramount Pictures said.
“Our thoughts are with those impacted by the devastating fires resulting from these conditions, and we encourage everyone to stay safe and follow guidance and orders from local officials and government agencies.”
The ceremony announcing the nominees for this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) has also been cancelled “in an abundance of caution for the safety of our presenters, guests and staff”, the guild h said.
