Palisades residents describe flight from LA wildfire inferno

In Palisades, firefighters told people to get out of their cars as the blaze approached, fanned by gusts of winds sometimes topping 100mph (160km/h).

“The fire was right up against the cars,” resident Marsha Horowitz told the BBC.

Celebrities were also among those fleeing.

Schitt’s Creek actor Eugene Levy lives in the area and told local media he was forced to evacuate his home. “The smoke looked pretty black and intense over Temescal Canyon. I couldn’t see any flames but the smoke was very dark,” he told the Los Angeles Times, external.

Mr Latt and his wife made it to safety, but unease has gripped residents in the city as the three wildfires rage on its northern and western outskirts.

Whipped up by strong winds, the fires have destroyed homes, clogged roads and forced more than 30,000 people to flee.

With at least 50,000 homes without power, other people in affected neighbourhoods have been driving until they get a signal to try and make calls or connect to the internet, unsure what to do.

If they go to sleep, they worry they will not know when to evacuate. Many can see flames from their homes, but are unsure if they are close enough to leave.

Many people have have children and pets, and are unsure of where to go.