The fire exploded from 20 acres to 1,200 acres in mere hours and wind speeds could soon reach 100mph (160km/h).

A windstorm is threatening to spread a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in southern California and could trigger more fires as evacuations are underway.

Fast-moving blaze burns over 1,200 acres in Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, threatening thousands of homes and structures as powerful gusts fuel the flames.

For the third time since early November, parts of Southern California’s Los Angeles and Ventura counties are under a red-flag warning for extreme fire danger.

A rapidly growing wildfire raged across an upscale section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, destroying homes and creating traffic jams as 30,000 people evacuated beneath huge plumes of smoke that covered much of the metropolitan area.