Wildfires began breaking out in Southern California Tuesday morning as a life-threatening, widespread windstorm that could be one of the most destructive to hit the region in over a decade roars to life and creates extremely dangerous fire weather conditions.

Dire warnings have been issued for the Los Angeles area, with a dangerous threat for the strongest wind event in more than a decade. Outages and extreme fire behaviours are major risks

A state of emergency has been declared in Southern California as fierce wildfires fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds continue to rage. Thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate their homes as flames tear through coastal communities,

Southern California's Palisades Fire, fueled by a strong windstorm, has grown to 1,261 acres and prompted the city of Los Angeles to declare a state of emergency as 30,000 people have been forced to evacuate.

Firefighters are making progress slowing the major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed five people, ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and caused thousands of people to flee their homes.