Devastating wildfires that have torn across California have caused tens of thousands of people to be evacuated, as the flames destroy houses and scorch the land.
A state of emergency has been declared by the governor of the US state after a wild fire turned into a sprawling blaze that was spread by strong winds.
There have been several fires, including one which swept through the Pacific Palisades area of LA, where a number of celebrity residences are located, and a fire which broke out yesterday (7 January) near a nature reserve to the north east of the city.
Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes in California. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
The latter spread so quickly that residents of a nearby care home had to be pushed down the street in wheelchairs and hospital beds to a car park, while burning embers fell around them as they waited to be picked up.
Some roads became blocked by cars of people attempting to evacuate who abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, with a bulldozer brought in to push cars out of the way and clear a path for the emergency services.
One woman who got stuck between Sunset Boulevard and and Palisades Drive told the LA Times that the fire burst out near a Starbucks on the road and police started running down the road telling motorists to get out of their cars and ‘run for your lives’.
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A state of emergency has been declared in California. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
