Hello and welcome to NewsHour live from the BBC World Service in London.

I'm Rebecca Kesbby.

If you get an evacuation order, leave immediately.

This is not a drill.

That's the official message coming from the authorities in Los Angeles

as hundreds of firefighters are struggling to contain

several ferocious wildfires

that are at the moment burning out of control around the city.

70,000 people are under evacuation orders,

two people have been killed,

but the conditions firefighters are working in are horrendous.

High winds with some gusts at hurricane levels are exacerbating efforts to contain the flames

and that wind is causing them to spread at terrifying speed. Across the program today, we'll bring

you the latest as an eerie, bright orange glow and dark plumes of smoke hang over some of the most recognisable landmarks in the United States, including the Hollywood Hills.

There are four major fires, a smaller one is being contained, we understand, but the four main ones are in Hearst, Eton, Woodley and Palisades.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Maroney gave more details.

The Palisades Fire is located in both L.A. City and L.A. County. We have well over

5,000 acres that have burned, and the fire is growing. We have no over 5,000 acres that have burned and the fire is growing.

We have no percentage of containment.

For the eaten fire, we have over 2,000 acres burning at this time

and the fire continues to grow with 0% containment.

More than 30,000 people have had to flee the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood alone.

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