Firefighters make progress in slowing Los Angeles wildfires amid devastation

Firefighters began to slow the spread of deadly and devastating fires in the Los Angeles area on Thursday after the ferocious winds that drove the fast-moving flames diminished, but the largest blazes still burned out of control.

Crews were able to knock down a major threat that broke out on Wednesday evening in the Hollywood Hills, close to the heart of the entertainment industry, and by morning had lifted an evacuation order for the area.

“While we are still facing significant threats, I am hopeful that the tide is turning,” LA County supervisor Kathryn Barger said during a news conference.

Water dropped from aircraft helped fire crews quickly seize control of the fires in the Hollywood Hills and Studio City, LA mayor Karen Bass said.

Much of the widespread destruction around the city occurred after those aircraft were grounded due to high winds.

Major wind gusts still posed a danger on Thursday, but the weather forecast could provide an opportunity for firefighters to make progress in reining in blazes that have killed at least five people, ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and caused thousands of people to frantically flee their homes.

Flare-ups overnight illuminated the Santa Monica Mountains above Pacific Palisades.

The toll from the fires is still being calculated. LA fire chief Kristin Crowley said the Palisades Fire along the coast burned thousands of structures.

“It is safe to say that the Palisades fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles,” she said.

The number of dead also is expected to rise now that search dogs and crews are beginning to comb the rubble, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

Flames from the Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills put densely populated neighbourhoods on edge on Wednesday night.

Only a mile away, the streets around the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the TCL Chinese Theatre and Madame Tussauds were bustling, and onlookers used their phones to record video of the blazing hills.

Los Angeles Fire Department captain Erik Scott said firefighters were able to keep the blaze in check because “we hit it hard and fast and Mother Nature was a little nicer to us today”.