Firefighters race to beat LA fires as winds grow and death toll hits 16

Communities left in ruins as wildfires test the mettle of thousands of firefighters

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Firefighters on January 11 battled to get on top of massive wildfires around Los Angeles as winds ramped up, pushing the blazes towards previously untouched neighbourhoods.

At least 16 people were confirmed dead from fires that have ripped through the US city, leaving communities in ruins and testing the mettle of thousands of firefighters and millions of California residents.

Despite heroic efforts, including precision sorties from aerial crews, the Palisades fire continued to grow, pushing east towards the priceless collections of the Getty Centre art museum and north to the densely populated San Fernando Valley.

In some areas, the fire had turned houses to ashes and left streaks of molten metal flowing from burnt-out cars.

Footage from the Mandeville Canyon area showed one home consumed, with a wall of flame licking up a hillside to menace others.

A brief lull in the wind was rapidly giving way to gusts that forecasters warned would feed the fires for days to come.

"Critical fire-weather conditions will unfortunately ramp up again today for Southern California and last through at least early next week," the National Weather Service said.

"This may lead to the spread of ongoing fires as well as the development of new ones."

The Palisades fire was 11 per cent contained on January 11 but had grown to 9,500ha, while the Eaton fire was at 5,665ha and 15 per cent contained.