Wildfires tore across the Los Angeles area with devastating force on Wednesday after setting off a desperate escape from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds and towering clouds of smoke. Flames broke out on Tuesday evening near a nature preserve in the inland foothills northeast of LA while another blaze that started hours earlier ripped

Fierce wildfires are raging in the Los Angeles area, with fast-moving flames burning through homes and businesses.

Tens of thousands of people fled their homes near Los Angeles on Wednesday as three out-of-control wildfires fuelled by hurricane-force winds tore through the city's suburbs, destroying dozens of houses.