The most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history Thursday have burned more than 54 square miles of land, destroyed thousands of structures and killed at least five people.

A short reprieve in the strong destructive winds has granted firefighters an opportunity to curb the spread of the deadly Eaton Fire near Pasadena.

Dire warnings have been issued for the Los Angeles area, with a dangerous threat for the strongest wind event in more than a decade. Outages and extreme fire behaviours are major risks