Some frightened residents had to abandon their cars and flee the fast-growing conflagration on foot.

Tens of thousands of people were forced to flee parts of Los Angeles as strong winds accelerated the spread of wildfires in the western US city.

More than 30,000 people were evacuated Tuesday as strong winds helped a brush fire move into the coastal Pacific Palisades neighborhood. Additional fires later threatened other areas around Southern California.

Frightened residents abandoned their cars on one of the few streets in and out of the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood and fled on foot from the nearly 1,200-acre fire that engulfed an area full of million-dollar homes in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Firefighters bulldozed dozens of vehicles aside, leaving many crumpled with alarms blaring to make way for emergency vehicles.

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said there were no immediate reports of deaths despite the chaotic evacuation.

A fire official told television station KTLA that several people were injured, some with burns to their faces and hands. One firefighter reportedly suffered a head injury.

Hundreds of firefighters pushed through the area, battling the fire from the ground and air, as crews worked their way through steep terrain to cut back vegetation and create firebreaks.

“We are not out of danger,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at an afternoon media conference.

A second fire broke out about 30 miles (50 km) inland near Pasadena and doubled in size to 400 acres (162 hectares) within hours, according to Cal Fire.

Nearly 100 elderly nursing home residents in the city were evacuated, according to CBS News.

Videos and photos showed elderly residents, many in wheelchairs and on stretchers, crowding a smoke-filled and windswept parking lot as fire engines and ambulances approached.

Fire officials said a third fire triggered evacuation orders in the San Fernando Valley northwest of LA.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said President Joe Biden has approved federal aid to help firefighters respond.