A wildfire whipped up by extreme winds swept through a hillside dotted with celebrity residences, burning homes and prompting evacuations.

Southern California's Palisades Fire, fueled by a strong windstorm, has grown to 1,261 acres and prompted the city of Los Angeles to declare a state of emergency as 30,000 people have been forced to evacuate.

A wildfire raged across an upscale section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, sending large billows of smoke over much of the metropolitan area and causing traffic jams as people fled their homes under evacuation orders.

A windstorm is threatening to spread a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in southern California and could trigger more fires as evacuations are underway.