Pacific Palisades resident Jackie Hassett told The Associated Press that she first became aware of the fire in her neighbourhood by watching news reports.

It wasn't until the flames hit a nearby school and she could see "fireballs" flying towards her property on the video stream of her front door's Ring security camera that she knew her home was likely to be hit.

"We pretty much know it's coming this way and there's nothing that was going to be able to happen," she said.

"This is something we never expected because of where we are. This was the safe part of the of the Palisades."

Reporting with AP

California Governor Gavin Newsom is rubbishing reports that he cut the state's fire prevention budget. 

According to Newsweek, a review of last year's state budget showed wildlife and resilience funding had been slashed by more than $100 million. 

That reportedly saw Cal Fire take a $5 million hit on funds used to pay for vegetation management. 

But Newsom says the report is a "ridiculous lie" and claims his administration has actually bolstered fire prevention efforts. 

"We have doubled the size of our firefighting army, built the world's largest aerial firefighting fleet, and increased the forest management ten-fold since taking office," he wrote on X. 

"Time to serve these folks the facts." 

The Governor has also taken aim at president-elect Donald Trump, urging him to visit Los Angeles and tour the fire grounds.

You can listen to his comments here:

The mansion used for exterior shots of the Banks' home in Will Smith's iconic Fresh Prince of Bel Air show is now in an evacuation zone "due to immediate threat to life and property". 

The Bel-Air home sits south-east of where the Palisades Fire is burning. 

In 2020, the property was opened as a short-term rental for fans. 

Smith shared toured the property with his former co-star Jazzy Jeff, who played Jazz on the show, in a video posted to Smith's YouTube channel. 

Hi Carolan, 

The Getty Villa Museum has so far survived the fires after activating emergency operations. 

The J Paul Getty Trust president Katherine E Fleming told the LA Times extensive brush clearing had been conducted around the property over the last year in an effort to minimise fire danger. 

Here's the article explaining all the measures taken to protect the Villa. 

Unfortunately, the Villa's sister museum, The Getty Center, is now in the line of fire. 

The Getty Center was included in an expended evacuation order today. 

Let's zoom out a little. 

It's currently 9pm on Friday in California, where some areas are freshly under evacuation orders. 

Here's a look at the current fires, warnings and orders across the Los Angeles area. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has provided us with a brief update in light of the LA fires.

"The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who may have been impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires," the government agency said in a statement.

"Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Australian Government’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre 1300 555 135 (within Australia) and +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas).

My colleague Caitlin Rawling earlier brought you the news that Victor Shaw had become the first victim of the wildfires to be identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

In the hours since then, more details have come to light about the people known to have been killed in the LA fires.

Here is what we now know about who has fallen victim:

• Anthony Mitchell, 67, and his son Justin, who has cerebral palsy, were waiting for an ambulance and didn't make it out alive, according to Mitchell's daughter Hajime White. Mitchell was found by the side of his son's bed in Altadena.
• Rodney Nickerson, 82, died in his bed in Altadena after staying behind because he felt he could safely wait out the fire from home, his daughter Kimiko Nickerson said.
• LA Police confirmed on Friday that Erliene Kelley, 83, had died in the fires. Ms Kelley had refused to evacuate her home of more than 60 years, her granddaughter Briana Navarro said. When Ms Navarro's father went to check on her a day later, nothing of the home was left other than rubble.

You can read more of their harrowing and heartbreaking stories here:

Reuters aerial cameras have captured the moments of chaos as firefighters battling the Palisades wildfire were forced to flee as out-of-control flames rapidly grew in size.

The teams of firefighters appeared to be caught off-guard by the speed and ferocity of the fire as it encroached on their position.

In the vision, multiple vehicles are seen being turned around and driven away from the blaze, which is burning just metres away. 

A truck and trailer used by the firefighters can also be seen engulfed in bright orange flames, while other items the firefighters had to leave behind catch alight.

It's a good question, Wes.

A drop off of the Santa Ana winds has granted Los Angeles a brief reprieve from the rapid spread of flames we saw earlier this week. 

But the gusty conditions are expected to return in the coming days. 

The National Weather Service based in San Diego, California reported that offshore winds heading towards the hills of LA are expected to begin building within the next 18 hours and continue through the weekend.

It's Friday evening, local time now.

Outgoing US President Joe Biden is also aware of the risk leading into next week.

He says he's been briefed alongside Vice-President Kamala Harris, the California Governor Gavin Newsom, the LA Mayor Karen Bass and the US Emergency Management Agency boss Deanne Criswell.

Firefighters have made significant progress in containing the Lidia fire, with containment lines now surrounding 98 per cent of the blaze. 

California Governor Gavin Newsom shared the update in a post on X. 

"Grateful for the work of our firefighters and all those on the front lines keeping our communities safe," he wrote. 

The fire broke out on Wednesday and encompasses 395 acres.