TRANSCRIPT
A smoky sunrise over Malibu on Wednesday [[Jan 8]] casting a pinkish hue over the iconic beaches of the California city.
A thick cloud of wildfire smoke hanging over the Los Angeles area, creating fiery and otherworldly sunrises from different vantage points.
On the ground - terror for those in the path of the wildfires.
"There are still people out there that haven't gotten out of their homes. You know, there are a lot of people that don't have friends and don't have family and they have trouble getting out of their homes. I just hope nothing happens to them. And there are people that have left pets up there and and virtually all the pets got out. But it's a very, very dangerous situation. And I wish that... I think this might be the time to bring in the National Guard, you know, to sort of help out."
American actor Steve Guttenberg speaking to Sky News about the impact of the devastating California wildfires on his neighbourhood in Manhattan Beach.
At least five people have been killed as several fast-growing wildfires rage out of control.
The largest fire is burning in Pacific Palisades, home to many film, television, and music stars.
Firefighters say fierce winds are fuelling the fires which began on Tuesday and have only expanded since.
Tens of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes, with roads becoming so congested that some chose to abandon their vehicles and escape on foot.
Chief Jim McDonnell is from the Los Angeles Police Department.
"This is a tragic time in our history here in Los Angeles. But a time where we're really tested and see who we really are. And it's critical that at these times we be patient, that we come together, that we focus on saving lives and to be able to do the very best job we can still, look back on this, we we know that we did what we could for others."
Experts are warning that climate change is lengthening California's fire season, in part by making dry vegetation conditions more common.
The fires began during an extreme wind event, with very low rates of humidity, that dry out the vegetation which becomes fuel for the fire.
Lindon Pronto, is a former fire fighter who now works as an expert in fire management with the European Forest Institute.
He says that while it was rare to see such a scale of destruction in January, forest fires were now a year-long risk in California.
"I would say it is somewhat surprising to have, you know, such a devastating event in January. I think it's no surprise that we basically have a year round fire season in California. However, the, you know, such a destruction on this scale is not often seen in the month of January. The obvious impact of climate change in this situation is that the average number of days per year where the vegetation is very available for fire has doubled since the 1980s. So the fire season has been growing longer and longer in California."
President Joe Biden attended a wildfire briefing at a Santa Monica fire station - pledging the federal government will do anything and everything to help contain the fires and assist the community with rebuilding.
Mr Biden says the fires have directly affected his own family.
"It's astounding what's happening, with only one piece of good news. My son lives out here and his wife. They got a notification yesterday their home was probably burned to the ground. Today, it appears that it may be still standing, they're not sure. But the good news is I'm a great grandfather as of today. Our eldest granddaughter. Ten pound, four ounce baby girl - baby boy. So I'm gonna remember this day for a lot of the wrong reasons. But anyway."
President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office in two weeks, is blaming water policies from California Governor Gavin Newsom and President Joe Biden for causing the outbreak.
