A wildfire prompted emergency officials to order residents in a western Los Angeles neighborhood to evacuate their homes Tuesday as forecasters warned that a potentially life-threatening windstorm could fuel the fire’s rapid spread.

The fire exploded from 20 acres to 1,200 acres in mere hours and wind speeds could soon reach 100mph (160km/h).

A wildfire whipped up by extreme winds swept through a Los Angeles hillside dotted with celebrity residences Tuesday, burning homes in Pacific Palisades and prompting evacuation orders for tens of thousands.

Evacuation orders went into effect in Los Angeles' Pacific Palisades neighborhood, with multiple homes under immediate threat on Tuesday.

LOS ANGELES — A wildfire whipped up by extreme winds swept through a Los Angeles hillside dotted with celebrity residences Tuesday, burning homes and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, some of whom abandoned their cars and fled on foot to safety with roads blocked.

First discovered: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 7 Initial location: Los Angeles County, Calif. A new wildfire was reported today at 7:30 p.m. in Los Angeles County. The wildfire has been burning on private land. At this time, the containment status is unknown and the cause of the fire remains undetermined.

A wildfire burned about 200 acres (80 hectares) and threatened homes in an upscale section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, forcing evacuations after officials had already warned of extreme fire danger from dry,

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.