Thousands of residents near the wealthy Brentwood neighbourhood of Los Angeles have been forced to flee their homes because of a fire that began early yesterday, said the BBC.
Celebrities, including actor Arnold Schwarzenegger – once governor of California – and basketball star LeBron James, are among those to have evacuated.
Further north, a larger fire has forced 180,000 out of their homes in Sonoma County.
California has declared a state-wide emergency as wildfires fanned by strong winds are raging in two parts of the state.
An estimated 1.5 million homes will be without power today as the utility firm tries to stop damaged cables triggering more fires.
"Critical and extreme threats are likely to persist in north-central and southern California through midweek," said the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
