A wildfire raced up canyon walls toward multimillion-dollar ocean-view homes on a ridge in Los Angeles, spurring evacuations and a furious firefighting effort.

The blaze broke out around 10.30am in the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood and flames churned uphill through large green trees and dry brush.

Helicopters made strategic water drops as the fire burned fences and lawn furniture behind large houses at the top of a bluff.

Some residents evacuated from the hillside community west of downtown Los Angeles, while others stayed behind and used backyard garden hoses to try to protect their homes.

Crews saved at least half a dozen houses, said the city fire spokesman, Brian Humphrey.

“Thankfully, no homes have suffered serious damage,” Humphrey said. No injuries were reported.

Patrick Butler, an assistant fire chief, told reporters it was “an extremely challenging fire for hand crews”, adding, “They’re essentially clawing their way up this hillside with rocks coming down on them.”

One firefighter was taken to the hospital due to heat exhaustion, authorities said.

Residents watch the #PalisadesFire as flames erupt on a nearby hillside and threaten homes https://t.co/mMvw6Xeg6V pic.twitter.com/PVZbFUihK3 — KTLA (@KTLA) October 21, 2019

A huge plume of smoke was visible across the city.

The fire department attributed the lack of significant damage to the lack of wind and strong compliance with strict brush clearance regulations.

Predicted weak to moderate Santa Ana winds did not materialize in the area and instead remained confined to the north-west on the central coast.

Nonetheless, an evacuation order was issued for the area due to potential fire behavior and smoke as well as expected arrival of large airplanes to drop fire retardant.

The cause is under investigation.