
The homes of celebrities including Chrissy Teigen, Paris Hilton and Chelsea Handler, as well as a vineyard belonging to Rupert Murdoch, have been evacuated as LA firefighters struggle to put out fires that are ripping through the Los Angeles area.

Four Southern California wildfires were joined by a fifth outside Los Angeles's exclusive Bel Air neighborhood - where at least six properties have been destroyed - on Wednesday, as high winds spurred on the flames.

One well-to-do resident was seen having a fireman load up her Bentley as she prepared to flee the neighborhood - where homes cost an average of $3.3million - while firefighters tackled the fearsome blaze.

The growing fire was nearing several A-listers' mansions including homes belonging to Teigen, Hilton, Handler, Jennifer Garner, Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, Maria Shriver and Heidi Klum.

'Never thought I'd get to actually play what I thought was a hypothetical game of what would you grab if there were a fire. So far all I have is Luna, some limited edition Oreos and my Spike TV award,' tweeted Teigen, who is pregnant, as she evacuated.

She added: 'We are fine and we will be fine. Thinking of everyone else affected and continuing my lifelong intense love of firefighters.'

And Handler tackled the fires with her usual wry humor, writing: 'Just evacuated my house. It's like Donald Trump is setting the world on fire. Literally and figuratively. Stay safe everyone. Dark times.'

Meanwhile Rupert Murdoch's vineyard estate - which is one of the most expensive within the Los Angeles city limits - was evacuated before blazes burned down a temperature-controlled wine storage shed holding an unknown amount of wine. Murdoch purchased the property in 2013 for $28.8million.

The first four blazes - the Thomas Fire in Ventura County; the Creek Fire near Sylmar; the Rye Fire in Santa Clarita, and the Little Mountain Fire in San Bernardino - have already ravaged acres of land, damaging almost 200 structures and forcing 200,000 people to flee.

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Motorists on Highway 101 watch flames from the Thomas Fire leap above the roadway north of Ventura, California, on Wednesday. As many as five fires have closed highways, schools and museums, shut down production of TV series and cast a hazardous haze over the region

Chrissy Teigen tweeted her status, notifying fans she and her daughter Luna were safe

Satirist Chelsea Handler dealt with the tragedy with her usual sense of humor, saying it felt like the president had set the world on fire 'figuratively and literally', as she implored her followers to 'stay safe'

A fire engine stands by above the 101 Freeway on Wednesday in Ventura, California, as the Thomas Fire rages. About 200,000 people were under evacuation orders. No deaths and only a few injuries were reported

The Thomas Fire - one of at least five wildfires ravaging southern California, reaches the Northbound 101 freeway in Ventura on Wednesday. The other blazes are the Skirball Fire near Bel Air, LA; the Rye Fire near Santa Clarita; the Creek Fire near Sylmar; and the Little Mountain Fire near San Bernardino

A woman involved in a traffic accident waits to get towed beside a wall of flames on the 101 highway during the Thomas wildfire near Ventura on Wednesday

Trees are seen through the haze at the burnt out Vista del Mar Hospital after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California on Wednesday

A wall stands in the burnt out Vista del Mar Hospital after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California, on Wednesday

Ranch hands Anthony Martin and Angel Flores (right) look at collapsed stalls under which lie dead horses at Rancho Padilla where 29 horses were killed by the Creek Fire

Burned cars and equipment are seen in Little Tujunga Canyon during the Creek Fire near Sylmar, California. Strong Santa Ana winds are pushing multiple wildfires across the region

The fires are expanding across tens of thousands of acres and destroying hundreds of homes and structures. Pictured above, Little Tujunga Canyon after the blaze

Burned cars and equipment are seen in Little Tujunga Canyon, California, during the Creek Fire - one of five to hit the region

But they have been joined by the fifth, the Skirball Fire, which began in the early hours of Wednesday morning near Bel Air, and is now close to the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, UCLA and the Getty Arts Center complex.

All of this comes as FEMA confirms that it has freed up money to fight the first three fires, and President Donald Trump has sent his best wishes to those affected.

Dozens of homes have burned since the blaze erupted on Monday. Nearly 1,800 firefighters and a fleet of aircraft are fighting the flames but the blaze is only 5 per cent contained and an estimated 12,000 buildings are in danger.

Meanwhile, southern California issued a 'purple wind' warning on Thursday - an extreme on the color-coded system that has never been used before.

The color-coded system showing the expected strength of the winds driving the region's fierce wildfires has reached uncharted territory, pushing past red, which means 'high' into the color that means 'extreme.'

In one video of the blazes, a man can be seen running around a flame-filled area trying to rescue a wild rabbit. He eventually picks up the animal and runs away from the blaze

The Skirball Fire, which started near Interstate 405, is consuming mansions in the expensive area. Rupert Murdoch's vineyard estate was consumed by the fast-moving fire on Wednesday, with a temperature-controlled wine shed burning

Paris Hilton said that her home was being evacuated to get her pets - which include a tiny horse and several dogs, the latter of whom live in their own small two-story house - to safety

This firefighter helped to load the belongings of one Bel Air resident into the back of her Bentley as she evacuated the area before the Skirball Fire could close in any further

The neighborhood is filled with expensive homes, several of which have already been consumed by fire, and has been evacuated as gusts from the Santa Ana Winds push fires far and wide

Kourtney Kardashian posted this incredible picture of the Los Angeles wildfires to her Snapchat account

This Bel Air home has been ruined by the fire, which also threatens the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, UCLA and the Getty Arts Center complex

A painting and sports car that were saved from the wildfire stand to one side as a fireman carries a hose to a Bel Air blaze. The nearby Getty Center, at least, was designed to withstand fires, being based on a stone and metal ridge

The Thomas Fire, Creek Fire and Rye Fire were joined on Tuesday by the San Bernardino Fire, and on Wednesday morning the Los Angeles brush fire - dubbed the Skirball Fire - was reported to emergency services

The Skirball Fire, which began in the early hours of Wednesday morning near Bel Air, and is now close to the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, UCLA and the Getty Arts Center complex

'The forecast for tomorrow is purple,' said Ken Pimlott, director at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 'We've never used purple before.'

Such winds can instantly turn a tiny fire into a large one, or carry embers that spark new fires miles away.

'We're talking winds that can surface that can be 80 miles an hour,' Pimlott added . 'These will be winds that there will no ability to fight fires.'

Millions of cellphones buzzed loudly Tuesday night from San Diego to Santa Barbara with a sound that usually means an Amber Alert, but this time meant a rare weather warning for strong winds making extreme fire danger.

Officials hope the electronic push will keep the whole region alert and keep the death toll from the week's fires at zero.

The wilder winds could easily send make new fires explode too, as one did Wednesday in Los Angeles' exclusive Bel-Air section, where a fire consumed multimillion-dollar houses that give the rich and famous sweeping views of Los Angeles.

Little flame was visible by late Tuesday, but in the morning fire exploded on the steep slopes of Sepulveda Pass, closing a section of heavily traveled Interstate 405 and destroying four homes.

At 4:52am Wednesday, a fifth fire - the Skirball Fire - was reported on the east side of Los Angeles, along Interstate 405 in Sepulveda Pass, which carries the heavily traveled highway between LA and the San Fernando Valley.

A photo taken from the International Space Station and moved on social media by astronaut Randy Bresnik shows smoke rising from wildfire burning in Southern California on Wednesday

A photo taken from the International Space Station on Wednesday shows smoke billowing out in to the ocean in southern California

A photo taken from the International Space Station on Wednesday shows an aerial of part of the five blazes ravaging California

A mansion that survived a wildfire sits on a hilltop, surrounded by other fires, in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles on Wednesday

By midday more than 220 firefighters were on the scene, with helicopters hovering above, as the fire ate its way uphill, driven by the lay of the land rather than the winds that have caused issues elsewhere.

Parts of Bel Air were evacuated after emergency services notified residents by text message. The Getty Center, which is just over the freeway from the fire, was shut down. UCLA said it is monitoring the area.

Rupert Murdoch's Moraga Vinyards was evacuated. Vineyard staffer Roxanne Langer said a temperature-controlled wine storage shed burned after the fire erupted before dawn, but it was unclear how much wine was lost.

She said firefighters stepped in to douse the flames with the aid of helicopters and that other storage sheds, the winery itself and the estate’s unoccupied house are not damaged.

The winery, bought by Mr Murdoch for about 30 million dollars in 2013, has been evacuated. Ms Langer said it appeared the seven acres of vines suffered only slight damage and the grapes already had been harvested.

Murdoch, who lives at the estate with Jerry Hall, said in a statement: 'The situation at Moraga Bel Air is very fluid at the moment.

'The property was evacuated but based on what we were seeing on TV there may be damage to some buildings in the upper vineyard area.

Flames from the Skirball wildfire work their way down a slope behind Leo Baeck Temple in Sepulveda Pass in Bel Air

Firefighters work to save burning houses along Linda Flora Drive during the Skirball Fire in Los Angeles. Forecasters say that the fire is likely to continue spreading

A firefighter tries to stop a blaze on Linda Flora Drive, Bel Air. The street runs along a long, thin ridge that is banked on either side by vegitation

A Los Angeles County Fire helicopter drops water on the Skirball fire. The wildfire remains uncontained after it started along the I-405 freeway

Left: A helicopter drops water onto the Skirball Fire in Bel Air; right: Firefighters inside a destroyed home in Bel Air. Many Bel Air homes are bulit onto or alongside hills covered in flora

Firefighters try to dampen a blaze in the top floor of a Bel Air home, where the average house costs $3.3 million, with prices haven risen impressively over the past year

Maurice Kaboud makes a phone call after a wildfire threatened his home in Bel Air. His property remains undamaged, and was used to spray water on the burning buildings below

A swathe of Southern California lies beneath a choking cloud of smoke due to the wildfires, most of which remain uncontrolled and spreading

Smoke from the Thomas (left), Rye (center) and Creek (right) fires can be seen here on Tuesday afternoon in this satellite image of Southern California from NASA

'We believe the winery and house are still intact. We are monitoring the situation as closely as we can and are grateful to the efforts of all the first responders.

'Some of our neighbors have suffered heavy losses and our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time.'

The I-405 itself has been shut down indefinitely to traffic as the blaze is tackled, although footage from early morning traffic showed the hillside awash with flame.

While it is near the fire, the Getty Center is built on top of a stone and metal ridge and surrounded by fire-retarding plants in an effort to come through fires such as this one unscathed, TMZ reported.

THE FIRES IN FIGURES The Thomas Fire - the largest of the five fires - is four times the size of Manhattan. It's growing at an acre per second - meaning it would envelop Manhattan's Central Park in just 15 minutes. Nearly 200,000 people have been told to evacuate their homes. At least 184 structures have been destroyed - 150 by the Thomas Fire. The fires are being stoked by the hot, dry Santa Ana winds - which are averaging 50-70mph, but could have gusts of 80mph. They haven't been this numerous or this fast in 10 years. Around 38,000 people living in Ventura have been moved from their homes - that's more than a third of the city's 100,000 residents. Power has been knocked out to 43,000 homes that use Southern California Edison. Although Edison has 15 million subscribers, their stock was hit hard, dropping from 80.38 on Monday to 68.80 as of 3pm Wednesday. Sources: AP, CNN, Google Finance, USA Today Advertisement

It also has specially designed ventilation systems to keep out smoke, and its own water reserve to put out flames, and its designers are so confident it doesn't even have a vault to store the works.

Officials say fire protection was designed into the facility by architect Richard Meier, including the thickness of the walls and doors to compartmentalize any flames.

The $1 billion home of the J. Paul Getty Museum sits in the Santa Monica Mountains and has been closed to prevent harm to its works from smoke from several wildfires.

Its collections range from pre-20th century European paintings to Roman and Greek antiquities, tapestries, photographs and manuscripts, all protected by extensive anti-fire systems outside and in.

Many schools across Los Angeles were also closed because of poor air quality and classes were canceled at 265 schools Thursday.

Several of the wealthiest estates in the region were also evacuated, including Rupert Murdoch's $28.8 million Moraga vineyard, where he lives with his wife, Jerry Hall, Bloomberg reported.

Edison International, a power company based in the area, also saw its stocks drop as 34,000 homes were left without power.

Winds were dying down early Wednesday, but are expected to pick up speeds in the evening - with gusts of perhaps up to 80mph, which could cause fire to spread further, CNN reported.

The National Weather Service San Diego now says that much of the region - including LA, Ventura, Orange County, Inland Empire, San Diego and Santa Barbara - are at 'Extreme' risk of fires.

That means that 'upon ignition fires will have extreme growth, will burn very intensely, and will be uncontrollable,' it warned; Santa Barbara has a 'Marginal' risk meaning that 'Upon ignition, fires may grow rapidly.'

Late Wednesday morning, Donald Trump retweeted a FEMA announcement that it was providing grants for the first three blazes - the Thomas, Rye and Creek fires.

Trump tweeted out his own message as well: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the path of California's wildfires.

'I encourage everyone to heed the advice and orders of local and state officials. THANK YOU to all First Responders for your incredible work!'

Donald Trump sent out this message offering 'thoughts and prayers' to those affected in California, after FEMA confirmed that it had approved assistance grants to deal with the first three fires

A firefighter checks the hillside alongside the 405 freeway to monitor embers and prevent fires from jumping from the east side of the road - where it is contained - to the west, where the Getty Center lies

A truck drives south on the 405 freeway as a fire team hand crew descends a steep slope to manage the fire. The I-405 is now closed. The other fires are the Creek Fire, the Rye Fire and the Little Mountain Fire near San Bernardino

The Skirball Fire has led to mandatory evacuations in LA's nearby posh Bel Air neighborhood. It is also worryingly close to the the UCLA and the Getty Center for the arts

This photograph, taken at Six Flags Magic Mountain, shows smoke rising from the Rye Fire, one of the three earliest reported fires to occur in this bout of wildfires

Two homes destroyed by the Creek Fire continue to smolder along Via San Anselmo in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles. The Creek Fire, Thomas Fire and Rye Fire are the three oldest blazes

Firefighters put out flames near a home along Kagel Canyon road after it was almost reached by the Creek Fire, which had been raked up by ferocious Santa Ana winds

There are now five fires blanketing swathes Southern California in smoke. Here, the sun is almost blotted out on the Ventura coastline on Wednesday morning, thanks to one of the longest-running fires, the Thomas Fire

Flames from the Thomas wildfire leap perilously close to traffic on Highway 101, which is north of the badly affected Ventura area of Southern California

The fires had spread rapidly overnight, as strong air currents and drafts from the fire made the use of water-dropping planes and helicopters too risky.

That meant the fires - one of which traveled 30 miles from inland to the ocean - went uncontested in some areas.

One family that was badly hit were the owners of Rancho Padilla in Little Tujunga Canyon Road in Sylmar, which was obliterated by the Creek Fire - along with almost 30 of the ranch's horses.

ARE THE FIRES CONTAINED? The Thomas Fire in Ventura remains uncontained despite efforts by more than 1,100 firefighters The Creek Fire, near Sylmar, is uncontained. The Skirball Fire, which is consuming Bel Air, is not contained. The Little Mountain Fire, near San Bernardino, is around 50 per cent contained. The Rye Fire, near Santa Clarita, has been reduced overnight by firefighters. Advertisement

'All I could think about was the horses, the horses, the horses. And [my family] were like, 'Get out, get out, get out,'' Patricia Padilla, whose family owns the ranch, told the LA Times.

'The structures can get rebuilt, but the lives of the horses can't... That's my biggest heartbreak.'

Some 29 of the ranch's 60 horses burned to death in the fires.

'It hurts a lot because these horses are family,' Shelby Hope, a friend of the family said. 'They're not just horses - they're horses that we know, that we've become close to.'

Melissa Rosenzweig, 47, was briefly back home Tuesday after evacuating from her Ventura house, which has been spared so far while most on her street had burned in the largest and most destructive of the region's fires.

She and her husband were about to evacuate again, hoping they will get lucky twice as the new winds arrive.

'Heck yeah I'm still worried,' Rosenzweig said. 'We're very grateful but I know we're not out of the woods.'

The fires also affected the shooting of HBO's sci-fi Western series Westworld and CBS cop procedural show SWAT.

HBO said in a statement that Westworld was filming its second season in an area near two Los Angeles County fires on Tuesday, but producers decided to shut down and avoid any danger to actors or crew members.

It said the show will resume filming when conditions there are safe.

Filming on SWAT was also suspended; it's unclear when producers on that series hope to get their cast and crew back to work.

THE HIGHWAY TO HELL Commuters along the 405 freeway through California seemed to be driving through Hell itself early Wednesday morning, as the hills alongside it were claimed by the Skirball Fire. As they traveled gingerly passed the ferocious fire, their cars passed just feet away from the deadly - and ever-spreading - flames. Several people captured the surreal moment in video clips and shared them on social media. 'Not the typical morning commute...' one driver tweeted dryly. Advertisement

The National Weather Service San Diego has warned that Thursday will bring 'Extreme' fire danger risks to LA, Ventura, Orange County, Inland Empire and San Diego. Santa Barbara is at 'Marginal Risk, it said

A home in the Kagel Canyon area of Southern California's San Fernando Valley is gutted by the Creek Fire. Firefighters have struggled to contain the blazes, which have largely run out of control

A farm is consumed by fire in Kagel Canyon. Production on two TV shows in the area - HBO's sci-fi Western Westworld and CBS's cop drama show SWAT (neither set pictured) - was paused on Wednesday over fears for the safety of their cast and crew

A firefighter stomps out small embers on a San Fernando Valley ranch. The wind whipped up the brush fire to dangerous speeds. In total the fires have destroyed 200 homes and caused the evacuation of more than 200,000 people

Firefighters walk through a horse ranch threatened by the Creek Fire in the San Fernando Valley A fifth blaze also started early Wednesday morning near Los Angeles

The Thomas Fire - one of the first three fires - approaches a church in Casitas Springs. Johnny Cash's pre-fame home is located on the hillsides here, and was surrounded Tuesday night. It's not clear whether it survived

Many shows shoot outdoor scenes in the outskirts north of the city, where blazes have choked the air with smoke and are threatening thousands of homes and buildings.

The Skirball Fire came after four previous fires: the Thomas Fire in Venture County, the Creek Fire near Sylmar, the Rye Fire in Santa Clarita, and - as of Tuesday afternoon - the Little Mountain Fire in San Bernardino, east of LA.

SCHOOL CLOSURES The following schools and school districts are closed due to the fires: The Conejo Valley Unified School District (all schools)

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (all schools)

Roscomare Road Elementary School

Community Magnet Charter School

Kenter Canyon Elementary School.

Brentwood School

Curtis School

St. Martin of Tours Elementary School

The American Jewish University

Windward School Advertisement

The San Bernardino fire was being pushed through the area by gusty Santa Ana winds; it's not known what sparked the blaze, but two people were found badly burned near its point of origin close to a McDonald's restaurant.

Meanwhile, the largest of the blazes - the Thomas Fire - is now four times the size of Manhattan.

It being attended to by more than 1,000 firefighters on Wednesday as the unrelenting blaze threatened more than 12,000 homes in and around Ventura.

It has charred more than 50,000 acres of land since it began on Monday, firefighters said. 'We are still in the middle of an aggressive and active firefight on the ground,' said Robert Welsbie, spokesman for the Ventura Fire Department.

'If the winds pick up, we will face quite a challenge,' he added. One firefighter has been injured in the battle against the element.

On Tuesday, 65 miles northwest of LA, the residents of a mobile home park in Casitas Springs were working together to keep it from burning.

They doused homes and fences with water and built mounds of dirt to keep the flames at bay.

'It takes a village to protect a village,' Alan Palacios, a resident of the neighborhood, told the LA Times, adding that without 'spraying water over each-other's roofs and helping others, we wouldn't have saved our homes.'

HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITIES' INFERNO DRAMA Celebrities took to social media asking people to pray for them and their homes as wildfires moved closer to A-listers mansions. Eva Longoria shared a post on Instagram that she's out of town and had her brother helping move things from her home where fire was quickly encroaching just off the Interstate. Paris Hilton took to Instagram sharing an inferno looking shot: 'This wild fire in LA is terrifying! This literally looks like Hell! My house is now being evacuated to get all of my pets out of there safely,' she captioned the shot while also thanking the firefighters helping to battle the blaze. The Kardashains' also shared their fears on social media as the raging fires swept through the county. Kourtney shared some terrifying images from along a roadway, while Khloe was begging for it to rain on social media accounts. Outspoken comedian Chelsea Handler shared she just evacuated, tweeting: 'Just evacuated my house. It's like Donald Trump is setting the world on fire. Literally and figuratively. Stay safe everyone. Dark times.' Lionel Richie shared that he was cancelling Wednesday night's show, as he spent the day helping family evacuate to safety and would have to reschedule. Celebrities, like everyone else effected by the raging inferno, had to shuttle children to safety as most schools were closed in areas impacted by heavy smoke and fire. Meanwhile Rupert Murdoch's estate - which is one of the most expensive in the Los Angeles city limits - has also been evacuated. Murdoch purchased the property in 2013 for $28.8million. The media mogul lives there with wife Jerry Hall, and the pair operate a winery on the location. It had not been damaged by the fire as of Wednesday afternoon. Eva Longoria shared this snap of the roadway just off her exit, and said her brother was getting ready to evacuate her home Kourtney Kardashian shared incredible shot of the fire alongside the roadways in Los Angeles Khloe Kardashian begged for rain while watching the coverage of the wildfires on television Terrifying: Paris Hilton had to have her pets evacuated as she gives her thanks to the many fire fighters working hard to save property and protect lives Lionel Richie said he helped family evacuate and would be cancelling his show Wednesday evening Kim Kardashian shared her prayers for everyone in Los Angeles and also took the time to thank fire fighters battling the blaze Actress Busy Philipps said she contributed to Baby2Baby 2 The REscue to help people affected by the wildfires ravaging southern California Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Adrienne Maloof reached out to friends including Lisa Rinna and Lisa Vanderpump to make sure they were safe during the blaze Chelsea Handler made a joke about President Donald Trump as she evacuated the fire, adding that everyone should 'stay safe' This is Us star Mandy Moore took time to thank the men and women working on the front lines to protect people from the wildfires Advertisement

The remains of the Hawaiian Apartment Complex continue to smolder. They were destroyed by the Thomas Fire, which was whipped up by brush fire

Firefighters try to knock down a blaze at the ruins of a home in Ventura. The Thomas Fire reportedly left one person dead, but that was later amended to a single dog. It also destroyed homes and businesses

A resident hoses a burning palm tree during the Creek Fire in Sunland. Winds have pushed the fires across tens of thousands of acres; 60 miles away, the San Bernardino fire continues to rage. It's believed to have started near a McDonald's there

A strong wind blows embers around a Sunland resident hosing down his burning property. Two people were found near the San Bernardino fire's origin point, both badly burned; it's not clear if they caused that fire

A resident holds a leaking hose on his burning property in Sunland. These fires have been pushed by the Santa Ana winds, and follow on from other blazes that occurred in the state in October

Not far from the trailer park was the former home of Johnny Cash, who moved to Casitas Springs with his first wife and their child in 1961, when he was 29.

As of the end of Tuesday night, it was unclear whether the hilltop home had survived the inferno.

The Thomas Fire, which was entirely uncontained, was being whipped by unpredictable Santa Ana winds, which blow in from the California desert. Wind gusts were forecast to top out at 70 miles per hour on Wednesday and remain strong through the week.

In the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles, the Creek Fire had blackened more than 11,000 acres and forced the evacuation of 2,500 homes and a convalescent center north of Interstate 210.

Three firefighters were injured fighting the fire and were hospitalized in stable condition, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

The NFL's Los Angeles Rams, who hold workouts near the largest of Southern California's fires, have canceled Wednesday's practice in response to the flames.

On Wednesday, it also emerged that insurance claims in Northern California - which was hit by a string of wildfires throughout almost all of October - had tripled in the past month and a half.

By the end of October the claims were at around $3.3 billion, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said; now they are at around $9 billion.

Letting the dogs out: Ariana Grande let her fans know she and her pets were evacuated

The Sunland property owner tries to stop a blaze from consuming a building on his property