A wildfire spread across an affluent part of Los Angeles, destroying numerous buildings and causing traffic jams as over 30,000 people attempted to evacuate.

Simultaneously, a second blaze doubled in size approximately 50 km inland.

The fires caused the cancellation of the Calgary Flames game Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Kings.

Almost 3,000 acres of the Pacific Palisades region, spanning between the coastal towns of Santa Monica and Malibu, had been ravaged by the Palisades Fire, according to officials on Wednesday morning.

They had previously issued a warning about the extreme fire danger posed by the powerful winds after an extended period of dry weather.