Besides the two fatalities, a significant number of people have been injured, according to the police in Los Angeles.
One of the affected neighborhoods is the celebrity-studded Pacific Palisades, which started burning on Tuesday and has since grown to become the most destructive fire in Los Angeles in modern times, according to statistics from the Wildfire Alliance.
The flames spread quickly due to strong winds, and by Wednesday morning, local time, the city's fire chief reported that a thousand buildings had been destroyed in the neighborhood.
Zero percent of the fire, which has consumed several thousand hectares, was under control by lunchtime, according to the rescue services.
Massive fires are also raging elsewhere around Los Angeles.
Early on Wednesday, 70,000 people had been ordered to evacuate, and at least 28,000 buildings were deemed threatened by the fires, according to authorities. Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected by power outages.
The strong winds are expected to intensify, which has prompted the rescue services to appeal to firefighters who are not on duty to help out.
An investigation into the cause of all the fires has been initiated.
President Joe Biden stated in a statement early on Wednesday that he and his administration are in contact with the affected parties, both at the state and local levels, and that he has offered "all the federal assistance needed".
