Firefighters reported some progress fighting the wildfires that have charred hillsides, homes and streets in Los Angeles County, but the strong winds that fanned the flames were expected to pick up again on Friday, worsening conditions.

The fires, engulfing iconic Los Angeles neighbourhoods and tearing through the Hollywood Hills, have so far killed 10 people and destroyed nearly 10,000 structures.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said late on Thursday he expected the death toll to grow.

"It looks like an atomic bomb dropped in these areas. I don't expect good news, and we're not looking forward to those numbers," Luna told a press conference.

Some Pacific Palisades residents ventured back to areas where a wall of fire had already swept through. Brick chimneys loomed over charred waste and burnt-out vehicles.

"We are alive. That's all that matters," private security guard Bilal Tukhi said while standing watch outside his employer's damaged home, saying the scene reminded him of his native, war-torn Afghanistan.

As of early Friday, five fires were still burning.

The Palisades Fire between Santa Monica and Malibu on the city's western flank and the Eaton Fire in the east near Pasadena already rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles history.

They have consumed more than 34,000 acres (13,750 hectares) - or some 53 square miles - and turned entire neighborhoods to ash.

The Palisades Fire is now 6% controlled, while the Eaton Fire still blazed out of control, according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The skies buzzed with aircraft dropping water and fire retardant on the flaming hills.