Scientists said the wind-whipped wildfires tearing across the arid Los Angeles landscape mark the latest in climate-fuelled weather extremes that are likely to escalate further as global temperatures continue to climb.

Firefighters are battling to control a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed five people and ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena.

High winds that weather officials have called "life-threatening and destructive" are hitting Southern California Tuesday, sparking a major brush fire in Pacific Palisades and prompting thousands of power outages.