The LA Fire Department (LAFD) urged people in a statement “to be careful while returning to your homes”.

Some 15,000 local residents had been earlier asked to leave because of the Sunset Fire, one of at least five large-scale wildfires which have caused widespread devastation across LA and neighbouring areas.

Five people have been confirmed killed.The LAFD lifted the evacuation order for Hollywood Hills West at 07:30 local time (15:30 GMT) on Thursday.

The first blaze began on Tuesday in the city’s Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, near Malibu, with others subsequently breaking out across the north of the city.The fire in Hollywood Hills, a residential neighbourhood overlooking the historic Hollywood area of the city, began at around 18:00 on Wednesday.

Less than two hours later, much of the heart of Hollywood was blanketed with thick smoke, and the tops of the palm trees that line its streets were barely visible.

People used sweatshirts to cover their faces to help them breathe, while others – clearly surprised by the fire – wore only pyjamas. Many carried bags and suitcases, talking on their phones as they made plans for where to go.

Many of the roads near the fire – including Hollywood Boulevard, home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame – were gridlocked with traffic. Some people even drove on the wrong side of the road as they tried to get out of the area.

Resident Anna Waldman told the BBC she had set out to walk her dog but smelled smoke almost instantly when she went outside.

She went back inside and, looking out her back windows, saw fire, and watched as it moved quickly through the Hollywood Hills, coming to within a block of her home.

She packed what she could: food, clothes, blankets, food for her three small dogs.”I can’t believe this,” she said in exhaustion, pulling down her face mask.

Makayla Jackson, 26, and her two-year-old son, Ramari, had been evacuated from a homeless shelter that was in danger of burning, and now stood on the street waiting for a ride to a high school where help was being offered to people.”They just told us to get out and go,” she said.

By Wednesday night Sunset Boulevard, the famous strip in West Hollywood, lay in ruins, according to reports in the LA Times.

Local residents told the newspaper banks, cafes and supermarkets they had frequented for decades were completely destroyed.

Michael Payton, store director of the Erewhon supermarket chain, said the shop, famous for its patronage by Los Angeles A-listers, had survived but that the area was levelled.

“The whole Palisades is done,” he told the newspaper, “The whole town is done. This is complete devastation.

“Firefighters tackling the blazes have experienced water shortages and have had to resort to taking water from swimming pools and ponds.

Officials said three separate one-million-gallon tanks were full before the fires began, but that the elevation of the fires meant water couldn’t move quickly enough to hydrants in the affected areas.

The city also doesn’t typically see fires of this magnitude – the Palisades blaze is already the most destructive in its history – and its systems are designed for urban use, not fighting wildfires.180,000 people have been ordered to evacuate across LA County.

Homes of celebrities including Paris Hilton and Billy Crystal have been destroyed.