Firefighters raced against time to contain two wildfires burning in Los Angeles for a sixth straight day, taking advantage of a slight improvement in bad weather conditions before high winds expected in the coming hours could reignite the flames.

At least 24 people have died in the fires, which California Governor Gavin Newsom has described as possibly the most devastating disaster in US history, destroying thousands of homes and forcing 100,000 people to evacuate. A further 16 people are feared missing. The National Weather Service warned that stronger winds of up to 110 kilometres per hour could return in the coming days.

Aircraft dropped water and fire retardant as firefighters on the ground used hand tools and hoses to contain the blaze in Pacific Palisades, which was spreading to the upscale Brentwood neighbourhood and other populated areas of Los Angeles.

The blaze on the west side of the city has burned 23,713 acres (9,596 hectares), or 96 square kilometres, and is only 11 per cent contained, a figure that represents the percentage of the fire perimeter controlled by firefighters.