LA residents rushing to flee wildfires this week faced choke points, gridlock and the tough decision of whether to abandon their cars to the fire.

Wildfires menacing Los Angeles have killed at least 10 people and devoured nearly 10,000 structures, with five fires burning into a third night, as dry desert winds fanning the flames again gathered strength.

With strong winds, dry conditions and no immediate end in sight, analysts project total economic losses of $50 billion to $150 billion.