Victor died holding a fire hose, trying to save his home from the LA wildfires.

When fire began engulfing Victor Shaw's Los Angeles family home of nearly 55 years, he knew he had to act.

He could flee to safety or stay behind and try to protect the decades of memories trapped inside. The 66-year-old chose the latter, but the Eaton Fire was too strong.

Victor has been identified as one of at least five people killed in the devastating LA blazes.

His younger sister Sheri Shaw, who lived with Victor, recalled the terrifying moment she was forced to flee the home.

She told her brother to come with her, but he said he would try to fight the blaze.

"When I went back in and yelled out his name, he didn't reply back," Sheri told KTLA-TV.

"I had to get out because the embers were so big and flying like a firestorm that I had to save myself.

"I looked behind me and the house was starting to go up in flames and I had to leave."

Watch: Seven's on-the-ground coverage of the Los Angeles fires. Story continues below.

Sheri fled for her life. When she was finally able to return, ruins lay where the family home once stood.

There, Victor was found dead, still holding a fire hose.

"We did see him laying on the side of the road with the hose. It looks like he was trying to save the home that his parents had for almost 55 years," family friend Al Tanner told KTLA.

"I fell to the ground, and I didn't know — I didn't want to look at him," Shari said. "They just told me that he was lying on the ground and that he looked serene, as if he was at peace."

His family are now waiting for his body to be retrieved.

Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a residential building on Sunset Boulevard. Image: Getty.

Another victim of the Eaton Fire has since been identified by loved ones as Rodney Nickerson.

His daughter Keiko Nickerson said Rodney, 82, bought his Altadena home in 1968 and wanted to stay at the property.

Keiko spent the day talking to her father to make sure he was okay and sent her son to check on him before conditions grew too dire.

"My son was here and he tried to convince him to leave," she told KTLA-TV.

"He was like … 'I'll be here when you get back'."

Keiko said Rodney gathered things to leave but ultimately decided to stay.

"He said he felt this was going to pass over," she said.

But the fire was too strong.

"He passed away in his bed," Keiko said.

Khaled Fouad stands on the remains of their home that was destroyed by Eaton Fire. Image: Getty.

Inside the LA fire zone.

LA is facing apocalyptic scenes as deadly fires continue to burn mostly uncontained.

Officials are responding to at least five fires in the region, including the Eaton, Hurst, Lidia, Palisades and Sunset blazes. The uncontained Palisades fire, in the seaside neighbourhoods between Malibu and Santa Monica, is the most destructive in LA's history, CNN reports.

More than 180,000 residents have been told to flee for safety, while "thousands" of structures have been lost to the blazes. Many of the structures lost are business and homes.

Tens of thousands of homes remain without power.

At least four people have been reported dead in the Eaton Fire, which is scorching the areas around Pasadena and Altadena, a further death has been reported in the Palisades fire so far. But officials say the true death toll is unknown as many homes remain inaccessible to authorities.

Several high-profile celebrities — including Hollywood couple Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, Miles Teller and Anna Faris — are also among those who have lost their homes in the chaos.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Paris Hilton (@parishilton)

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said some impacted areas look like "a bomb was dropped in them". And the devastation is only expected to continue.

Firefighters have been battling violent winds, with gusts beyond 120km/h fanning the flames.

"It was just trying to fight this fire like in a hurricane with fire all around you," CAL FIRE battalion chief Brent Pascua told CNN on Thursday morning local time.

The winds have now died down — a "welcome sight" for fighters who are desperately working to contain the blazes before strong gusts are forecast again on Thursday night (Friday afternoon AEDT).

"Now that we have our conditions back to a little more normal, I believe we're going to get a handle on this," Pascua said.

As of Friday morning AEDT, fire officials have reported the spread of the 10,600-acre Eaton Fire has been significantly stopped. Both the Eaton Fire and the 17,000-acre Palisades Fire remain completely uncontained.

Crews were able to get a handle on brush fire that broke out in the Hollywood Hills Wednesday evening local time near homes and the scenic Runyon Canyon. The blaze has now been contained and evacuation orders for the area have been lifted, according to the LA Fire Department.

Feature image: KTLA, Getty.