Fueled by strong winds, a large wildfire in the Pacific Palisades has necessitated widespread evacuations and an emergency declaration.
A rapidly spreading wildfire swept through the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, forcing over 30,000 residents to evacuate and placing 13,000 structures at risk, according to Reuters. The fire, located between Santa Monica and Malibu, has burned nearly 12 square kilometers, creating a substantial smoke plume visible across Los Angeles, officials told the news agency.
The fire was initially reported at 10:30 a.m. local time, prompting mass evacuations in the area and into neighboring Malibu. Two additional fires, the Eaton Fire near Pasadena and the Hurst Fire in Sylmar, ignited hours later, further increasing evacuation efforts.
The wildfire’s ignition coincided with the onset of the Santa Ana windstorm, predicted by the National Weather Service to be among the strongest to hit Southern California in over a decade. This event, coupled with the return of drought conditions in Southern California (as reported by the US Drought Monitor last week), exacerbated the situation.
The combination of powerful Santa Ana winds and three major wildfires has resulted in widespread power outages, affecting nearly 300,000 homes and businesses in Los Angeles as of Wednesday morning, according to poweroutage.us.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Southern California to aid wildfire response efforts.
“The destructive effects of this rapidly spreading Pacific Palisades fire are already evident,” Newsom stated. “Southern California residents should heed weather reports and follow all emergency directives.”
Authorities urged motorists on Sunset Boulevard and Palisades Drive to abandon their vehicles to facilitate faster evacuations due to heavy congestion. The coastal highway in Malibu is completely closed.
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley reported at a press conference that over 25,000 people in approximately 10,000 homes were threatened by the fires. She noted, however, that there were no immediate reports of casualties.