Multiple wildfires broke out in the Los Angeles region, intensified by powerful Santa Ana winds, resulting in the death of two and thousands of homes destroyed. The emergency situation led to numerous vehicles being left behind on streets, with their engines running and headlights illuminated, as residents departed urgently to ensure their safety.
Wildfires race across Southern California
Celebrity homes under threat in Pacific Palisades
A fire tore through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, a coastal area known for its celebrity homes. Fleeing residents abandoned cars on Palisades Drive, blocking emergency vehicles. A bulldozer cleared a path through the abandoned vehicles. Video footage showed destruction along the Pacific Coast Highway.
"The Palisades Fire moved in so quickly, evacuees panicked. Every car represents someone or a family that, in fear, abandoned their cars, and fled on foot. The wind could reach 100 mph tonight," said a CBS News correspondent.
This fire consumed about 4.6 square miles, producing a large smoke plume visible across Los Angeles. Palisades Charter High School also burned. Two movie premieres were canceled due to the fire and weather, and the Los Angeles Unified School District relocated students from three Pacific Palisades area schools.
“We looked across and the fire had jumped from one side of the road to the other side of the road,” said resident Kelsey Trainor. “People were getting out of the cars with their dogs and babies and bags, they were crying and screaming.”
Entrepreneur Wes Nichols slammed the politicians for the disaster and called for accountability as he was forced to leave his home of 26 years. "I just left the hellscape formerly know as Pacific Palisades where I’ve lived for 26 years. I’m mad at what I saw. Our politicians have failed us. Unprepared, unimaginative, understaffed, now overwhelmed. Heads must roll for this disaster. I personally saw 100+ homes fully engulfed. @RickCarusoLA just mentioned water wasn’t working in the fire hydrants," the partner at March Capital Partner said on X.
Eaton fire spurs chaos near nature preserve
A second devastating wildfire erupted in the inland foothills northeast of Los Angeles, mere hours after the inferno ravaged the city's Pacific Palisades coastal area, causing widespread destruction and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate.
Near a nature preserve in Altadena, the Eaton Fire began around 6.30 pm (local time). The situation became critical when staff at a senior care facility had to urgently evacuate numerous residents, moving them in wheelchairs and hospital beds to a nearby car park, where they waited in their nightwear for transport to secure locations.
Sylmar fire adds to the crisis
Late Tuesday night, a third wildfire broke out in Sylmar at around 10.30 pm (lcoal time), a northern neighborhood of Los Angeles, triggering additional evacuations. The Santa Ana winds, gusting up to 60 mph and expected to strengthen, pushed flames through parched vegetation, leaving firefighters unable to use aircraft due to dangerous conditions.
LA firefighters on the job
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone confirmed two fatalities on Wednesday morning (local time) and numerous injuries resulting from the devastating fires, which have obliterated over 1,000 buildings.
Initially, as the blaze began to turn into a dire situation, the Los Angeles Fire Department made a call to off-duty firefighters to assist with the emergency. The severe wind conditions prevented aerial firefighting operations, which significantly limited their response capabilities.
The firefighters deployed bulldozers to clear numerous vehicles, pushing them aside which left many damaged and their alarms sounding.
Kristin Crowley, head of the Los Angeles Fire Department, confirmed that despite the disorderly evacuation process, no casualties or injuries were initially reported. However later, a firefighter sustained a severe head trauma and was transported to hospital, as reported by Los Angeles Fire Department Capt Erik Scott.
Multiple fire crews converged on the location, combating the flames both from ground level and aerial positions, whilst teams navigated the challenging slopes to reduce vegetation and establish containment barriers.
Meanwhile, in an update on the Palisades fire, LA County Fire Department said that while the firefighters were on the job to contain a fire that affected 2921 acres, progress had not been made till around 11pm on Tuesday (local time). "2921 acres 0% containment. Extreme fire behavior, short & long-range spotting, continues to challenge firefighting efforts for the Palisades Fire. Winds gusts up to 60 MPH are expected to continue through Thursday," it said.
More than 1,400 firefighting staff and numerous "prepositioned assets " were mobilised across California to tackle the blazes. Throughout the night, emergency services personnel, fire crews and first responders remain fully engaged, working tirelessly to safeguard the population, said governor Gavin Newsom.
State of emergency declared
Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency and warned residents to brace for worsening conditions. “The worst of the winds is yet to come,” he cautioned, as gusts exceeding 100 mph were predicted overnight. "By no stretch of the imagination are we out of the woods,” he also warned.
President Joe Biden, in Los Angeles for unrelated events, canceled a trip to Riverside County and was briefed on the crisis. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved emergency funding to aid firefighting efforts.
Communities disrupted and landmarks threatened
The fires left nearly 167,000 Los Angeles County residents without power and forced the temporary relocation of students from several schools. The Getty Villa, a museum dedicated to ancient art, narrowly escaped significant damage.
Long-time Pacific Palisades resident Will Adams described the chaos as embers set cars aflame and transformers exploded. “It’s like a war zone,” he said.
The blaze also devastated Temescal Canyon, a well-known walking trail encircled by affluent residential areas with properties worth millions. The inferno crossed the renowned Sunset Boulevard, causing damage to sections of Palisades Charter High School, a location that has appeared in numerous Hollywood films, including "Carrie" (1976), "Freaky Friday" (2003), and the television series "Teen Wolf."
As darkness fell, the fire extended into adjacent Malibu, where multiple residents received treatment for burns.
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What triggered the wildfire in Los Angeles?