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LOS ANGELES (CN) — A wildfire in Los Angeles’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood, driven by extreme winds, rapidly grew Tuesday, prompting thousands of residents to evacuate the affluent enclave overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
As of 3:30 p.m. the fire was 0% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and as of 7:30 p.m. the fire engulfed 2920 acres, according to the LA Fire Department.
Most of the neighborhood with its winding streets and trails into the Santa Monica Mountains was ordered evacuated, according to the LA Fire Department, with homes under immediate threat.
On Tuesday evening, the city of Santa Monica ordered those north of San Vicente Boulevard to evacuate, and issued an evacuation warning for areas north of Montana Avenue.
Another fire, in Altadena, about 25 miles northeast of Pacific Palisades, spread to about 400 acres as of Tuesday evening, spurring evacuation orders there. The Pasadena Unified School District announced Tuesday that all schools would be closed on Wednesday due to the Eaton fire.
“With the volatility of the high-wind event affecting our area, increasing reports of wind damage, and a fire near Eaton Canyon, in an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to close all schools tomorrow, Wednesday, January 8, 2025,” PUSD Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco said in a statement Tuesday evening. “Additionally, the City of Pasadena is assessing whether to declare a state of emergency due to the impacts of the weather.”
Local television news showed dramatic footage of burning million-dollar homes and luxury vehicles—abandoned by residents who got stuck in gridlock trying to flee the Pacific Palisades fire—bulldozed to the side of the road to make room for firetrucks heading into the area.
Comedian Eugene Levy, the co-creator of the “Schitt’s Creek” sitcom and the honorary mayor of Pacific Palisades, told the LA Times that the smoke looked dark and intense over Temescal Canyon, which runs through to the area, as he was stuck in traffic trying to evacuate.
“The fire is being fueled by a combination of strong winds and surrounding topography, which is making it extremely challenging for our personnel assigned to this incident,” LAFD Fire Chief Kristy Crowley said at a press conference. “We feel very blessed that at this point no injuries have been reported.”
More than 250 LAFD firefighters are battling the flames, assisted by personnel as well as helicopters and “super scoopers” from LA County to drop retardant on the fire. The worst of the winds are still expected to arrive later in the evening.
Evacuation orders are in place for about 30,000 residents and about 13,000 structures are threatened.
The National Weather Service on Monday afternoon issued a so-called red flag warning for parts of LA and Ventura County, saying that it anticipated the most destructive windstorm, with gusts as strong as 80 miles per hour, since 2011 to hit the area.
“A very strong, widespread, and destructive north to northeast windstorm will bring extremely critical fire weather conditions to many areas of Los Angeles and eastern Ventura counties Tuesday afternoon into early Wednesday afternoon,” the service said. “The strong winds will likely result in widespread downed trees/power lines, as well as widespread power outages.”
The secluded and mostly residential Pacific Palisades is bordered by Santa Monica on the southeast and by Malibu on the northwest.
Last month, the Franklin Fire ripped through Malibu, burning 4,000 acres and at one point threatening the campus of Pepperdine University.
That wildfire was fanned by strong Santa Ana winds, which blow from hot and dry inland areas toward the Pacific Ocean. The winds with widespread guests of 40 to 55 mph created a high risk of wildfires in the parched mountains and canyons above Malibu and other parts of Southern California.
In 2021, the Palisades Fire charred about 1,200 acres in the Pacific Palisades and caused thousands of residents to flee their homes.
That wildfire, which raged through the steep, brush-filled terrain in Topanga State Park, was believed to have been caused by arson.
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