Watch: View from inside plane as it flies through Palisade Fire attempting to land at LAX
"As we approached LAX, we could see the smoke from the Palisades Fire moving across the sky," photographer Matt Ginella said.
Flight through the Palisades Fire smoke into LAX
Passengers on a flight into Los Angeles got a close view of the massive wildfire burning just northwest of the airport. (Video courtesy: Matt Ginella)
LOS ANGELES — Passengers on a flight into Los Angeles got a close view of the massive wildfire burning just northwest of the airport.
Matt Ginella was on the flight from San Jose to LAX when he said the captain warned the flight would feature quite a bit of turbulence due to the high winds.
Flames close in on homes threatened by the wind-driven Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, January 7, 2025.
(David Swanson / AFP / Getty Images)
"As we approached LAX, we could see the smoke from the Palisades Fire moving across the sky," Ginella said.
The fire broke out Tuesday morning just outside the Pacific Palisades neighborhood nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains and rapidly exploded to over 1,000 acres in just a few hours. Over 30,000 residents scrambled to flee as the flames bore down on the city.
PACIFIC PALISADES, CA - JANUARY 07: Smoke rises from a burning vehicle during a brush fire pushed by gusting Santa Ana winds on January 7, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California. A fire in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles has forced some residents to evacuate amid "life-threatening and destructive" winds.
(Qian Weizhong/VCG / Getty Images)
There have been no reports of any injuries so far, but multiple videos from eyewitnesses on social media have shown homes and structures burned.
The entire area was under threat of "life-threatening" winds and extreme wildfire danger through the middle of the week.