Destructive wildfires force thousands to flee near Los Angeles amid 'life-threatening' windstorm

The Palisades Fire near Los Angeles quickly exploded to 3,000 acres and has reportedly destroyed more than a dozen homes in Pacific Palisades where evacuations are underway. Dire warnings have been issued for the area after forecasters say there is the potential for the strongest wind event in more than a decade.

LOS ANGELES – Tens of thousands of residents fled a growing wildfire west of Los Angeles amid dire warnings for Southern California after forecasters warned of the potential for the strongest wind event in more than a decade.

The wind-driven Palisades Fire started in the Santa Monica Mountains near the Pacific Palisades neighborhood late Tuesday morning and quickly exploded to 200 acres within an hour, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. CalFire reported the blaze had surged to more than 3,000 acres by sunset.

Live cameras from the state's Alert California network showed a massive smoke plume billowing from the burning hillside near the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

FOX 11 Los Angeles reporter Matthew Seedorff was along Mountain Drive where flames were engulfing homes, whipped by winds as high as 60-65 mph. 

"Devastation all around," Seedorff posted on X. "I’ve lost count of the number of buildings we’ve seen on fire."

But Seedorff estimated that at least 20 homes just in the area where he reported were significantly impacted by the flames. But, despite the destruction, there were no reported significant injuries during the first hours of the disaster.

Map of wildfires
(FOX Weather)


 

LAFD Public Information officer Erik Scott said the fire is rapidly spreading in a westward direction due to the significant winds.

"Please ensure you know your ‘ready, set, go’ program," he said. "You are definitely in the ‘set’ mode and should be moving toward the ‘go’ mode."

More than 30,000 residents were either in or near the evacuation zone, which was expected to remain in effect through the night as winds made the blaze's movement erratic.

Large parts of Santa Monica were put under evacuation notices on Tuesday evening, adding to the tens of thousands of people who were told to leave.

Dozens of vehicles appeared to be abandoned along roadways as residents resorted to foot to get out of the way of the flames. First responders were seen using bulldozers to move abandoned vehicles out of the way and make room for emergency response vehicles.

Governor Gavin Newsom was on the ground in the Palisades monitoring efforts of hundreds of first responders. Local and state leaders declared a state of emergency due to the fire and the continued threat from damaging winds.

FOX 11 reported firefighters declared ‘an all-hands-on-deck’ situation as fires were reported around several communities around the greater Los Angeles area.

Due to the destructive and erratic winds, aircraft tasked with trying to contain the blazes were grounded late Tuesday, and officials warned it could be Wednesday before they are able to conduct aerial operations again.

Widespread damage reported from inferno

California authorities have not released assessments of the damage, but photos and videos from the hardest hit areas show dozens if not hundreds of homes that have either been damaged or destroyed by the Palisades Fire.

Tropical-storm-force to hurricane-force wind gusts drove the flames across the historic Pacific Coast Highway and onto beach areas, where even lifeguard stations were no match for the flames.

Flames were also seen surrounding Palisades Charter High School and was one of at least four schools shut down by the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The high school was not in session at the time the fire surrounded the school; however, damage was reported to several buildings at the site.

FOX 11 reported that the nearby elementary school was also significantly damaged by flames, without a firetruck spotted in sight. 

President Joe Biden was in Southern California at the time of the fire and received regular updates on the disaster and directed FEMA to offer any immediate assistance.

"I am being frequently briefed on the wildfires in west Los Angeles. My team and I are in touch with state and local officials, and I have offered any federal assistance that is needed to help suppress the terrible Pacific Palisades fire. Earlier tonight, FEMA approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant to support areas that are impacted and help reimburse the state of California for the immediate firefighting costs. My Administration will do everything it can to support the response. I urge the residents of the Pacific Palisades and the surrounding areas of Los Angeles to stay vigilant and listen to local officials," Biden said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

‘Life-threatening, destructive windstorm’

An extreme wildfire threat covers much of Southern California through Wednesday as a "life-threatening, destructive, widespread windstorm" is expected through Wednesday morning, Los Angeles forecasters at the National Weather Service said.

Damaging winds are expected across most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, leading to widespread power outages.

Currents winds near the Palisades Fire.
(FOX Weather)

 

"Strong winds are coming," the NWS said. "This is a Particularly Dangerous Situation – in other words, this is about as bad as it gets in terms of fire weather. Stay aware of your surroundings. Be ready to evacuate, especially if in a high fire risk area. Be careful with fire sources."

WATCH: PALISADES FIRE IN LOS ANGELES EXPLODES AS PEOPLE FLEE FROM BURNING HOMES

By late Tuesday, gusts had reached 84 mph at Magic Mountain and 63 mph in Malibu. A gust of 78 mph was recorded at Whiteman Airport, north of Burbank.

Power outages were expected with this wind event, and the number is already starting to rise, with more than 60,000 California customers without power as of Tuesday evening.

Malibu City officials said Southern California Edison shut off the power to the Galahad and Cuthbert circuits due to the dangerous fire weather. 

Here is the peak wind gust forecast for Southern California.
(FOX Weather)


 

"We’ve seen gusts Tuesday evening already reach at least 69 mph in Burbank, 71 mph in Beverly Hills and 81 mph in the Malibu Hills. And sadly, there are hours of devastating winds still to go. We expect these gusts to continue through the night into Wednesday morning before slowly abating Wednesday afternoon. And with tinder dry conditions in place, extreme wildfire conditions will persist," said FOX Weather meteorologist Scott Sistek.

Flights going in and out of Los Angeles International Airport can expect delays as forecasters warn of "quite dangerous" mountain waves for pilots. Airlines and pilots are being urged not to fly near terrain during the windstorm.

The widespread damaging winds and low humidity are also leading to extreme fire concerns across most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Here are the Fire Weather Warnings for Southern California.
(FOX Weather)


 

NWS Los Angeles said the windstorm has the potential to be the strongest wind event since 2011. The 2011 windstorm toppled trees, downed power lines and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers.

While winds are forecast to die down by Wednesday evening, a renewed threat of strong winds returns to the region on Friday. 

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