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Fueled by extreme fire conditions and damaging wind gusts, the Palisades Fire tore quickly over hundreds of acres on Tuesday.
The brush fire has forced evacuations in the Los Angeles, California, community of Pacific Palisades, with orders established from the hills down to the Pacific Coast Highway.
“Evacuate now from the area of Palisades Area. Those not in the evacuation area should shelter in place,” an emergency alert from the city said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said firefighters were working to aggressively respond to the fire, and that strike teams had been “pre-deployed” in areas prone to wildfire.
The fast-moving fire sent a plume of thick, grey smoke into the air, and residents shared videos of bright orange and yellow flames lining the tree-covered hills.
Actor James Woods shared on social media that he was in the process of leaving the area, as the smoke filled the surrounding skies.
While there were no major reports of damage yet, Fox 11 Los Angeles’ Matthew Seerdorff said that “homes are burning” as the wind strengthens.
Some other small fires were also reported and more dangerous weather is forecast to last through Wednesday, bringing the potential for additional power outages. More than 42,000 customers had no power by the afternoon, according to tracker PowerOutage.US.
A wildfire smoke advisory is in effect
Julia Musto8 January 2025 00:15
Fire crews are using a bulldozer to move abandoned cars
Julia Musto8 January 2025 00:00
More than 30,000 Southern California residents have been evacuated
Julia Musto7 January 2025 23:47
The Palisades Fire has threatened more than 10,000 people, officials say
Julia Musto7 January 2025 23:45
More than 1,200 acres have now burned
Cal Fire said 1,262 acres have burned in the Palisades Fire.
Julia Musto7 January 2025 23:28
A press conference will be held shortly
Julia Musto7 January 2025 23:25
Power outages in California balloon to nearly 43,000
There were 42,893 customers reported without power on Tuesday afternoon, according to tracker PowerOutage.US.
Of those, more than 32,000 were in Los Angeles County.
Julia Musto7 January 2025 23:20
Photos show residents evacuate from the Palisades Fire
Julia Musto7 January 2025 23:02
Governor Gavin Newsom is on the ground in Pacific Palisades
Julia Musto7 January 2025 22:56
Forecasters warn of continuing extreme fire weather conditions on Wednesday
Julia Musto7 January 2025 22:47