A 1,200-acre fire threatens homes in western Los Angeles.
The above video is in the second link below – NBC live updates.
The Wall Street Journal reports Pacific Palisades Wildfire Prompts Evacuations for Thousands as Strong Winds Fuel Flames.
The Los Angeles Fire Department ordered residents in the Pacific Palisades to leave the area immediately as firefighters sought to slow the spread of a more than 1,200-acre blaze. Approximately 30,000 people are under evacuation orders, LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley said at a press conference Tuesday night. No injuries have been reported.
The fire was first reported at approximately 10:30 a.m. local time, Crowley said. At the time, winds were measuring approximately 25 miles an hour with gusts of up to 50 mph. The wind and surrounding topography have made it difficult to fight the growing blaze, she said.
The National Weather Service warned of damaging winds forecast for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties Tuesday and Wednesday. Across both counties, forecasters predicted wind gusts of 50 to 80 miles an hour and up to 100 mph in the area’s mountains and foothills.
“This is about as bad as it gets in terms of fire weather,” the National Weather Service office in Los Angeles said in a post on X Monday evening.
NBC Live Updates
NBC News has California Wildfires Live Updates.
More than 42,000 customers without power in Los Angeles area
There were 42,032 homes and businesses without electricity in Los Angeles County tonight as the region has been battered by Santa Ana winds, according to tracking site poweroutage.us.
Utility Southern California Edison warned the high winds, which are set to continue through tomorrow, could bring down trees and power lines.
New fire starts in hills above Pasadena
A new fire has started this evening in the hills above Pasadena, California.
The Close Fire is near the entrance to Eaton Canyon and is estimated to have consumed 10 acres, city of Pasadena spokesperson Lisa Derderian said tonight.
A Los Angeles County Fire Department captain told NBC Los Angeles that the fire had quickly grown to 20 acres and had the potential to explode to 500 acres.
Derderian described the blaze as “spreading quickly.”
Air quality an issue in Malibu, other parts of Los Angeles County
Air quality in parts of Los Angeles County will be unhealthy because of the Palisades Fire, the South Coast Air Quality Management District said.
The biggest impact will be in northwestern coastal Los Angeles County, including Malibu, which is near the fire, the county Public Health Department said.
“Predicting where ash or soot from a fire will travel, or how winds will impact air quality, is difficult, so it’s important for everyone to stay aware of the air quality in your area, make plans, and take action to protect your health and your family’s health,” Dr. Muntu Davis, health officer for Los Angeles County, said in a statement.
Palisades Charter High School, community theater burn
As the Palisades Fire continued to spread, it claimed more structural victims, including buildings on the area’s high school campus and the adjacent Theater Palisades.
NBC Los Angeles was on scene with live coverage as flames roared from multiple structures at Palisades Charter High School and seemed to all but destroy the theater.
Both are in the center of the community that’s home to roughly 24,000 people, all of whom have been ordered to evacuate.
80,000 Without Power
Here is different video on X that shows Devastating Fires burning homes.
“You Are Not Going to Save Your House“
Wow. I can’t imagine how it must feel to be told that and ordered to leave.
Best wishes.
Adding Another Fire Video and More X Comments
“Hard to understand this fire if you don’t know Los Angeles geography but the northwest area of the city is literally on fire. LAFD using bulldozers to push through knots of abandoned cars. Every cop in LA now activated. Fire acreage has doubled to 3000. Long night ahead.”
“It was just reported that Cal fire head to ground all fire fighting aircraft because of the hazardous High winds”
Entire Neighborhoods Now on Fire
There is an error in X (Twitter) that prevents me from embedding links
Here are two More links: https://x.com/matt_vanswol/status/1876774145247052182