Los Angeles fires latest: 30,000 under evacuation order as Pacific Palisades fire spreads

A fast-moving brush fire that erupted Tuesday in Los Angeles threatened homes and triggered thousands of evacuations, prompting city and state officials to declare a state of emergency.

Dangerous winds continued to sweep Southern California late into the evening as firefighters struggled to get the explosive fire under control.

The Pacific Palisades fire, which had grown to nearly 3,000 acres by 6:30 p.m. local time, was first reported before 11 a.m. and quickly prompted thousands of evacuations across the region and into Malibu.

From the mountains to the coast, huge swaths of smoke and flames rose from the area as fire crews battled the wind-driven blaze. By Tuesday evening, the brush fire had jumped the Pacific Coast Highway, nearly reaching Will Rogers Beach State Park.

“This is a highly dangerous windstorm that’s creating extreme fire risk – and we’re not out of the woods,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “We’re already seeing the destructive impacts with this fire in Pacific Palisades that grew rapidly in a matter of minutes.”

The Eaton Fire — a separate breakout a breakout to the northeast of Pacific Palisades — seemed to exemplify those remarks. Fueled by the whipping winds, the Altadena-based brush fire rapidly grew from 10 acres to 200 acres in just 30 minutes on Tuesday evening.

President Joe Biden received two briefings regarding the rapidly spreading fire, the White House said in a statement, and he encouraged residents to heed evacuation orders.

Evacuation orders were in place for approximately 30,000 residents and more than 10,000 homes were threatened, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

No injuries had been reported as of late Tuesday.

KABC reported that both a high school, Pacific Palisades Charter High School, and a playhouse nearby, the Theatre Palisades, had caught fire.

Flames also crept dangerously close to the Getty Villa, a hilltop museum in Malibu with a renowned collection of art from Ancient Greece and Rome. However, administrators assured the public that the museum’s collection was safe.

“Fortunately, Getty had made extensive efforts to clear brush from the surrounding area as part of its fire mitigation efforts throughout the year,” Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust said in a statement. “Some trees and vegetation on site have burned, but staff and the collection remain safe.”

The museum said its galleries and library archives were sealed off from smoke by its state-of-the-art air-handling system and the doubled-walled construction of its galleries.

Wind conditions were expected to worsen into the evening and through the night, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone.

“We are not out of danger,” Marrone told reporters during an afternoon briefing. “The National Weather Service has predicted that the winds are going to pick up and get worse.”

The strongest winds were expected between 10 p.m. Tuesday into 5 a.m. Wednesday, he said. Residents in the area were told to have an evacuation plan in order.

The dangerous winds are forecast to continue through 6 p.m. Wednesday, spanning Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Diego, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, with some wind gusts reaching up to 100 mph, according to the governor’s office.

Fire officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for thousands of residents in the area from Merrimac Road west to Topanga Canyon Boulevard and south to Pacific Coast Highway. Those not under evacuation orders are being asked to shelter in place.

As the fire began spreading Tuesday afternoon, traffic gridlock initially clogged major streets in the Pacific Palisades area, including Palisades Drive and Sunset Boulevard. The LAFD said about 30 vehicles left abandoned on Sunset and Palisades would have to be moved by the county to provide clear access.

Sections of the 10 Freeway and Pacific Coast Highway were closed to all non-essential traffic on Tuesday afternoon.

More than 17,000 customers were without power across Los Angeles County, according to PowerOutage.US.

A separate brush fire threatened the West Hollywood area Tuesday morning, with crews working to contain the blaze on Sunset Boulevard between San Vicente and Crescent Heights.

The cause of both fires was under investigation, according to Cal Fire.

A “life-threatening” and “destructive” windstorm is also expected from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning across much of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, according to the National Weather Service. Areas that are not typically windy will also be impacted, the agency said.

Much of Southern California is under red flag alerts for fire danger from Tuesday through Thursday as strong Santa Ana winds, low humidity and critically dry fuels jeopardize the region.

According to Cal Fire, residents should be prepared in case of an evacuation order if they are located in Greater Los Angeles County, the San Gabriel and San Fernando valleys, the San Diego and Riverside mountains, the eastern San Diego valleys, Inland Orange County, the Santa Ana Mountains, Inland Empire or the San Bernardino foothills.

“Stay vigilant, avoid activities that could spark fires and have an evacuation plan ready,” Cal Fire said in an update Tuesday on X.

Newsom directed state departments to position fire engines, hand crews, aircraft and additional support in areas that could be impacted.

“The state is taking early, proactive steps to coordinate with local partners to protect communities as dangerous weather enters our state. We are no strangers to winter-time wildfire threats, so I ask all Californians to pay attention to local authorities and be prepared to evacuate if told to go,” Newsom said in a statement.

In addition, drought conditions have returned to much of Southern California, according to an update from the U.S. Drought Monitor that was released last week.

Moderate drought now is currently in place from Los Angeles to San Diego, leaving very dry vegetation that can potentially fuel a spark and create a wildfire.