Los Angeles: Three rapidly spreading flames raced out of control Wednesday near Los Angeles, destroying hundreds of buildings, scorching hillsides, and forcing officials to order over 70,000 people to evacuate their homes. At least two people were killed in the chaos. The fires, which have grown unchecked since they started on Tuesday, were being fueled by strong winds that were impeding firefighting attempts.
The largest fire had burned almost 5,000 acres in the charming Pacific Palisades neighborhood, which is home to numerous movie, TV, and music celebrities and is located east of Los Angeles between the beach towns of Santa Monica and Malibu. At a press conference, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone stated that over 1,000 buildings had been destroyed.
About 50 kilometers inland in Altadena, close to Pasadena, another fire, the Eaton fire, had spread to more than 2,000 acres. Officials stated they had no additional information, although two fatalities were reported there.
More than 500 acres have been burned by the Hurst fire in Sylmar, which is located in the San Fernando Valley northwest of Los Angeles. According to officials, all three fires were completely suppressed. Residents who did not require evacuation orders have sustained a “high number” of serious injuries, according to Marrone.
Following many fires, 70,000 inhabitants were told to leave their houses.
The severe winds were expected to continue all day, officials cautioned. According to Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristen Crowley, “with the strong winds that continue to push through the city and the county today, we are absolutely not out of danger yet.” As the sun rose on Wednesday, the skies over Los Angeles were covered in dense smoke and burned red.
After being briefed on the wildfires, President Joe Biden pledged federal assistance in a statement released overnight.
Roads became so congested that some people abandoned their cars to flee the fire as the flames spread and locals started to evacuate. To enforce evacuation orders, emergency personnel were knocking on people’s doors.
On Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho informed the press conference that about 100 of the 1,000 public schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District had been closed.
Cindy Festa, a resident of Pacific Palisades, demonstrated with her thumb and fingers that fires were “this close to the cars” when she evacuated. “On Palisades Drive, many abandoned their vehicles. Setting the hillside on fire. Everything is moving, including the palm palms,” Festa said from her vehicle.
When police officers arrived at his Pacific Palisades house, David Reed said he was forced to leave. Reed remarked, “They established the law.”
After gathering his most valuable belongings, he agreed to be driven by officers to the evacuation center located at the Westwood Community Center. “Because I’m a beatnik, I grabbed my trombone and the most recent book I’ve been reading, which is my Jack Kerouac anthology here,” he added, adding that he could see flames coming toward his house.
One of the priciest neighborhoods in the nation is Pacific Palisades. According to Zillow, the average home was worth $3.7 million at the end of 2023, which is greater than the value of all but four other zip codes in the US.
Three rapidly spreading fires
The Eaton fire destroyed a McDonald’s restaurant, a synagogue, and residences in the Pasadena neighborhood. According to CBS News, about 100 residents of a Pasadena nursing facility were evacuated.
As fire vehicles and ambulances responded, footage showed elderly people, many of whom were in wheelchairs and on gurneys, crammed onto a windy and smoke-filled parking lot. According to data from PowerOutage.us, some 188,000 residences and businesses in Los Angeles County were without electricity on Wednesday.
According to the Los Angeles Times, which cited a fire official, several burn patients were treated after approaching Duke’s restaurant in Malibu in the evening. “A historic natural disaster is upon us. At the press conference, Kevin McGowan, Los Angeles County’s director of emergency management, declared, “I don’t think that can be stated strongly enough.”
Water from the sea was collected by firefighting planes and sprayed on the fires as they spread into houses. Television footage showed bulldozers removing abandoned cars from roadways to make room for rescue vehicles.
The Getty Villa, a museum that houses precious pieces of art, had several trees burned by the fire, but the collection was mostly protected since surrounding bushes had been pruned as a precaution, the museum said.
The National Weather Service had already issued its highest advisory for extreme fire conditions for a large portion of Los Angeles County from Tuesday through Thursday before the fire broke out.
