Palisades fire live: 30,000 evacuated as brush fire in celebrity neighborhood erupts into 3,000-acre out-of-control firestorm
Roaring LA brush fire is fueled by dangerous fire weather and whipping winds in the state of California
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Your support makes all the difference.Fueled by extreme fire conditions and damaging wind gusts, the Palisades Fire quickly ripped through thousands of acres on Tuesday.
What began as a brush fire forced evacuations of 30,000 people in the Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles Fire Department issued an emergency appeal asking anyone with firefighting experience to assist in fighting the Blaze.
President Biden has been kept informed of the extent opf the damage of the fast-moving blaze.
“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,” the president said in a post on X.
The fast-moving fire sent a plume of thick, gray 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.
Aerial assists have been working throughout the day to combat the Palisades Fire
Los Angeles City Councilwoman says situation is ‘absolutely terrifying'
“This is absolutely terrifying,” Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park, told The New York Times.
She said that the Palisades Highlands, a housing development in the northern part of the Pacific Palisades, had been particularly affected.
“People need to take this seriously,” she said. “This is not a drill.”
The Palisades Fire: Photos show massive plumes of orange smoke as Pacific Palisades residents flee
Here’s where evacuations have been ordered
LAFD member says this is ‘pretty much the worst possible scenario’ for a firefight
More than 100 firefighters and pre-positioned strike teams were battling the Palisades Fire, David Ortiz of the Los Angeles Fire Department, told KTLA.
“This is pretty much the worst possible scenario for a firefight,” he said.
Actor Steve Guttenberg urges residents to leave keys in their cars as firetrucks try to reach affected areas
Actor Steve Guttenberg told KTLA on Tuesday that people were abandoning their cars, making it hard for firetrucks to get up Pacific Palisades roads.
“What’s happening is [that] people take their keys with them as if they’re in a parking lot. This is not a parking lot,” the Veronica Mars star said.
Guttenberg said families and pets were stuck in the area.
“We really need people to move their cars. So if you leave your car on Palisades Drive, leave the key in there, so a guy like me can move your car,” he urged viewers.
The Palisades Fire spread over 200 Los Angeles County acres on Tuesday, forcing evacuations in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, but forecasters had warned of dangerous fire weather conditions through Thursday: a combination of the Santa Ana winds coupled with very low humidity.
Homes were already burning, according to Fox 11 Los Angeles. The station reported that traffic was at a gridlock in the area.
Evacuation orders are in place for the residential Los Angeles community of Pacific Palisades
Some 27,000 residents reside in the area, where there are 9,400 homes, residential units, and businesses.
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