Written by Jorge Garcia and Mike Blake
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A fast-growing wildfire broke out in an upscale area of Los Angeles on Tuesday, destroying homes and causing traffic jams while 30,000 people were evacuated under huge plumes of smoke that covered much of the capital area.
At least 2,921 acres (1,182 hectares) of Pacific Palisades between the coastal cities of Santa Monica and Malibu were burned, officials said, having already warned of extreme fire danger due to strong winds that arrived after prolonged dry weather.
The fire spread quickly as officials warned the worst wind conditions were expected overnight, leading to fears more neighborhoods could be forced to flee.
Witnesses reported that a number of homes caught fire and their cars were nearly burned as people fled the hills of Topanga Canyon, from where the flames spread to the Pacific Ocean.
“We feel very fortunate at this point that no injuries have been reported,” Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Christine Crowley said at a news conference, adding that more than 25,000 people in 10,000 homes are at risk.
Firefighters in planes collected water from the sea to drop it on nearby fires. Television footage showed flames engulfing homes and bulldozers removing abandoned cars from the roads so emergency vehicles could pass.
As the sun set over Los Angeles, towering orange flames lit up the hills leading into Topanga Valley.
The fire wiped out some trees on the grounds of the Getty Villa, a museum filled with priceless works of art, but the collection remained largely safe due to preventative efforts to trim trees surrounding the buildings, the museum said. It will remain closed for at least the rest of the week.
With only one main road leading from the valley to the coast, and one coastal highway leading to safety, traffic came to a standstill, forcing people to flee on foot.
Cindy Vista, a resident of Pacific Palisades, said that as she was evacuated from the valley, the fires were “very close to the cars,” indicating with her thumb and index finger.
“People left their cars on Palisades Road. The hills burned. The palm trees, everything is fine,” Vista said from her car.
Before the fire broke out, the National Weather Service issued its highest level of warning for severe fire conditions for much of Los Angeles County from Tuesday to Thursday, forecasting wind gusts of 50 to 80 mph (80 to 130 kph).
Strong, dry Santa Ana winds coming from inland deserts are accompanied by low humidity and dry vegetation due to lack of rain. The National Weather Service's Los Angeles office said on X that conditions were “pretty bad as far as fire weather goes.”
He added that Governor Gavin Newsom, who declared a state of emergency, said the state had deployed personnel, fire trucks and aircraft elsewhere in Southern California because of the fire risk to the broader region.
“We hope we are wrong, but we expect other fires to occur simultaneously,” Newsom said at the news conference.
Winds changed President Joe Biden's travel plans, causing Air Force One to stop in Los Angeles. He had planned to make a short trip inland to the Coachella Valley to attend the ceremony for two new national monuments in California but the event was rescheduled for a later date at the White House.
Pacific Palisades is home to many Hollywood stars. Actor James Woods said on Channel X that he had managed to evacuate but added: “I don't know at this moment if our house is still standing.”
Actor Steve Guttenberg told KTLA-TV that friends of his were prevented from evacuating because others had left their cars in the road.
“It's really important for everyone to band together and not worry about their personal belongings. Just get out,” Guttenberg said. “Get your loved ones and get out.”
