A rapidly growing wildfire, known as the Palisades Fire, raged through an upscale section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, destroying numerous buildings and forcing more than 30,000 people to evacuate. The fire, fueled by intense Santa Ana winds and dry conditions, had burned at least 2,921 acres of land by Tuesday afternoon.
The blaze, which broke out in the Pacific Palisades area, threatened homes in the coastal neighborhood and created traffic jams as residents fled the area. A fire official reported that several people were injured, some with burns to their faces and hands, and one female firefighter sustained a head injury.
The fire was so intense that flames engulfed homes and bulldozers were needed to clear abandoned vehicles from roads so emergency vehicles could pass. Firefighters used aircraft to scoop water from the sea and drop it on the nearby flames.
Meanwhile, a second blaze, dubbed the Eaton Fire, broke out some 30 miles inland and doubled in size to 400 acres in just a few hours. Almost 100 residents from a nursing home in Pasadena were evacuated, with video showing elderly residents being led out of the facility on gurneys and in wheelchairs.
A third blaze, the Hurst Fire, started in the San Fernando Valley and prompted evacuations of nearby residents. Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said that more than 25,000 people in 10,000 homes were threatened by the fires.
The National Weather Service had issued its highest alert for extreme fire conditions for much of Los Angeles County, predicting wind gusts of 50 to 80 mph and low humidity. With dry vegetation due to a lack of rain, the conditions were “about as bad as it gets in terms of fire weather.”
Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency and positioned personnel, firetrucks, and aircraft elsewhere in Southern California due to the fire danger. President Joe Biden also offered federal assistance to help suppress the fire and approved a federal grant to help reimburse the state for its fire response.
