A wildfire fueled by strong winds tore through a Los Angeles hillside dotted with celebrity homes on Tuesday, destroying properties in Pacific Palisades and leading to evacuations for tens of thousands of residents. The chaotic rush to safety resulted in congested roads and many people abandoning their cars to escape on foot, some carrying suitcases.
Emergency vehicles were unable to navigate the traffic jam on Palisades Drive, so a bulldozer was brought in to clear the way by pushing aside abandoned vehicles. California Governor Gavin Newsom, who was in Southern California for an event with President Joe Biden, diverted to the area to witness the impact of the fire firsthand. He observed the destruction of numerous structures already consumed by the flames.
Although authorities did not provide an exact count of damaged or destroyed buildings, around 30,000 residents were under evacuation orders and over 13,000 structures were at risk. The fire started around 10:30 a.m. during a Santa Ana windstorm, the strongest to hit the region in more than a decade, according to the National Weather Service. The cause of the fire was unknown, and there were no reported injuries.
In another incident about 25 miles away in Altadena, a separate fire had spread to approximately 400 acres by Tuesday evening, prompting evacuations. The winds were forecasted to intensify overnight, with gusts possibly exceeding 100 mph in mountainous areas that had not received significant rainfall in months.
Governor Newsom cautioned residents that the worst of the winds were expected late Tuesday through early Wednesday and declared a state of emergency. As of Tuesday evening, over 28,000 households were without power due to the strong winds, while about 15,000 utility customers had their power preemptively shut off to reduce fire risks.
The Pacific Palisades fire swiftly burned through 4.6 square miles of land, sending a massive plume of smoke into the sky visible throughout the city. Multiple road closures were in effect to assist with evacuations, although some residents had to abandon their vehicles and seek alternative means of escape. The LA Fire Department issued a recall for off-duty personnel to assist with the emergency response.
Dogs, babies, and bags were crying and screaming as the road was completely blocked for an hour. A video journalist from the Associated Press witnessed a home with a roof and chimney engulfed in flames, along with another residence where the walls were burning. The Pacific Palisades neighborhood, situated about 20 miles west of downtown LA, bordering Malibu, consists of hillside streets packed with homes nestled against the Santa Monica Mountains and extending down to the beaches along the Pacific Ocean. Helicopters dropped water loads on multi-million dollar mansions that were on fire, while evacuees fled down towards the Pacific Coast Highway, and some residents sought rides back to their homes to rescue pets. Two of the burning homes were located within exclusive gated communities.
Long-time Palisades resident Will Adams rushed to pick up his two kids from St. Matthews Parish School upon hearing about the nearby fire. Embers flew into his wife’s car as she attempted to evacuate, forcing her to abandon the vehicle. Adams described the sky turning brown and then black as homes ignited, accompanied by loud popping sounds that he believed were transformers exploding. He expressed astonishment at the scale of the devastation, stating that the fire seemed to be everywhere in the Palisades area.
Actor James Woods shared footage of flames consuming bushes and palm trees near his home, while actor Steve Guttenberg encouraged people who had left their cars to leave their keys behind to make way for fire trucks. President Biden canceled a trip to Riverside County due to the wildfires, remaining in Los Angeles to monitor the situation. The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a grant to help California cover firefighting costs, with Biden offering federal assistance to combat the Pacific Palisades fire.
Some trees and vegetation at the Getty Villa were burned, but the staff and museum collection remained unharmed. The Getty Villa, a campus of the Getty Museum focused on ancient Greek and Roman art and culture, is located at the eastern end of the Pacific Palisades. Film premieres were canceled, schools were temporarily relocated, and the fire even reached Palisades Charter High School classrooms due to the windy conditions.
Recent dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, where there’s been very little rain so far this season. Southern California hasn’t seen more than 0.1 inches (0.25 centimeters) of rain since early May. Watson reported from San Diego. Associated Press writers Janie Har in San Francisco, Hallie Golden in Seattle, and video journalist Eugene Garcia in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
