Thousands Flee As Wildfires Burn Out Of Control, Destroy Homes Across Los Angeles Area

Officials said about 30,000 residents were under evacuation orders and more than 13,000 structures were under threat.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Multiple massive wildfires tore across the Los Angeles area with devastating force early Wednesday. Residents made a desperate escape from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds, and towering clouds of smoke.  
Thousands of firefighters were battling at least three separate blazes in the metropolitan area. The blazes spread from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, home of the famed Rose Parade. The Los Angeles Fire Department called for off-duty firefighters to help. Weather conditions were too windy for firefighting aircraft to fly, making the fight harder.

Images of the devastation showed luxurious homes that had collapsed in a whirlwind of flaming embers. The tops of palm trees whipped against a glowing red sky.

Flames that broke out Tuesday evening near a nature preserve in the foothills northeast of LA spread so rapidly . Staff at a senior living center had to push dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street to a parking lot. Residents — one as old as 102 — waited in their bedclothes as embers fell around them until ambulances, buses, and construction vans arrived to take them to safety. 

 

Another blaze started hours earlier and ripped through the city's Pacific Palisades neighborhood. This area along the coast is dotted with celebrity homes and was immortalized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit “Surfin' USA.” In the race to get to safety, roadways became impassable when scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some toting suitcases.

  

Sheriece Wallace was unaware there was a fire burning around her until her sister called at the moment a helicopter made a water drop over her house.

“I was like, 'It's raining,'” Wallace said. “She's like, 'No, it's not raining. Your neighborhood is on fire. You need to get out.'”

“As soon as I opened my door, it was like right there,” she said. “The first thing I did was looked at the trees to see where the wind was blowing. Because it hit me. It blew me back.” She was able to leave.

A traffic jam on Palisades Drive prevented emergency vehicles from getting through. A bulldozer was brought in to push the abandoned cars to the side and create a path. Video along the Pacific Coast Highway showed widespread destruction of homes and businesses along the famed roadway.

Pacific Palisades resident Kelsey Trainor said the only road in and out of her neighborhood was blocked. Ash fell all around while fires burned on both sides of the road.

“We looked across and the fire had jumped from one side of the road to the other side of the road,” Trainor said. “People were getting out of the cars with their dogs and babies and bags. They were crying and screaming.”
A third wildfire started around 10:30 pm and quickly prompted evacuations in Sylmar, a San Fernando Valley community that's the northernmost neighborhood in Los Angeles. A fourth fire was reported early Wednesday in Coachella, in Riverside County. The causes were under investigation.

Strong winds, known as Santa Ana winds , were pushing flames over 60 mph (97 kph) on Tuesday. By early Wednesday, they reached speeds of 80 mph (129 kph). The winds could hit 100 mph (160 kph) in mountains and foothills, where it's been dry for months. 

 
California's wildfire season usually starts in June or July and ends in October, the Western Fire Chiefs Association reports. But, January wildfires are not rare. In 2022, there was one, and in 2021, there were 10, CalFire notes.  

The season is starting earlier and lasting longer due to climate change. Rising temperatures and less rain are causing this. Rains that usually end the fire season are now delayed, allowing fires to burn into winter, the association says.

“This will likely be the most destructive windstorm seen (since a) 2011 windstorm that did extensive damage to Pasadena and nearby foothills of the San Gabriel Valley,” the weather service warned early Wednesday.

Govt. Gavin Newsom said California had deployed over 1,400 firefighters to fight the fires. “Emergency officials, firefighters, and first responders are all hands on deck through the night to do everything possible to protect lives,” Newsom said.

President Joe Biden canceled his trip to inland Riverside County. He was to announce the creation of two new national monuments in the state. He stayed in Los Angeles, where smoke was visible, and was briefed on the wildfires.    

There's no official count of structures damaged or destroyed in the Pacific Palisades wildfire. But, about 30,000 residents were under evacuation orders. Over 13,000 structures were at risk. Newsom visited the area and said many homes had burned. He declared a state of emergency.  

The fire destroyed Temescal Canyon, a popular hiking spot. It also burned parts of the Palisades Charter High School, famous for its appearances in movies and TV shows. The school was featured in “Carrie,” “Freaky Friday,” and “Teen Wolf.”

Several people in Malibu were treated for burns. A firefighter had a serious head injury, Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott reported.

The Eaton Fire burned 3.5 square miles (9 square kilometers) in one day. The Hurst Fire grew to 500 acres (202 hectares). The Palisades Fire, which started Tuesday, burned 4.5 square miles (11.6 square kilometers). The Tyler Fire in Coachella burned 15 acres (6 hectares). All fires were at 0% containment.
By Wednesday morning, over 200,000 people in Los Angeles County were without power, PowerOutage.us reported. This was due to the strong winds.  

Recent dry winds, including the Santa Anas, have made Southern California warmer than usual. The region has seen very little rain this season. Since early May, Southern California has received less than 0.1 inches (0.25 centimeters) of rain.

Will Adams, a long-time Palisades resident, quickly went to pick up his kids from St. Matthews Parish School when he heard about the fire. Embers flew into his wife's car as she tried to leave, he said.
“She vacated her car and left it running,” Adams explained. Many residents, including his wife, walked down toward the ocean until it was safe.

Adams said he had never seen anything like it in the 56 years he's lived there.