Multiple houses, businesses and schools are all up in flames as fires spread through Los Angeles, ITV News reporter Mahatir Pasha explains
Tens of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate in Los Angeles after wildfires tore through neighbourhoods, prompting the governor of California to declare a state of emergency.
Fanned by strong winds, the fast-moving fires have now erupted in the Sylmar neighbourhood, northwest of San Fernando, engulfing houses and vehicles.
This follows two earlier blazes on Tuesday, one near Eaton Canyon in northeast Los Angeles and another in the city’s Pacific Palisades along the coast.
At least 30,000 people have been evacuated from 10,000 households and 15,000 structures, businesses and other buildings, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said.
Dozens of elderly and disabled residents from a care home were evacuated as the fire approached, forcing them to temporarily shelter in a nearby parking lot
The blaze began shortly after the start of a Santa Ana windstorm that the National Weather Service warned could be “life-threatening” and the strongest to hit Southern California in more than a decade.
Palisades Charter High School, known as the setting for films like Freaky Friday, is reportedly “engulfed in flames,” while five other Los Angeles schools have closed.
Governor Gavin Newsome said on X: “I’ve proclaimed a state of emergency to support the communities impacted by the #PalisadesFire.
“Southern California residents: stay vigilant, take all necessary precautions, and follow local emergency guidance.”
More than 250 firefighters are battling the flames, supported by 46 engines, three trucks, five helicopters, six paramedic ambulances, and other resources.
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said during a press briefing: “Los Angeles is currently experiencing an extreme fire weather condition with a red flag alert.
“The fire is being fuelled by a combination of strong winds and surrounding topography, which is making it extremely challenging for our personnel that are assigned to this incident.”
The wildfires are seen from above Los Angeles International Airport, credit: Mark Viniello
Residents and stars speak of horror
The Screen Actors Guild Awards have cancelled a live nominations announcement due to the fires, while several A-list celebrities from Pacific Palisades have shared their ordeals.
Star Wars actor Mark Hamill said he was evacuated from Malibu amid the wildfires in Los Angeles.
In an Instagram post, he said: “Personal Fire Update: 7pm – Evacuated Malibu so last-minute there small fires on both sides of the road as we approached PCH (Pacific Coast Highway).”
From there he went to his daughter Chelsea’s house in Hollywood with his wife Marilou and their dog Trixie.
Resident Kelsey Trainor told the Associated Press that the only road in and out of her neighbourhood was completely blocked, with ash falling around them and fires burning 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,” she said.
“People were getting out of the cars with their dogs and babies and bags, they were crying and screaming. The road was just blocked, like full-on blocked for an hour.”
Actor James Woods shared security camera footage on X of flames engulfing a nearby home and at the bottom of his balcony.
“We were blessed to have LA fire and police depts doing their jobs so well. We are safe and out…Can not speak more highly of the LA fire and LAPD,” the Golden Globe and two-time Emmy-winning actor wrote.
Actor Steve Guttenberg, who lives in the Pacific Palisades, urged people who abandoned their cars to leave their keys behind so they could be moved to make way for fire trucks.
‘This is not a parking lot,’ Guttenberg told US news outlet KTLA. ‘I have friends up there and they can’t evacuate… I’m walking up there as far as I can moving cars’
President Joe Biden said he is being “frequently briefed” on the wildfires and that the White House “will do everything it can to support the response”.
“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,” Biden said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Earlier tonight, FEMA approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant to support areas that are impacted and help reimburse the state of California for the immediate firefighting costs.
“My Administration will do everything it can to support the response.”
The exact cause of the fire was unknown and no injuries had been reported, officials said.
The winds were expected to increase overnight and continue for days, producing isolated gusts that could top 100 mph (160 kph) in mountains and foothills — including in areas that haven’t seen substantial rain in months.
‘The worst is yet to come’
Forecasters believe that the wildfire could worsen considerably today given that “life-threatening, destructive” gusts could last for days, bringing extreme fire risk to areas that have not seen substantial rain for many months.
“Strong winds are coming. This is a Particularly Dangerous Situation – in other words, this is about as bad as it gets in terms of fire weather,” the National Weather Service said.
Los Angeles City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson said: “The worst and most severe part of this wind event is yet to come.”
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