Multiple Fires Burning Throughout Southern California; Fatalities Reported

Multiple massive wildfires are tearing through the Los Angeles area with devastating force. Fast-moving flames are burning through homes and businesses as residents flee smoke-filled canyons and picturesque neighborhoods that have been home to celebrities and used as settings in Hollywood films for years.

Many of the towering fires began Tuesday and were fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds, which had gusts of more than 70 miles an hour in some areas. The winds persisted into Wednesday, making it too dangerous for aircraft to attack the fires from the sky, furthering hampering their efforts amid bone-dry vegetation and little moisture in the air.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state has deployed more than 1,400 firefighting personnel to battle the blazes.

“This is a highly dangerous windstorm that’s creating extreme fire risk – and we’re not out of the woods,” Newsom said in a statement. “We’re already seeing the destructive impacts with this fire in Pacific Palisades that grew rapidly in a matter of minutes.

“Our deepest thanks go to our expert firefighters and first responders who jumped quickly into fighting this dangerous fire. If you’re in Southern California, please pay attention to weather reports and follow any guidance from emergency officials.”

And in a rare, urgent plea, the Los Angeles Fire Department asked all off-duty firefighters in the city to help.

Here’s what to know about the fires:

The Palisades Fire

The Palisades Fire, which started around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, grew exponentially in a matter of minutes, officials said.

It rained flaming embers onto trees and rooftops in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. Residents rushing to escape created a traffic jam on Palisades Drive, blocking emergency vehicles from getting through. Crews used bulldozers to push the abandoned cars off to the side.

Palisades High School, which has been used as a location for multiple films over the years, has also burned.

Hurst Fire

The Hurst Fire started around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday and prompted evacuations in Sylmar, a San Fernando Valley community in the northernmost neighborhood in Los Angeles. The blaze — one of four major fires burning in the Southland amid fierce Santa Ana winds — was first reported around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 5900 block of Yarnell Street.

Within a half-hour it had burned more than 100 acres, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. It grew in size to 500 acres by 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Immediate evacuations were ordered for the area north of the Foothill (210) Freeway from Roxford Street to the Golden State (5) and Antelope Valley (14) Freeway split, according to the LAFD.

Evacuation warnings are in effect for areas of Santa Clarita, along Calgrove Boulevard and the Newhall Pass, Wildwood, and Eternal Valley, according to Cal Fire.

The 210 Freeway was closed between Roxford and the 5 Freeway, but eastbound lanes were reopened Wednesday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol. The connector to the southbound Golden State Freeway was closed, along with a stretch of the 14 Freeway and the Roxford Street off-ramp of the northbound Golden State Freeway.

Evacuation centers were set up in Pacoima, Northridge, and Panorama City. They are at the Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd. in Pacoima; Northridge Park, 10120 Reseda Blvd. in Northridge; and Sepulveda Recreation Center, 8825 Kester Ave. in Panorama City.

For the evacuation of large animals, the Los Angeles Equestrian Center at 480 Riverside Drive in Burbank is available, according to the LAPD.

The governor’s office estimated that more than 44,000 people in the area were under evacuation orders, with 40,000 structures threatened.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded the state a Fire Management Assistance Grant to help fund the fight against the Hurst Fire, as it also did for the Palisades and Eaton fires, according to the governor’s office.

Eaton Fire

The Eaton Fire, north of Pasadena in the Altadena area, which started around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, quickly burned 1.6 square miles by early Wednesday, according to fire officials.

At a senior center, employees pushed dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds to a parking lot to escape.

In a media briefing at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said two people have died in the Eaton Fire. Circumstances of the deaths were unknown and Marrone said there were also “a number of significant injuries” due to the fire.

Roughly 100 structures have been destroyed in that fire, he added.

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued Tuesday for the area north of New York Drive, east of Altadena Drive, and west of Sierra Madre Villa Avenue, Forest Service officials reported.

The fires were at 0% containment.

Tyler Fire

Firefighters are making some progress on the Tyler Fire, which is at 11 acres in Riverside County near Coachella.

Where are the fires currently burning?

Palisades fire: West of Los Angeles, by the sea. It has burned about 4.5 square miles.

Eaton fire: Altadena area, north of Pasadena. It has burned about 1.6 square miles.

Hurst fire: In the San Fernando Valley. It has burned about 500 acres.

Tyler fire: In Coachella, near Joshua Tree National Park. It has burned about 15 acres.

The first three fires are currently at 0% containment, but the Tyler Fire is 50% contained as of 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Evacuations

About 30,000 residents were under evacuation orders from the Palisades fire and more than 13,000 structures were under threat, authorities said. The Eaton fire prompted more than 50,000 evacuation orders, Angeles National Forest officials said.

Many of the evacuations were in the Pacific Palisades area, but others were in parts of Santa Monica and Altadena.

Wildfires that ripped through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles forced many Hollywood stars, including Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore, and James Woods, to evacuate their homes.

The Pacific Palisades neighborhood is a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity residences and memorialized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit “Surfin’ USA.”

Flames jumped the famous Sunset Boulevard and burned parts of the Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in many Hollywood productions including the 1976 horror movie “Carrie,” the 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday” and the TV series “Teen Wolf.”

Power outages

More than 377,000 customers were without power in southern California as of Wednesday morning, with the vast majority of them in Los Angeles County, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide.

The forecast

Santa Ana winds increased late Tuesday and in the early morning hours Wednesday, and more strong winds are in the forecast. Winds could top 100 mph in mountains and foothills — including in areas that haven’t seen substantial rain in months, the National Weather Service said.

“Widespread damaging north to northeast winds and extreme fire weather conditions will continue through mid afternoon. Downed trees and power lines, power outages, hazardous driving conditions, increased traffic, and airport delays should be expected across
the Southland. Any wildfires that start will likely spread rapidly with extreme fire behavior,” the NWS warned.

“Unfortunately it looks like another Santa Ana is on tap for Friday,” the weather service added. That is anticipated to be a more typical Santa Ana, the NWS said.

Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.