A raging wildfire in Los Angeles suburb consumed buildings and triggered frantic evacuations as hurricane strength winds swept across the area.
Los Angeles United States:
A fierce wildfire in Los Angeles suburb ravaged buildings and triggered widespread evacuations on Tuesday as hurricane force winds battered the region.
Panicked residents abandoned their vehicles on one of the few escape routes out of the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood fleeing on foot as the blaze which has scorched nearly 3000 acres spread rapidly through the area home to multimillion dollar properties in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Firefighters used bulldozers to push aside dozens of vehicles including high end models such as BMWs, Teslas and Mercedes many of which were left crumpled with their alarms blaring in the chaos.
Despite the panic Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley confirmed there were no immediate reports of casualties or injuries.
Hundreds of firefighters were deployed to battle the blaze both on the ground and from the air with teams working in steep terrain to clear vegetation and create firebreaks.
As the flames spread around 30,000 people were ordered to evacuate with several homes destroyed by the powerful winds that carried embers across the area.
We are not out of danger said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone at an afternoon press conference warning that winds were expected to intensify.
Elsewhere in the city another fire broke out in Eaton Canyon near Pasadena quickly consuming 200 acres by Tuesday evening according to Angeles National Forest officials.
Everyone panicked
The fire began in the morning and spread rapidly catching many residents off guard.
One man identified as Gary told KTLA that hot ashes were falling onto his Sea Ridge community.
There was smoke in the distance and i was assured it wouldn’t come over the hil Five minutes later it’s coming down the hill he said. Everyone panicked that when everybody made a run and went to pack their houses up.
Evacuee Kelsey Trainor described the growing danger as she fled the area.
By the time we got to the bottom of the hill which is about two or three miles there were flames on both sides of the road and it became gridlocked she said. No one knew what to do. Everyone was honking their horns. There were flames all around you.
I could see people walking with suitcases with their dogs children. An elderly woman was visibly upset and in tears she added.
Pacific Palisades resident Andrew Hires shared how he received an evacuation alert while his child was at the dentist about to undergo tooth extraction. We pulled off the mask and ran to the car he said.
Rough Night
The wildfire coincided with seasonal Santa Ana winds which meteorologists warned could evolve into the worst windstorm in decade with gusts reaching up to 100 miles per hour.
This looks pretty concerning said meteorologist Daniel Swain. It’s going to be rough night and what happening now is just the beginning. The weather conditions are expected to worsen.
A massive plume of smoke enveloped the entire city prompting the cancellation of several events including red carpet premiere for Jennifer Lopez new film Unstoppable.
President Joe Biden who was in Los Angeles for a planned announcement was briefed on the wildfire. The White House confirmed that he approved federal aid to assist California in combating the blaze with Governor Gavin Newsom expressing gratitude for the swift response.
No politics no hand wringing no kissing the feet Governor Newsom said. The president of the United States said Yes. What else do you need?
Wildfires are a natural occurrence in the U.S. West playing critical role in the ecosystem. However scientists attribute the increasing severity of these fires to human driven climate change which has altered weather patterns.
Southern California having experienced two decades of drought followed by two years of unusually heavy rainfall has seen rapid vegetative growth creating an abundance of fuel for the fires.
