Hollywood Hills Fire
Topline
Authorities said the uncontrolled fires, which forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate, are still spreading due to strong winds, and at least two people have perished in the three large wildfires that started in the Los Angeles County area on Tuesday.
Table of Contents
Important Information
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, three large wildfires—the Palisades Fire, the Eaton Fire, and the Hurst Fire—now encompass over 5,600 acres of land in the Los Angeles County area, and none of them are contained.
According to Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell, FEMA is “closely monitoring” the wildfires and has given the agency permission to provide further aid to aid in the fight against them.
Tens of thousands of people tried to escape the fire, some of them apparently left their cars on the road, causing a significant traffic bottleneck in the Pacific Palisades region on Tuesday. This made it difficult for emergency services to get to the impacted areas.
“This is a highly dangerous windstorm creating extreme fire risk, and we’re not out of the woods,” California Governor Gavin Newsom warned Tuesday night as he issued a state of emergency and encouraged citizens to follow evacuation orders.
Southern California is under a red flag warning (warm temperatures, strong winds, and low humidity) from Tuesday through Wednesday in the counties of Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and Ventura, and from Tuesday through Thursday in the counties of San Bernadino, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego, according to the National Weather Service.
What is the size of the Palisades fire?
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection issued evacuation orders for residents of the Palisades and those residing along a portion of the Pacific Coast Highway, stating that the Palisades Fire started at 10:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday and had burned over 2,900 acres as of 5:30 a.m. PST on Wednesday. Cal Fire reported 0% fire containment as of early Wednesday, prompting the Los Angeles Fire Department to issue evacuation orders for some 30,000 households in the Palisades and surrounding regions.
What Is The Eaton Fire's Size?
The second fire, known as the Eaton Fire, started in Eaton Canyon, close to the San Gabriel Mountains, on Tuesday night. It spread quickly over the course of the night, covering 2,227 acres as of Wednesday morning, and it was still 0% contained. A round of mandatory evacuations was also brought on by the Eaton Fire in the neighbouring communities of Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre. The evacuation orders, which include most of eastern Altadena, almost all of Sierra Madre, and a significant chunk of the city’s northern neighbourhoods, are affecting at least 550 properties in Pasadena, according to municipal authorities.
What is the size of the injured fire?
Later Tuesday evening, the Hurst Fire was reported after it started north of the city, close to the suburban community of Sylmar in the Los Angeles area. The Los Angeles Fire Department warned of a “rapid rate of spread” and issued evacuation orders in the region shortly after it was detected. At about 5 a.m. PST on Wednesday, Cal Fire’s most recent update showed that the Hurst fire had spread quickly to 500 acres, with none of it contained.
What Impact Will Santa Ana Winds Have on the Fires?
Authorities are worried that Wednesday’s flames could get worse due to the area’s swift-moving winds. Early on Wednesday, reports of wind gusts of up to 99 mph were made in the vicinity of Altadena and other adjacent locations. Through Wednesday night, the National Weather Service predicted wind gusts of 50 to 80 mph in certain areas of southern California and as high as 100 mph in the foothills and mountains. The Santa Ana winds, often known as “devil winds,” are a type of wind pattern that originates inland, primarily in Nevada and Utah, and blows towards the coastal regions of Southern California. These winds are frequently warm, dry, and fast-moving.
How Many People Have Been Injured By The Fires?
Fire Chief Anthony Marrone stated at a press conference on Wednesday that at least two citizens have perished in the Eaton Fire, but it is unclear what caused their deaths. Additionally, a “high number of significant injuries to residents who did not evacuate” have been reported, according to Marrone. The Los Angeles Fire Department notified NBC News that a 25-year-old fireman suffered a severe head injury on Tuesday while battling the Palisades Fire. Although it is not immediately known how many people were treated, medical officials treated “multiple burn victims.”
The Fires Affect Which Celebrities?
Actor Mark Hammill wrote on Instagram Tuesday saying he evacuated his Malibu home, while singer Mandy Moore said she evacuated with her kids and animals, saying she feels “gutted for the destruction and loss” caused by the wildfires. Vice President Kamala Harris’ home in Los Angeles was put under an evacuation order, though no one was in the home at the time the order was placed, spokesperson Ernesto Apreza said. Keith Wasserman, founder of the real estate investment firm Gelt Venture Partners, said he would pay “any amount” for private firefighters to protect his Pacific Palisades home, sparking backlash from some users on X. Other celebrities who reportedly have homes in areas affected by evacuation orders include Adam Sandler, Ben Affleck, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.
Which Schools Are Closed Due To The Wildfires?
On Wednesday, a number of schools in the impacted area were closed, including Palisades Charter Elementary School and six other schools run by the Los Angeles Unified Schools District. In order to “give our crews time to evaluate and repair damages” from the Eaton fire, all Pasadena Unified School District schools will also be closed on Wednesday. The Glendale Unified School District, the Alhambra Unified School District, the South Pasadena Unified School District, and the Burbank Unified School District are among the other school districts in the area that have cancelled classes for Wednesday. Although the fires “pose no immediate threat” to either site, Pepperdine University said that its campuses in Malibu and Calabasas were closed on Wednesday due to surrounding fires.
Which Events Are Postponed Because of Wildfires?
Wednesday’s in-person awards nomination event was cancelled by the Screen Actors Guild “out of caution” due to the wildfires. According to the organisation, the nominations will be made public on the SAG Awards website on Thursday. Due to “extreme winds and fire conditions,” Universal Studios announced that its Hollywood park would close on Wednesday. They anticipate reopening on Thursday.
Have The Fires Caused Power Outages?
More than 220,000 homes and businesses in Los Angeles County were without power early on Wednesday morning, according to PowerOutage.US. The LA Department of Water and Power said its crews were responding to the impact of the windstorms and wildfires.
Has the fire affected flights from other airports, including Lax?
Los Angeles International Airport, located about 19 miles south of the Pacific Palisades, has not experienced significant flight delays or cancellations as of Wednesday morning, according to FlightAware. Some flights are disrupted at the much smaller Hollywood Burbank Airport: About 9% of departures are cancelled and another 16% are delayed Wednesday.
Which Other Southern California Areas Are at Risk of Fire?
The National Weather Service’s fire outlook warns of elevated to critical fire weather Tuesday across much of southern California. The range of the critical fire weather alert will expand by 278 square miles Wednesday to a total of 5,035 square miles in the region. The NWS also issued an extreme fire weather alert—its highest designation for fire potential—from Wednesday to Thursday for a 1,463-square mile stretch of land that includes areas such as Santa Clarita, Simi Valley, Altadena, Moorpark and Santa Paula.
An Important Quotation
“To combat these unprecedented fires in LA, California has deployed over 1400 firefighters and hundreds of prepositioned assets.” On X, Newsom stated, “First responders, firefighters, and emergency officials are all hands on deck throughout the night to do everything possible to protect lives.”
Important Background
Prime fire conditions in southern California have probably been influenced by the emergence of weather patterns suggestive of La Niña, a climate phenomena associated with drought and drier conditions in southern regions of the United States. In addition to a dry winter, Los Angeles in particular has experienced a lacklustre amount of rain over the past eight months. The Los Angeles Times reports that the city has not experienced more than a tenth of an inch of precipitation since May of last year, which has contributed to the drought. The primary causes of Tuesday’s flames are a combination of dry weather and high winds, which also fuelled a different fire in the Pacific Palisades in 2021 that destroyed almost 1,200 acres.