Palisades Fire continues to burn with strong winds prompting another extreme fire warning
After killing at least nine people, the Palisades Fire continues to burn as residents remain under evacuation orders and warnings, with the next Santa Ana wind event continuing fire danger.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for the area, with a "Particularly Dangerous Situation" warning in effect until Wednesday afternoon.
"Severe fire weather conditions will continue through Wednesday. Please be assured that all fire departments and all law enforcement agencies in the area will be prepared," Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said at a Monday news conference.
"The anticipated winds combined with low humidities and low fuel moistures will keep the fire threat in all Los Angeles County critical," he said.
Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said that even though firefighting efforts have been successful over the past few days, extreme fire danger remains.
On Sunday, firefighters continued battling flames, six days after it began, to protect homes in Mandeville Canyon, northwest of the Getty Center and west of the 405 Freeway and in Brentwood. As of Tuesday evening, the wildfire has burned a total of 23,714 acres and reached 18% containment, according to Cal Fire.
The Getty Center, which survived a fire in 2019, was in one of the evacuation warning zones.
"Getty Center is complying with the current evacuation order and it's closed with only emergency staff on site," the museum said in a statement.
The Getty Villa closed when the Palisades Fire first started on Jan. 7.
"Fortunately, Getty had made extensive efforts to clear brush from the surrounding area as part of its fire mitigation efforts throughout the year," J. Paul Getty Trust President Katherine Fleming said about the Getty Villa. "Additional fire prevention measures in place at the Villa include water storage on-site."
Thousands of structures have burned to the ground, from homes and grocery stores to restaurants and beloved landmarks in the Los Angeles community along the Pacific Coast Highway. Neighborhoods have been left in ruins while authorities have warned that the death toll may continue to rise in the coming days as law enforcement officials continue searching through the debris.
Several people have been injured although authorities have not said exactly how many are among the wounded.
With more than 5,000 structures totally destroyed, including entire buildings as well as smaller structures like garages and sheds, the Palisades Fire has become one of the most destructive wildfires in California history, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The state began tracking blazes, and the death and destruction they caused, in 1932.
Crowley and Los Angeles City Mayor Karen Bass confirmed on Tuesday they recently conducted an aerial survey of the impacted areas.
Watch: SkyCal offers aerial look at Pacific Palisades neighborhoods impacted by fire
However, authorities have said the full extent of damage, destruction and fatalities is still being evaluated.
The Palisades Fire broke out Tuesday morning around 10:30 a.m. near 1190 North Piedra Morada Dr., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. With winds reaching at least 40 mph, the flames quickly spread to 200 acres within two hours and grew exponentially in the following hours.
The wildfire continued to spread rapidly through hillsides as powerful gusts carried embers. Bass said the strong winds initially prevented firefighting crews from using air operations, which have since resumed as weather conditions improved later this week.
Hours after the Palisades Fire started, the Eaton Fire erupted in northeast LA County, killing at least 11 people and destroying more than 7,000 structures so far. Together, the wildfires have led to the evacuation of more than 150,000 people across LA.
"It is safe to say that the Palisades Fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles," Crowley told reporters during a news conference Thursday.
On Sunday evening, the LA County Medical Examiner confirmed 24 people had died in the two wildfires. Among the nine killed in the Palisades Fire are people whose bodies were found in Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Topanga, coroner's officials said.
Smaller brush fires also broke out last week, with six burning around different parts of LA on Friday, putting a strain on local firefighting resources. First responders from outside the region, and even the state, have been called in while FEMA grants have been issued and the National Guard deployed. Bass has called it an "unprecedented historic firestorm."
Watch: Hundreds of Pacific Palisades homes razed by devastating fire
In the hours after the blaze erupted, footage from the scene showed multiple homes engulfed by the massive flames.
"We woke up to a dark cloud over all of Los Angeles," LA County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath said a day later, as the wildfire continued to spread and weather conditions complicated firefighting efforts.
LAFD officials said they received reports of multiple burn victims. One firefighter sustained a serious head injury while trying to douse the flames. She received treatment at the scene and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, according to LAFD.
Evacuations and emergency shelters
With the flames moving quickly the afternoon the fire broke out, and evacuations just taking effect, some drivers abandoned their cars on Sunset Boulevard near where the roadway meets the Pacific Coast Highway. Some said firefighters told them to get out and flee on foot.
About 30 vehicles were left abandoned, according to the LAFD.
Pacific Coast Highway was completely shut down near Topanga Canyon Boulevard as evacuations were announced, leading to heavy traffic along the coastal highway and other nearby roads as people tried to escape the area.
RELATED: How to help those affected by wildfires in LA County | KCAL Cares
Krishan Chaudry, a Pacific Palisades resident, said he could see flames burning from his backyard, which he said appeared suddenly that morning. Thick, billowing plumes of black smoke were seen rising over PCH as flames tore through hillsides.
"This happened just spur of the moment," Chaudry said. "We were just looking at the smoke, and then all of a sudden, we saw fire everywhere."
Evacuation orders and warnings have been issued for neighborhoods near the Santa Monica Mountains, Topanga State Park and as far south as northern areas of the city of Santa Monica. Over the weekend, evacuations expanded into Brentwood and Encino.
On Wednesday, Santa Monica city leaders declared a local state of emergency as the fire continued to rage. There was a sunset-to-sunrise curfew in place for evacuation zones, with stores and other businesses around the city shut down Wednesday evening.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna has said at several news conferences that the curfew will remain in effect while the fires continue.
"Repopulation will not occur until all areas are safe," Marrone said Monday.
Los Angeles County has provided preliminary maps showing damage assessments for both the Eaton and Palisades fires. Officials said the maps are updated daily. The color-coded maps show structures that are destroyed, structures with major to minor damage, those affected and those with no damage. Visit recovery.lacounty.gov to view the maps.
A real-time map showing all Los Angeles County evacuation zones can be found here.
Below is a full list of evacuation shelters from Cal Fire, which is current as of Tuesday morning.
Evacuation Shelters
Calvary Community Church
5495 Via Rocas
Westlake Village, CA 91362
El Camino Real Charter High School
5440 Valley Circle Boulevard
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Pasadena Convention Center
300 E Green Street
Pasadena, CA 91101
Stoner Recreation Center
1835 Stoner Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Westwood Recreation Center
1350 South Sepulveda Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Ritchie Valens Recreation Center
10736 Laurel Canyon Boulevard
Pacoima, CA 91331
Pan Pacific Recreation Center
7600 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Pomona Fairplex (Gate 3)
601 W McKinley Ave
Pomona, CA 91768
Van Nuys Recreation Center
14301 Vanowen St
Van Nuys, CA 91405
Lanark Recreation Center
21816 Lanark St
Canoga Park, CA 91304
The latest information from Cal Fire on evacuations and resources for those affected can be found here.
Road closures
Closures of PCH and other roads in the area have been announced by authorities.
Below is a map of road closures around LA County.
A full list of the latest closures can also be found on the LA County website here.
School closures
The Los Angeles Unified School District canceled classes from Wednesday through Friday. Over the weekend Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced most district schools would reopen, with the exception of a few. All schools in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District were also through Friday. Santa Monia schools reopened this week but Malibu schools remain closed.
Pepperdine University announced that in-person campus operations would suspended until Jan. 19. University officials said several members of the school community have been affected by the fires. Last month, the university dealt with the Franklin Fire in Malibu that threatened campus structures and led to shelter-in-place orders.
RELATED: Eaton Fire closes schools in Pasadena
The Glendale Unified School District schools were closed from Wednesday through Friday.
"Life-threatening" windstorm and a major red flag warning
Many parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, including the area where the wildfire started, are facing a "Particularly Dangerous Situation" red flag warning this week. It's a relatively rare advisory the National Weather Service issues in more extreme cases, and it's the same warning issued just before the Mountain Fire tore through nearly 20,000 acres in neighboring Ventura County last year.
Last week, some areas of Southern California saw gusts of up to 100 mph. Before the destructive winds hit the region, forecasters had already warned of a "life-threatening" windstorm — saying it would be the worst one since 2011. That year, a devastating windstorm in LA County led to 400,000 people losing power and more than $40 million in damage.
Although the strongest Santa Ana winds have passed, winds between 55 and 70 mph are still expected in some areas. The National Weather Service has extended the red flag warning, alerting the public of weather conditions increasing wildfire risks, into Friday night.
"This will likely be a life-threatening, destructive, and widespread windstorm," the NWS said Monday before the fires sparked.
In December, the Franklin Fire tore across more than 4,000 acres in Malibu and destroyed at least 20 structures. The Palisades Fire has moved into the same area that was left burn-scarred by the Franklin Fire, according to fire officials.
Firefighters, resources stretched thin
Firefighting resources were already being stretched thin with the massive response to the Palisades Fire when other wildfires broke out in the county. Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Fire Department had to request that all of their off-duty firefighters contact them and report if they're available to assist with the firefight.
Margaret Stewart, spokesperson for LAFD, said this is the first time the department has made such a request in 19 years.
With powerful winds still battering the region, all firefighting aircraft were grounded Tuesday evening due to the dangerous flying conditions. Water-dropping aircraft resumed operations a day later, a notable change since these aircraft are typically crucial in helping ground crews put out out large blazes.
Firefighting crews have been called into the region from several parts of Northern California as well as outside the state, with first responders traveling in from Arizona, Utah, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico and Nevada. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the mobilization of 140 water tenders that could carry 2,500 gallons each to assist the efforts in LA.
"California is mobilizing additional water tenders to support the ongoing battle against these unprecedented Los Angeles fires," Newsom said. "We're working closely with our local and federal partners to identify and fill gaps in real-time. Our number one priority is protecting Californians — this additional water transport is critical in our fight."
Government officials react
Newsom declared a State of Emergency earlier this week. The declaration will allow "local, state, and tribal agencies responding to the fire to apply for 75 percent reimbursement of their eligible fire suppression costs," a statement from the governor's office said.
President Joe Biden, who was briefed on the incident, has approved emergency assistance and spoke out about the natural disaster. He approved a Major Disaster Declaration for the region that will include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans and programs for those recovering, from residents to business owners.
Biden was in California earlier this week and visited a fire station in Santa Monica, where he spoke with fire and law enforcement officials about the ongoing firestorm. In a statement from the White House, he offered future federal assistance to the region.
"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," the president said in the statement. "My Administration will do everything it can to support the response."
Vice President Kamala Harris, a California native, also released a statement on the ongoing wildfires.
"As a proud daughter of California, I know the damage that wildfires have on our neighbors and communities. I also know that the impact is often felt long after the fire is contained," her statement read. "As we respond and as Californians recover, I will ensure that our administration is in constant contact with state and local officials."
Other wildfires burning around LA County
Along with the massive Eaton Fire, which has scorched more than 14,000 acres and killed at least 16 people, there were other wildfires burning around the county this week. Just hours after the Eaton Fire started in northeast LA County, on Tuesday evening, another blaze dubbed the Hurst Fire was reported in the San Fernando Valley around 10 p.m.
It grew to nearly 800 acres and was 97% contained as of Tuesday morning, with mandatory evacuations issued but later lifted.
In the Hollywood Hills, near the Runyon Canyon area, the Sunset Fire broke out Wednesday and burned 40 acres. Evacuation orders in that brush fire were later canceled as well. A day later, the Kenneth Fire erupted in the West Hills area, burning more than 1,000 acres before firefighters managed to fully contain it — prior evacuation orders in that fire were also later lifted.
