A woman cries as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
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Etienne Laurent/AP
More than 30,000 people in Los Angeles County have been ordered to evacuate as the Palisades Fire, one of several wildfires that broke out on Tuesday morning, blazed through the Pacific Palisades community.
Fueled by intense Santa Ana winds, the fire has spread over more than 2,921 acres as of Tuesday evening, according to California fire officials. It’s also threatened over 13,000 structures; California Gov. Gavin Newsom said during an afternoon press conference that he’s seen already seen many of them them destroyed. The fire remains uncontained.
Hundreds of firefighters have been battling the blaze on foot in the hillsides of the Santa Monica Mountains where the fire originally broke out, as well as by plane, dropping water and flame retardant. In the Pacific Palisades community, thousands of people have scrambled to escape the flames. According to LAist, video footage showed drivers on the Pacific Coast Highway fleeing their cars to the ocean, at the behest of officers.
Conditions are changing quickly, as evacuation areas shift alongside the fire. Officials warn that the Santa Ana winds are only going to get worse on Tuesday night through Wednesday morning, reaching 100 mph or more. The National Weather Service warned of a “particularly dangerous situation.”
“Very strong gusts and low relative humidity will allow any fires that develop to spread VERY rapidly,” the agency added. On Wednesday, that’s predicted to affect Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
You can find the latest information about the fire’s reach and damage from member station LAist.
Smoke from a wildfire is seen from the Venice Beach section of Los Angeles.
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Jae C. Hong/AP
Firefighters stage in front of the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
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Jerome Krausse pushes his mother-in-law in a shopping cart as they evacuate from their home in the Pacific Palisades after a wildfire swept through their neighborhood in Santa Monica, Calif.
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Richard Vogel/AP
A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire around a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles .
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Etienne Laurent/AP
More than 200 acres (80 hectares) was burning in Pacific Palisades, a upscale spot with multi-million dollar homes in the Santa Monica Mountains, shuttering a key highway and blanketing the area with thick smoke.
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David Swanson/AFP/Getty Images
A person flees from an advancing wildfire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
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Ethan Swope/AP
Bike riders make their way along the coast as large dark plume of smoke passes over the beach from a wildfire from Pacific Palisades, from Santa Monica, Calif.
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Richard Vogel/AP
People watch a brush fire burn in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Jan. 7, 2025. A fast-moving brushfire in a Los Angeles suburb burned buildings and sparked evacuations Tuesday as “life threatening” winds whipped the region. (Photo by David Swanson / AFP) (Photo by DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images)
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People flee from the advancing Palisades Fire, by car and on foot, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Etienne Laurent/AP
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Firefighters work as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades, California on January 7, 2025. A fast-moving brushfire in a Los Angeles suburb burned buildings and sparked evacuations Tuesday under extreme conditions as winds whipped through the region. (Photo by David Swanson / AFP) (Photo by DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images)
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DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
A residence burns as a firefighter battles the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
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Eugene Garcia/AP
A firefighter makes a stand in front of the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
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Etienne Laurent/AP
A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
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Etienne Laurent/AP
Firefighters protect structures from the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
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Etienne Laurent/AP
A brush fire burns near homes in Pacific Palisades, California.
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David Swanson/AFP/Getty Images
Plumes of smoke are seen as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades as seen from Santa Monica, California.
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Agustin Paullier/AFP/Getty Images
A fast-moving brushfire in a Los Angeles suburb burned buildings and sparked evacuations Tuesday as “life threatening” winds whipped the region.
David Swanson/AFP/Getty Images
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David Swanson/AFP/Getty Images
