The Pacific Palisades wildfire in Los Angeles grew rapidly Tuesday afternoon amid a devastating storm, with some residents deciding to leave, others following evacuation orders and others forced to walk through smoke and ash. as the flames were getting dangerously close and their cars, stuck in gridlock, were abandoned.
10:30 am Palisades Fire It was estimated at 20 acres, and after an hour it grew to 200 acres. As of about 6:30 p.m., Cal Fire said it was 2,921 acres and continuing to grow in size. Pacific Palisades is a coastal neighborhood in northwest Los Angeles.
“It happened suddenly,” resident Krishna Chaudhary said. “We were looking at the smoke, then suddenly we saw fire everywhere.”
Nearly 30,000 people have been evacuated and an estimated 10,367 homes remain threatened by the fast-moving flames, the Los Angeles Fire Department and law enforcement officials said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
Sunset Boulevard was packed with cars As soon as people tried to come out. Resident Marsha Horowitz was walking her dog in Sunset and said the fire department asked people to get out of their cars. “The fire came right up to the street, and the fire department came and said, 'Get out of your cars right now,' because the fire was right on top of the cars,” he said.
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A resident who was outside at sunset said withdrawal order Went out when he was already walking down the street. He said he saw people walking with suitcases. Eugene said, “It's beautiful when everything is fine, when the fire is on, everyone wants to be somewhere else.”
Another resident, Nicholas Libonati, said he saw a lot of abandoned cars on the road and people running toward the shore. “It was kind of a surreal scene,” he said. “There's a road in and a road out, and there's a fire road, and I tried to go down the fire road, but the flames passed right over my head, so I went down the main road Went in and everyone apparently had the same idea.”
Many residents headed out to sea where super scoopers could be seen descending into the water amid a black, smoky sky.
Longtime Pacific Palisades resident Shawn Butler said once he got the evacuation order, he didn't hesitate. “I put my dogs in the car, I got my bags and I came over to the parking lot here at Temescal Canyon and Pacific Coast Highway.”
Some can't get out. The fire has surrounded them and the flames are coming straight to the houses, and the roads are blocked.
“We are all scared everywhere, everyone is trembling,” resident Sue said. “The guys at the fire department have been the most amazing people. They hugged us and said don't worry we'll take care of you. They've been amazing.” He had previously estimated winds of 50 mph.
Residents who were evacuated wonder whether their homes will survive. “I don't know if my house is on fire or not,” said resident Andrew Hyers. “I was in the backyard, about 100 yards from my house when I started evacuating… Well that's when I started packing and got my kids out.”
Complete list of Palisades Fire evacuation orders and warnings from Cal Fire can be found here,
According to fire officials, the Westwood Recreation Center opened as an evacuation center and overnight shelter for evacuees and small animals. Latest information on evacuations and resources for those affected can be found here,