Pacific Palisades wildfire in Los Angeles, California orders evacuations

Live updates: Pacific Palisades wildfire in Los Angeles, California orders evacuations | CNN

• Tens of thousands of people have been told to evacuate as a fast-growing fire races through Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, destroying homes. Many were forced to abandon cars in the seaside neighborhood sandwiched between Malibu and Santa Monica, which have also issued evacuation orders. With traffic slowing evacuations, and flames jumping the highway, some had also considered sheltering on the beach.

• The Palisades fire is burning through about five football fields a minute, as gusty winds spread the blaze that has burned more than 2,900 acres. Los Angeles has declared an emergency and officials warned that the worst is yet to come as “tornado-like” winds complicate firefighters’ battles.

• A separate fire in Los Angeles County has doubled in size to 400 acres. The Eaton fire in Altadena has also destroyed homes and prompted evacuations. At a Pasadena elderly care home, workers raced to get everybody out safe with the blaze just a block away. More than 200,000 homes and buildings are without power across the county.

Shelby Kidman, who was onboard a flight as it traveled over the Palisades fire, filmed the blaze from above.

She told CNN the video was taken as her flight from Salt Lake City approached Los Angeles International Airport.

Watch the fires raging beneath the plane:

Video Ad Feedback Video from onboard a flight shows the Palisades fire raging below 00:06 - Source: CNN

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A man leaves following an evacuation order as a wildfire burns in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on January 7.

Daniel Cole/Reuters

Burning through five football fields a minute, the Palisades fire has expanded rapidly over the past few hours, destroying homes and prompting evacuation warnings for tens of thousands of people, from Malibu to Santa Monica.

Many were forced to abandon cars in the area that is again at the center of a large blaze following December’s Franklin fire. With traffic slowing evacuations and flames jumping the highway, some had also considered sheltering on the beach.

A separate fire in Los Angeles County, the Eaton fire in Altadena, has doubled in size to 400 acres.

At a Pasadena elderly care home, workers raced to get everybody out safe with Eaton fire just a block away, according to CNN affiliate KCAL. Video shows dozens of residents in wheelchairs, many wearing only thin gowns and covered in shawls on the cold night.

Some didn’t even have shoes, only their socks on, in the rush to leave.

Here’s what you should know:

• Schools close: Five schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District will close on Wednesday, and classes are moving online.

• Firefighter injured: A 25-year-old firefighter has sustained a serious head injury. She received treatment at the scene and was sent to hospital, the fire department said.

• Eaton fire doubles: In the space of an hour, the Eaton fire in Altadena has exploded to 400 acres. The Angeles National Forest has urged people in the area to evacuate immediately as high winds are forecast to continue and tens of thousands also flee the Palisades fire. More than 200,000 homes and buildings are without power in the county.

• Renowned buildings in flames: A beloved roadside seafood restaurant in Malibu was destroyed by the Palisades fire. The Reel Inn was 36 years old. The Palisades Charter High School, a famed set for films, and nearby elementary school were engulfed by flames.

• All equipment used: California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that “hundreds and hundreds of personnel” were responding to the Palisades fire, using airplanes, helicopters, bulldozers and water tenders. The Los Angeles Fire Department is also asking off-duty members to call in to help battle the blaze. But as fire crews battle the Eaton fire north of Pasadena, their fight is limited by having grounded aircraft due to the extreme winds.

• Firefighter warnings: Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Sheila Kelliher has warned that firefighters are in for a long night, with “tornado-like” winds expected to get worse. Kelliher said the terrain and wind combined created a “massive fight.”

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The 31st annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards nominations announcement, expected to take place live and in-person in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, has been canceled because of the ongoing wildfires.

“Nominees will be unveiled tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. PT via press release and the SAG Awards website,” read a statement from the awards on X.

The official SAG Awards ceremony, to be hosted by actress Kristen Bell this year, will take place on February 23.

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As tens of thousands of residents fled the Palisades fire on Tuesday, fire officials at one point used a bulldozer to move abandoned vehicles, which had piled up as evacuees became stuck in traffic and decided to flee on foot, off a road.

Videos show the bulldozer scooping up cars and pushing them to the side, with flames and dark smoke visible a short distance away. The sound of metal grinding, glass breaking, car alarms going off and the bulldozer’s roar can be heard.

Officials had to move 30 cars out of the way to clear the road, according to Traffic News Los Angeles.

If you have to abandon a vehicle:“Get it as far off the road as you can so that emergency vehicles get by,” Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said.

Video Ad Feedback Fire officials used a bulldozer to move abandoned vehicles on the roadways as people fled the Palisades Fire 00:49 - Source: CNN

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As the Palisades fire rips through the Santa Monica mountains and coastal neighborhoods, it has damaged the Palisades Charter High School and nearby elementary school, a school board member told CNN on Tuesday night.

The high school is “currently engulfed in flames,” said Nick Melvoin, a Los Angeles Unified School District board member.

Firefighters are now “working heroically … to preserve the main structures,” but many facilities, including athletic buildings, baseball and tennis courts, and some bungalows, have been “destroyed,” he said.

The nearby elementary school is also “on fire,” he added. “We’re just devastated … (I) also grew up playing soccer on those fields, and we’re all just in shock.”

What to know about the school: The high school was formerly administered by LAUSD but is now an independent charter school, according to its website. The campus may look familiar to many, having been used during the filming of popular shows and films including “Teen Wolf,” “Carrie,” “Freaky Friday” and “American Vandal.”

Melvoin said the school was not in session when the fire broke out, with students still on winter break.

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The Eaton fire, which erupted early Tuesday evening, has ripped through houses and structures in just a few hours and now measures 400 acres in size.

Videos shared by Traffic News Los Angeles show a house going up in a blaze, with the fire crackling loudly. Only the skeleton of the house is still visible, as flames lick at the crumbling beams; seconds later the roof collapses, sending up plumes of dark smoke.

Firefighters can be seen trying to put out the fire, with several hoses deployed. Around them, a fierce wind whips, sending red embers flying into the air and skittering down the road – the exact danger that firefighters warned could cause a blaze to spread quickly over a large area.

Watch the video:

Video Ad Feedback Homes and structures burn as Eaton Fire ignites in Los Angeles County 00:40 - Source: CNN

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Gusty winds, dry air and ongoing drought across Southern California have given conditions conducive for the Eaton fire to quickly grow to 400 acres. This fire is burning at the rate of over one football field a minute since beginning a few hours ago.

The National Weather Service said that north to northeast winds across the ridges could reach as high as 80 mph overnight.

Winds will shift direction to become more northeast on Wednesday, potentially still reaching 75 mph. These winds combined with humidities dropping into the single digits means that this fire could continue to spread quickly through the morning. Winds should begin to decrease by Wednesday afternoon but could still reach 40 mph.

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A firefighter has been seriously injured, the Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed on Tuesday night.

“At approximately 8:30 PM, a 25-year-old female firefighter sustained a serious head injury. She received immediate treatment at the scene and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation,” LAFD fire captain and public information officer Erik Scott wrote on X.

He did not say whether the firefighter had been working to battle the Palisades or Eaton fires, which are raging simultaneously.

He also said that around 9 p.m., “multiple burn victims were reported walking toward a nearby restaurant.” Medical resources were sent to the location to evaluate and treat the patients.

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The Palisades Fire ravages a neighbourhood amid high winds in Los Angeles, on January 7, 2025.

Ethan Swope/AP

The National Weather Service in Los Angeles has released some of the highest wind gusts through the day on Tuesday. Gusts in the area of the Palisades fire area reached between 40 and 60 mph through the day, but isolated gusts across Southern California reached more than 80 mph. Here are the some of the highest and notable reports:

Magic Mountain Truck Trail: 86 mph

Pacoima (Whiteman Apt.): 78 mph

Saddle Peak: 72 mph

Chilao: 69 mph

Topanga: 43 mph

Wind gusts are expected to continue to increase overnight and through Wednesday morning.

“Widespread damaging north to northeast winds and extreme fire weather conditions will continue through Wednesday. Winds will peak through Wednesday morning. Downed trees and power lines, power outages, hazardous driving conditions, increased traffic, and airport delays are to be expected across the Southland,” warns the National Weather Service.

These gusty winds combined with very dry air have prompted red flag warnings for more than 18 million people across Southern California. Widespread wind gusts could reach 80 mph with wind gusts across the San Gabriel and Santa Susana mountains as well as the foothills of the San Gabriel/San Fernando valleys potentially reaching 100 mph. Combined with dry air – with relative humidity dropping to 10 percent – ongoing fires and any new fires could quickly spread out of control.

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An iconic roadside restaurant in Malibu was destroyed by the Palisades fire as the blaze expanded late Tuesday.

Reel Inn, a 36-year-old seafood restaurant on the Pacific Coast Highway, burned down just after 4 p.m., according to the Malibu Times. In a statement posted by its owners on Instagram, Teddy and Andy Leonard said they were “heartbroken and unsure of what will be left.”

“Hopefully the state parks will let us rebuild when the dust settles,” they added.

The owners said that all staff were safe.

Reel Inn was reportedly engulfed by flames after the fire jumped Topanga Canyon in the late afternoon. The establishment was described as a “staple along the Pacific Coast Highway for decades,” the Malibu Times wrote, and a popular gathering spot for locals and tourists alike.

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Firefighters are battling wildfires in the Los Angeles area as a devastating wind storm has created extremely dangerous conditions. See some of the most stark photos below.

Flames overtake an intersection of the Temescal Canyon Road and the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, California on January 7.

Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

A firefighter jumps over a fence while fighting the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, Los Angeles, on January 7.

Ethan Swope/AP

A woman sits and watches a large plume of smoke from a wildfire rise over the Pacific Palisades, in Santa Monica, California, on January 7.

Richard Vogel/AP

Firefighters battle flames from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California on January 7.

Eric Thayer/Getty Images

A person uses clothing to partially cover their face as a wildfire breaks out near Pacific Palisades on the west side of Los Angeles in Southern California, on January 7.

Mike Blake/Reuters

Water is dropped by helicopter on the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, on Tuesday.

Etienne Laurent/AP

A resident stands in front of a garage as fire crews fight the Palisades Fire nearby in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Ethan Swope/AP

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Elderly residents in wheelchairs are evacuated from a Pasadena senior center.

KCBS/KCAL

A senior center in Pasadena evacuated its elderly residents on Tuesday night to a nearby parking lot in a chaotic scene as workers raced to get everybody out safe with flames burning just a block away, according to CNN affiliate KCAL.

The Terraces at Park Marino facility decided to evacuate after the 400-acre Eaton fire spread nearby in the hills above Altadena. Video from KCAL shows dozens of residents in wheelchairs, many wearing only thin gowns and covered in shawls on the cold night.

Some didn’t even have shoes, only their socks on in the rush to leave; workers hurriedly walked among them, tending to residents and covering them up from the wind.

One worker helping the operation, identified as Randy, said they were trying to evacuate about 95 people in total. Ambulances and police cars wailed nearby, with some people being wheeled by in gurneys.

Correction: This post as been updated to add the correct name of the senior center that was evacuated. It is The Terraces at Park Marino.

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California has received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to fight the Eaton fire raging near Altadena, now reaching 400 acres in size, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on X.

Earlier Tuesday, the state also received a Fire Management Assistance Grant from FEMA to fight the Palisades fire, which is more than 2,921 acres big.

The grants will help support local fire departments in their response costs and are one of many resources the state will receive from the federal government in response to the fires.

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Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally in Memorial Hall at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania on November 4, 2024.

Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Vice President Kamala Harris said “My heart goes out to all those being impacted” by the wildfires in Southern California.

“Doug and I are praying for our fellow Californians who have evacuated, and we are thinking of the families whose homes, businesses, and schools remain in harm’s way. We are deeply grateful for the heroic first responders who are risking their own safety to fight the flames and help keep communities safe,” she said in an overnight statement.

Harris said that she has been briefed and will continue to receive updates on the 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. As we respond and as Californians recover, I will ensure that our administration is in constant contact with state and local officials,” she said.

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As fire crews battle the Eaton fire north of Pasadena, now 400 acres in size, their fight is limited by having grounded aircraft due to the extreme winds, said city spokesperson Lisa Derderian.

Speaking to CNN affiliate KCAL, she said there were structures threatened and that city authorities were working to set up mass care and sheltering for evacuees.

“Unfortunately, it’s a worst-case scenario that we were hoping we wouldn’t have to deal with,” she said.

Evacuations: There are 10 zones under evacuation orders, which means there is an “immediate threat to life” and residents should leave immediately. An additional 18 ones are under potential threat, and are under evacuation warnings.

Check the evacuation zones here.

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Firefighters battle the Palisades Fire as it burns multiple structures in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, on January 7.

Ethan Swope/AP

A fast-moving fire is forcing residents in Southern California to evacuate.

Here’s what you should know about the blaze:

Power outages: More than 100,000 people are without power in Los Angeles County, according to poweroutage.us — a database that tracks and aggregates live power outages in the US.

Acreage: The fire so far has grown to 2,900 acres. According to Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Sheila Kelliher, whipping winds through the steep canyon makes fighting the fire “very challenging.” Firefighters had to move their command post due to the encroaching fire, she said, adding that the fire is “moving along pretty quick.”

Evacuation orders: At least 30,000 people had been evacuated from a total of 10,000 households, 15,000 structures, businesses and other buildings.

Wind speeds: Winds gusted at 40 to 60 mph during the day and could gust up to 80 mph overnight.

This post has been updated with the latest information.

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As of 9:15 p.m. PST, roughly 184,400 customers in LA County are without power, according to PowerOutage.us.

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A CNN crew filmed their evacuation from an area where a dangerous wildfire is rapidly growing in Southern California.

Video Ad Feedback CNN crew escapes fire in Santa Monica area 00:59 - Source: CNN

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Five schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District will close on Wednesday due to fires, and classes will be moved online.

The schools are Canyon Charter Elementary, Marquez Charter Elementary, Palisades Charter Elementary, Kenter Canyon Elementary and Paul Revere Middle School.

“Topanga Elementary Charter School will continue its relocation to Woodland Hills Academy,” LA Unified said in a statement released on Tuesday night.

The school district said that it will also prepare for the possibility of online learning on Thursday and that the decision would be made by Wednesday afternoon.

“Schools will be in communication with families regarding any closures, relocations, or changes to operation hours and activities. Please look for communication from your school or Los Angeles Unified,” it said.

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The Eaton fire in Altadena is exploding at 400 acres, the Angeles National Forest said on X –– less than an hour after the fire was estimated at 200 acres.

The organization has urged people in the eastern LA County area to evacuate immediately as high winds are forecast to continue overnight and tens of thousands also flee the Palisades fire.

A time-lapse captured by webcams from Alert California and UC San Diego shows the raging Eaton fire moving fast and searing toward structures in Altadena.

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Jerome Krausse pushes his mother-in-law in a shopping cart as they evacuate from their home in Santa Monica, California, on January 7.

Richard Vogel/AP

Evacuation orders have reached Santa Monica, the seaside city west of downtown Los Angeles, as the Palisades fire burns through five football fields a minute.

“City of Santa Monica is issuing an Evacuation Order for all areas of the city north of San Vicente. Evacuation Order: Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW. The area is closed to public access,” the city said.

That refers to an area at the northwest edge of the city, bordering the Santa Monica Canyon. Another major stretch right next to the order zone, ringed in by Montana Avenue and 26th Street, is under evacuation warning – meaning residents face potential threat to life and those who need additional time to evacuate should leave now.

Eaton fire evacuations: As tens of thousands flee the Palisades fire, many are now beginning to evacuate from the Eaton fire, too – a new 400-acre blaze that erupted in Altadena, in eastern LA County.

Nine zones in the area are under evacuation orders, while five more are under evacuation warnings.

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In a video posted to X on Tuesday evening, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that “hundreds and hundreds of personnel” from California are responding to the Palisades fire. Newsom also said airplanes, helicopters, bulldozers, water tenders and speciality personnel were “putting everything we can to not only suppress this fire but to prevent additional fires.”

Newsom called the strong winds fuelling the fire “unprecedented” for this time of the year, adding that “this time of year traditionally has not been fire season, but now we disabuse any notion that there is a fire season. It’s year-round in the state of California.”

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Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Sheila Kelliher during an interview with CNN.

CNN

Firefighters are in for a long night, with extreme wind conditions expected to get worse, warned Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Sheila Kelliher.

Kelliher said the terrain and wind combined created a “massive fight.” Complicating matters is the nature of the wind, which “doesn’t just stay at one direction,” she added.

“Just when you think you know what the fire is going to do, it swirls around and comes behind you. It’s definitely erratic, I think is one of the best words I can use to describe this wind, and it is strong,” she told CNN’s Laura Coates.

She pointed to a burning hillside nearby, describing the “whipping tornado-like columns and spouts,” even taking a moment to catch her balance when the strong wind nearly knocked her over.

“It’s the perfect storm, as they say – the low relative humidity, the high gusty winds, the low fuel moisture, the lack of rain and the excessive fuel growth that we’ve had over the last three years really have set this up for this once-in-a-decade wind event,” she said.

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Joe Biden gestures as he delivers remarks in New York on September 24, 2024.

Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

President Joe Biden said that he is being “frequently briefed” on the wildfires in Los Angeles and that the White House “will do everything it can to support the response.”

“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. Earlier tonight, FEMA approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant to support areas that are impacted and help reimburse the state of California for the immediate firefighting costs. My Administration will do everything it can to support the response,” Biden said in a statement on Tuesday.

“I urge the residents of the Pacific Palisades and the surrounding areas of Los Angeles to stay vigilant and listen to local officials,” he continued.

The White House said that Biden has been briefed over the phone on the Palisades wildfire by FEMA Region 9 Administrator Bob Fenton.

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The Palisades fire is burning through about five football fields every minute in Southern California, as gusty winds spread the flames that have burned more than 2,900 acres, according to CAL Fire.

The winds around the fire are expected to continue increasing to 60 to 80 mph overnight.

Wednesday is forecast to bring more winds gusting over 60 mph, and another day of level 3 “extremely critical fire weather” in LA and Ventura counties.

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Water is dropped by a helicopter on the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Etienne Laurent/AP

Mandatory evacuations in the Palisades fire have expandedeast to Kenter and north to Mulholland Roadas the fire has grown to 2,920 acres, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an update.

This comes as fire officials said the worst winds are expected between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. PT.

“This remains an extremely dynamic situation and all residents in the area asked to monitor the news, LAFD Alerts and be prepared for possible evacuation,” the update said.

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A new fire has exploded to 200 acres in eastern Los Angeles County as the Palisades fire continues to grow rapidly.

The Eaton fire in Altadena has prompted evacuations as high winds continue overnight, the Angeles National Forest said in a post on X.

The US Forest Service, Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Pasadena Fire Department are in unified command, they said.

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Flames from the Palisades Fire burn homes in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Eric Thayer/Getty Images

The Los Angeles Fire Department is asking off-duty members to call in to potentially assist in fighting the Palisades fire.

In a post on X, the department asked members to call in “with their availability for recall” after the fire grew rapidly throughout the day.

CAL Fire, California’s firefighting agency, will assume command Wednesday morning.

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Cities surrounding Pacific Palisades have issued evacuation warnings and are urging caution as the Palisades fire continues to expand overnight.

In Malibu, which is to the west of the fire, evacuation orders and warnings are in place for five zones, and the city encouraged residents to “be vigilant and ready to evacuate quickly if an evacuation order is given.”

“We understand how deeply unsettling this is for our community, especially coming less than a month after the Franklin Fire and two months after the Broad Fire,” Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart said in a statement. “To those impacted by the Palisades Fire, our hearts are with you, and we want you to know the City is here to support you.”

To the south, Santa Monica told residents to avoid the northern parts of the city to give space to first responders.

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A life-threatening, widespread windstorm has created extremely dangerous fire weather conditions in Southern California.

See CNN National correspondent Natasha Chen’s reporting from the area:

Evacuations have been ordered for parts of Los Angeles as a life-threatening, widespread windstorm creates extremely dangerous fire weather conditions in Southern California. CNN’s Natasha Chen reports. #cnn #news

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Two residents of Pacific Palisades, their exhausted faces covered in soot, described spending hours helping fire crews in their burning neighborhood.

“We had a fire pump and, you know, we were able to probably save one or two houses with the firemen,” Greg Yost told CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront.” “But three houses have gone up right around us.”

Their strategy, he said, was to catch the fires early, watering any embers they see and saturating the fields near them. They said the strong winds make it easy for the fire to spread and even harder to put out.

“This is as close as we’ve seen, and it’s black smoke everywhere,” fellow resident Jeff Marks said.

The two men said they planned to stay through the night looking for fires in their area and helping to put them out as they see them. They’re texting residents information on their houses and said most people have evacuated – including their own families.

“Maybe with a little bit of luck, we’ll be able to stay with it, but we made a big difference just for the few houses around us, for sure, with the firemen,” said Yost.

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The Palisades Fire burns a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Etienne Laurent/AP

The Palisades fire spans 1,261 acres, officials said Tuesday afternoon. The city of Los Angeles has declared a state of emergency, said Marqueece Harris-Dawson, president of the Los Angeles City Council.

Here’s what to know:

Burned area: Aerial reconnaissance shows that the Palisades fire has burned about 1,261 acres and growing with the help of strong winds and surrounding topography, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said Tuesday. The Pacific Palisades neighborhood is experiencing north to northeast winds around 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph, but stronger wind gusts are expected overnight, officials warned.

Evacuations: As of Tuesday afternoon, 30,000 people had been evacuated from a total of 10,000 households and15,000 structures, businesses and other buildings, said Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell.

Personnel in place: Over 250 firefighters are on scene fighting the Palisades fire, Crowley said Tuesday. This includes 46 engines, three trucks, five helicopters and six paramedic ambulances, among other resources. California had “pre-positioned hundreds of assets and personnel on Sunday in anticipation of this wind event,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a news briefing Tuesday, listing a range of resources brought down from different parts of the state. Newsom also expressed his gratitude to President Joe Biden, who is in Los Angeles, for federal assistance. California also received a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Tuesday, Newsom announced on X.

Abandoned vehicles: People faced traffic gridlock as they tried to flee the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, video from CNN affiliate KABC shows. Multiple people told KABC they left their cars trying to get out of the area. If evacuees have to abandon a vehicle, “get it as far off the road as you can so that emergency vehicles get by,” McDonnell said.

Power cutoff: Southern California Edison, which supplies power to 5 million homes and businesses, has begun preemptively shutting off power to some customers to prevent its electric system from becoming a possible source of fire ignition. About 8,600 customers fall under the current Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS), which the utility describes as “a tool of last resort” amid heightened fire conditions. The shutoffs stretch across Los Angeles, Riverside and Ventura counties. The utility is considering shutoffs for more than 400,000 additional residents as extreme winds gust through parts of Southern California.

Pacific Palisades has experienced fires in recent years: Home to about 27,000 residents,the picturesque seaside neighborhood sandwiched between Santa Monica and Malibu has experienced fires in recent years, the most recent being the Franklin fire that started in Malibu and reached into Pacific Palisades. Another fire hit the area in 2019, injuring at least two people.

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Lifeguard towers go up in flames from the Palisades Fire on Tuesday.

David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News/Getty Images

The Palisades fire has jumped across the highway, where cars were packed attempting to leave earlier in the day, and has burned two lifeguard towers on the beach, Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Sheila Kelliher told CNN.

Speaking with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, she said the whipping winds through the steep canyon makes fighting the fire “very challenging” and that firefighters have to move their command post due to the encroaching fire.

“It’s moving along pretty quick,” Kelliher said, noting they are seeing sustained gusts of 30 miles per hour.

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Hannah Lunkewitz, 19, is about to evacuate her home in the Pacific Palisades near the Bluffs with her parents and two brothers.

Lunkewitz tells CNN they were going to drive their two cars out of the neighborhood, but their neighbors said they were all stuck in traffic.

“I’m in contact with a lot of my friends who live here who evacuated, and it’s just so full, so much traffic, and no one’s really moving,” she said.

Therefore, Lunkewitz said they may take their belongings and walk the 10 minutes to the Will Rogers State Beach instead.

Lunkewitz is home from college for the holidays, so she said most of her belongings are already packed and ready to go including her clothes, a laptop and other necessities. Her parents are packing food, water, and important valuables, according to Lunkewitz.

“I think I’m just in shock. It’s just unreal, so I don’t really know what to feel. I’m more nervous,” she said.

Her family moved from Germany to the Pacific Palisades 10 years ago, and Lunkewitz can’t remember a fire so close to her home.

“It’s just more unreal to have it in my neighborhood,” she said.

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The Palisades Fire approaches the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday.

Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News/Getty Images

The Getty Villa, a museum that houses a variety of relics from Greece and Rome, is safe from the fire, the museum said Tuesday night.

While some of the trees and vegetation burned, the staff and “the staff and the collection remain safe,” said a statement from Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, which runs the museum.

“Fortunately, Getty had made extensive efforts to clear brush from the surrounding area as part of its fire mitigation efforts throughout the year,” she said. Additional measures include water storage, irrigation, as well as double-walled construction of the galleries and state-of-the-art air handling systems, she said.

The museum is closed to the public on Tuesdays, and access to all non-emergency staff was “swiftly closed,” the statement said.

“We are grateful for the tireless work of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department, and other agencies to keep the Villa and its staff safe, as well as for the on-site presence of fire trucks throughout the day,” Fleming said.

The museum is directly off the Pacific Coast Highway in the Pacific Palisades and also features a reconstruction of a Roman country house, according to its website.

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US President Joe Biden steps from Air Force One as he arrives in Los Angeles, on January 6.

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the wildfires in Los Angeles and has been in contact with state and local officials, according to the White House.

Following a request from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, FEMA has approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant to support impacted communities, according to the White House.

Biden is in Los Angeles and will depart on Wednesday morning to head back to the East Coast.

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California received a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Tuesday to assist in fighting the Palisades fire, Governor Gavin Newsom announced on X.

The grant will help support the local fire department in their response costs, he said.

This is one of many resources the state will from the federal government in response to the fire.

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A California driver says there were “flames and ash all around” while she was traveling toward Sunset Boulevard on Tuesday amid a growing wildfire.

Kelsey Trainor shared video on X showing the flames and thick smoke during her drive.

The fire “jumped to both sides of the road,” Trainor said.

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Governor Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference.

KABC

California Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed his gratitude to President Joe Biden for federal assistance as wildfires continued to rage in the Los Angeles area.

“The President of the United States said, ‘Yes, what else do you need?’ Mercy proclamation to be drafted as we speak,” Newsom said at a news conference on Tuesday.

“I just want to thank the president because that’s something I don’t take for granted. It’s something we should not take for granted at this moment in American history,” he said.

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Actor James Woods shared several videos on his X account as Tuesday’s California wildfire hit close to home.

“Two houses from us…” Woods posted with a video of his neighbor’s Los Angeles home in flames.

Two houses from us… pic.twitter.com/5lx6kMqdmN

In another post, he shared a video of his back pool deck. The sky is completely filled with smoke and flames leap up from below where the deck ends.

Woods said that he evacuated the area and is safe, while praising Los Angeles Fire and Police for “doing their jobs so well.”

In one post, Wood said that there are several elementary schools in the area and there “was an enormous community effort to evacuate the children safely.” The actor posted that they do not know if their house is still standing.

The Palisades Fire is burning around the Pacific Palisades, a neighborhood in between Santa Monica and Malibu.

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Some of the residents evacuating the Pacific Palisades and nearby Topanga on Tuesday are fleeing their homes for the second time in the span of a month as the coveted coastal communities have become a hotbed of fire activity.

Just weeks ago, the destructive Franklin Fire ignited in neighboring Malibu, swallowing homes and vehicles and forcing residents – including Hollywood icons Dick Van Dyke and Cher – to flee their hillside properties. Evacuation warnings stretched along the Pacific Coast Highway past Topanga Canyon Boulevard, where residents are being ordered to pick up and evacuate again today.

Both fires took residents by surprise as they raced through the lush scenery, rolling hills and canyons that make the neighborhoods some of the most desirable real estate in Southern California.

Ultimately, the Franklin Fire consumed 4,000 acres and damaged or destroyed about 50 buildings, according to Cal Fire.

The idyllic campus of Pepperdine University in Malibu sheltered in place in early December as the Franklin Fire loomed near the campus. And now, the school is eyeing the Pacific Palisades blaze as smoke billows on the horizon.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the university said it was monitoring the fire but did not think it posed a threat to the campus.

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People flee from the fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Etienne Laurent/AP

If evacuees have to abandon a vehicle, “get it as far off the road as you can so that emergency vehicles get by,” Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said Tuesday at a news briefing.

“We are asking really for the cooperation — and think a couple of steps ahead. It’s not just your vehicle there, but then others line up behind you as well as they see what you’re doing,” he said.

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California Governor Gavin Newsom chastised those who didn’t follow evacuation orders despite the harrowing conditions in the area.

Even with “many structures already destroyed,” some did not evacuate quickly enough, he said, which “is a reminder of how serious this moment is and how important it is you listen to these evacuation orders.”

“We’ve all been to memorials, I’ve never been to a memorial for a building,” he said.

More context: Many residents had a difficult time evacuating Tuesday as the fire spread rapidly in a neighborhood filled with small, curvy roads.

Video shows some streets filled with cars left behind as people evacuated as there were so many people leaving at once.

LAFD Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said evacuations were slow, but they did occur, and the department will “follow up on that if there is anything better in the future that we can communicate to the constituents.”

This post was updated with more context on the challenges on evacuating from the Palisades neighborhoods.

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Traci Park speaks during a news conference.

KABC

Officials called the wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday pose a “public safety emergency” as hundreds of firefighters are on the frontlines battling the flames.

“I want to reiterate, this is not a drill,” said Los Angeles city councilwoman Traci Park at a Tuesday news conference.

For the areas under evacuation orders, Park urged residents to be “packed and ready to go and comply with all directions being given to you by law enforcement and our partners at the fire service.”

Palisades residents who have been displaced by the fire can go to an emergency shelter at Westwood Recreation Center, Park said.

“It may be some time until people are allowed to return to their homes and residences,” she continued. “Please bear with us through this period as our public safety partners work hard to protect lives and property and ensure that this area is safe before people return.”

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California had “pre-positioned hundreds of assets and personnel on Sunday in anticipation of this wind event,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a news briefing Tuesday, listing a range of resources brought down from different parts of the state to get ready for the weather conditions.

“By no stretch of the imagination are we out of the woods,” he added.

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A lone sunbather sits and watches a large plume of smoke rising from the Palisades fire on Tuesday.

Richard Vogel/AP

There is no longer a fire season in California, but instead there is a “fire year,” the state’s governor said on Tuesday.

“November, December, now January — there’s no fire season, it’s fire year. It’s year-round,” Newsom said at a news conference, recounting other major fires the state has battled this year.

Now, the Palisades Fire has spread to more than 1,200 acres, the fire department said. Newsom warned resident to continue to heed warnings and evacuations because “we’re not out of the woods.”

He looked ahead to more windy weather forecasts and cautioned the fire could continue to grow over the next hours and days.

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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is traveling back to the city after she was away on a diplomatic mission, Los Angeles City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson said.

“She will be here within hours,” he said.

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The city of Los Angeles has declared a state of emergency and will have all resources on deck, said Marqueece Harris-Dawson, president of the Los Angeles City Council.

Harris-Dawson said he is currently acting mayor of the city as Mayor Karen Bass was away on a diplomatic mission and making her way back.

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Firefighters work to fight the fire in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California.

Qian Weizhong/VCG/AP

Over 250 firefighters are on scene fighting the Palisades Fire, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said Tuesday.

This includes 46 engines, three trucks, five helicopters, six paramedic ambulances among other resources, she said.

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Evacuation orders are in place for over 30,000 residents in the Los Angeles area after two wildfires broke out on Tuesday, according to Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley at a news conference.

“This is something that is going to get worse tonight,” said Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 30,000 people had been evacuated from a total of 10,000 households, 15,000 structures, businesses and other buildings, said McDonnell.

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Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Eric Thayer/Getty Images

Thousands of people are at risk in parts of California as the Palisades Fire continues to spread, the fire department said Tuesday.

Threatened by the fire are:

“We feel very blessed, at this point, that there are no injuries reported,” Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said.

Some structures have been damaged, however, she added,.

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Residents should know “we are not out of danger,” Los Angeles County Fire chief Anthony Marrone said Tuesday at a news briefing.

“The National Weather Service has predicted that the winds are going to pick up and get worse. We are going to have a more significant wind event between 10 p.m. this evening and 5 a.m. tomorrow morning,” he noted.

“So it’s incumbent that everybody have a wildfire action plan for their home if they live in a brush covered area,” he added, pointing to the LA County Fire Department website to find the “ready, set, go information.”

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The Los Angeles Police Department said a brush fire was first reported just north of the Palisades on Tuesday morning.

The call about the fire came in at around 10:30 a.m. local time, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said at a news conference.

“At the time of the fire, the relative humidity was 12 and the winds were approximately 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph,” she said, adding that based on those conditions, the responding units sent more resources to respond to the brush fire.

Initially, Crowley said officials reported a 10 acre fire, but it has since grown to more than 1,200 acres.

High winds in the area are contributing to the conditions, data from the National Weather Service in Los Angeles shows. Before the news conference started, winds ripped a sign off the front of the podium.

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Palisades resident Maggie Stokes, 79, keeps an eye on the Palisades fire from Santa Monica. Stokes had to evacuate her home.

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Aerial reconnaissance shows that the Palisades fire is currently at 1,261 acres and growing, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley said Tuesday.

“The fire is being fueled by a combination of strong winds and surrounding topography, which is making it extremely challenging for our personnel that are assigned to this incident,” she added.

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California resident Nick McCormack tried to evacuate his parents from their Pacific Palisades home after a brush fire surrounded the area but was unable to do so, he told CNN.

“They told me it looked like their fire was on the other side of the road,” McCormack said. “There was no one there giving directions or helping people evacuate. The cars were gridlocked so people began to abandon their cars or turn back around and go home.”

According to McCormack, his 63-year-old mother and 65-year-old stepfather tried to evacuate the area around 1:30 p.m. but were unable to find a safe way out.

McCormack said he tried to drive up the mountain to assist his parents but was also unable to find a safe road and is instead stuck watching the fire from the bottom of the mountain.

McCormack’s parents have lived in the Pacific Palisades most of their lives and moved to Th