A fast-moving wildfire broke out near Los Angeles on Tuesday, sending chaotic evacuations through winding roads overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Driven by strong wind gusts, the fire quickly consumed hundreds of acres in Pacific Palisades, a wealthy community north of Santa Monica.
Southern California has been hit by “life-threatening” storms this week, fueling fires and complicating initial containment efforts. The region is expected to experience what could be the strongest winds in more than a decade, posing an extreme fire risk in an area that has not seen significant rain for months.
Video shared online by residents, From actor James Woodsshowing flames licking houses through canyons, winds blowing trees down, and black smoke billowing into a cloudless sky. The rush to flee the burning hillside was delayed as traffic jams formed on narrow streets and burning abandoned vehicles blocked already limited routes for evacuations and first responders.
The fire is threatening homes and neighborhoods near the Getty Villa museum on the eastern edge of Malibu's coast, and could become even more dangerous before it gets better, officials said. Within hours, more than 700 acres were affected.
The Los Angeles School District was also forced to relocate students from three campuses, something Joe Biden had to do. cancel plans for an event announcing two national monuments.
Actor Eugene Levy, honorary mayor of Pacific Palisades, was also forced to evacuate. told the Los Angeles Times While stuck in traffic, “the smoke looked pretty black and intense,” one woman said.Other evacuees described harrowing evacuations. Back to ABC7 She told how she abandoned her car and ran away with the cat in her arms. “A burning palm leaf hits me…It's scary. It's like a horror movie. I'm walking down the street, screaming and crying.”
Strong winds began hitting Los Angeles and Ventura counties starting Tuesday and could peak early Wednesday, when gusts could reach 80 mph (129 kph), the National Weather Service (NWS) said. announced on Monday. Isolated wind gusts may exceed 160 mph in mountains and foothills.
“There are strong winds blowing. This is a particularly dangerous situation. In other words, this is the worst situation in terms of fire weather,” the NWS said, referring to a type of red flag warning that is rarely issued. said.
Large swaths of Southern California, home to millions of people, are in what authorities say is “extreme danger” from the devastating storm. The National Weather Service warned of fallen trees, overturned big rigs, trailers and campers, and advised residents to stay indoors and away from windows. Strong offshore wind gusts could also create hazardous conditions off the coast of Orange County and Los Angeles, including Catalina Island, and could cause delays and turbulence at local airports.
Southern California Edison's website says public safety power outages are being considered for about 300,000 customers in the region.
Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said future winds will act as “atmospheric blow dryers” for vegetation, creating long-term fire hazards and increasing the risk of flooding in densely populated hillsides and valleys. There is a possibility that it could spread to. Angeles and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
“I've never seen a season this dry after a season as wet as the previous season,” Swain said on Monday's livestream. “Winds of this magnitude occur right after you've had so much grass and vegetation growth, and it's still incredibly dry,” which increases the risk.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that he would deploy resources across the region to respond to the storm, including moving firefighters and equipment from northern California to Southern California, where fire season has ended.
“We are not experts on the threat of winter wildfires, so we ask Californians to remain vigilant to local authorities and be prepared to evacuate if directed to do so,” the governor said in a statement. “I will.”
Recent dry winds, including the infamous Santa Anas, have led to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, which has seen little rain so far this season.
Southern California hasn't had more than 0.1 inch (0.25 centimeter) of rain since early May. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, much of the region is in moderate drought conditions. Meanwhile, in the north, heavy rain has occurred multiple times.
Areas where gusty winds could cause extreme fire conditions include the charred footprint of last month's wind-driven Franklin Fire. The fire, caused by strong winds, damaged or destroyed 48 structures, mostly homes, in and around Malibu.
The fire was one of about 8,000 wildfires that totaled more than 1,560 square miles (4,040 square kilometers) in the Golden State last year.
According to the NWS, the last wind energy event of this size occurred in November 2011, when more than 400,000 customers across Los Angeles County lost power, the Los Angeles Times reported. At night, the usually busy streets are dimly lit and there are no traffic lights.
Southern California Edison said rolling blackouts will occur on Tuesday and Wednesday if deemed necessary for public safety.
“The power grid is built to withstand high winds,” said Jeff Monford, a spokesman for the utility. “The problem here is that debris can become airborne and hit power lines or cause trees to fall.”
