Firefighters are on the front lines tackling a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades that blew up to 200 acres on Tuesday, prompting mandatory evacuations as weather experts warned of “extreme” wildfire dangers.
According to NBC News, the fire expanded rapidly, doubling in size within just an hour, leading officials to issue evacuation alerts for parts of the coastal neighborhood. They urged residents who might need more time to get out to “leave now.” The blaze ignited near 1190 North Piedra Morada Dr., with the Los Angeles Fire Department reporting it at around 10:30 a.m., initially estimating it at 20 acres.
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By 11:30 a.m., Cal Fire had upped the estimate to 200 acres. Just around noon, they started rolling out mandatory evacuation orders for homes in the area, along with some additional evacuation warnings for nearby neighborhoods.
Krishan Chaudry, a local from the LA coastal community, mentioned he could see flames roaring from his backyard, which seemed to pop up out of nowhere. Thick, dark smoke was billowing over the hills, captured in live footage from UC San Diego’s AlertCalifornia camera system, while other clips showed the eerie glow of flames lighting up nearby neighborhoods.
“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,” Chaudry said.
Several areas in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, including where the fire broke out, are under a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” red flag warning this week. This alert is pretty uncommon and is only issued by the National Weather Service during more severe conditions. It’s the same type of warning that was put out right before the Mountain Fire devastated nearly 20,000 acres late last year.
This week, Cal Fire has been ramping up resources as the region braces for some serious Santa Ana winds that can really amp up and spread wildfires. Forecasters are warning of gusts hitting around 60 to 70 mph in many spots, and even up to 100 mph in some areas.
“This will likely be a life-threatening, destructive, and widespread windstorm,” the National Weather Service cautioned on Tuesday. They noted that the “Particularly Dangerous Situation” warning will be in effect from noon Tuesday until 4 p.m. Wednesday for parts of LA and Ventura, including Malibu.
Back in December, the coastal community dealt with the Franklin Fire, which wiped out over two dozen structures, including several homes, as it tore through more than 4,000 acres.
