Thousands Flee From Uncontrolled Wildfires Burning Near Los Angeles

Millions of people in California face at least two more days of dry, hot winds that have fanned fires across Los Angeles County and sent residents fleeing for their lives.

Hurricane-force wind gusts of as much as 86 miles (138 kilometers) per hour have torn through the region, pushing flames through high-priced neighborhoods and hampering efforts of more than 1,400 firefighters who have flocked to blunt the blaze.

“We have a couple of days of this to go,” said Peter Mullinax, a forecaster at the U.S. Weather Prediction Center. “There just isn’t much of an end in sight for today for those areas out west.”

Mandatory evacuation orders have been expanded to parts of northern Santa Monica, with alerts covering a large swath of the coastal city warning that residents may need to leave. Widespread and damaging gusts are expected to worsen, hampering efforts to contain the flames.

About 30,000 people were ordered to leave their homes on Tuesday after a brush fire erupted in the Pacific Palisades community, damaging homes and causing panic and traffic gridlock, with some abandoning their cars on narrow hillside roads. Since then, other blazes have spread in the region.

Extreme fire conditions will continue for more than 3.1 million people across Southern California, including Pasadena and Thousand Oaks, through Wednesday, the US Storm Prediction Center said. A larger area of slightly less dangerous critical conditions includes more than 5.6 million.

On Thursday there is a slight chance the extreme situation will ease, but critical conditions will persist. “Critical conditions are still a huge deal,” Mullinax said. Upper level winds will start to relax on Friday, but without rain, vegetation in the area is still primed to burn.

The NWS issued red flag warnings that extend from central California’s coast to the US-Mexico border. Beverly Hills, Hollywood Hills, Malibu and the densely-populated San Fernando Valley are facing a “particularly dangerous situation” — the most severe fire alert level. Wind speeds could reach 100 miles per hour in some areas.

The blazes come less than a month after a wildfire threatened Malibu, just west of Pacific Palisades. Malibu officials on Wednesday warned that residents should prepare to evacuate if conditions worsen.

Fire’s Destruction

The Palisades Fire erupted as Southern California braced for what forecasters called a “life-threatening and destructive” Santa Ana wind storm that could last for days. The region has received almost no rain for months, leaving grass and brush primed to burn.

Local television broadcast scenes of flames engulfing parts of the Palisades Charter High School, and multiple explosions were heard on camera near the campus. Across the street, parts of Palisades Elementary Charter School were also reported to have gone up in flames, according to KTLA.

A CBS News reporter tweeted images of Malibu’s iconic “sand castle” homes being destroyed by flames.

All schools in the Santa Monica and Malibu public school district, and Pasadena unified school district will be closed on Wednesday.

San Diego Gas & Electric Co. started safety power cuts to customers on Tuesday evening, citing elevated risks.

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Edison International’s Southern California utility — the largest in the region — shut off electricity to about 53,000 homes and businesses in an effort to prevent wildfires. The company said it may need to cut power to an additional 439,000 customers if Santa Ana winds become exceptionally strong.

Across Southern California, more than 305,000 customers were without power as of 4:40 a.m. local time, according to website PowerOutage.us.

In a statement issued Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden said he was being frequently briefed on the wildfires and urged residents to stay vigilant and listen to local officials. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency has also authorized the use of funds to assist in combating the blazes.

Top photo: Firefighters battle flames during the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on Jan. 7. Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg.