Los Angeles authorities have issued urgent evacuation orders for residents in the Pacific Palisades due to a massive wildfire threatening lives and properties. The fire, which erupted around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, has spread to 1,260 acres and is being fueled by destructive winds. Traffic jams ensued as residents abandoned cars along Sunset Boulevard, complicating evacuation efforts for firefighters. Over 100 firefighters are on the scene. As chaos unfolded, residents described frantic escapes, some managing to flee with pets and valuables. The situation led to widespread power outages, with over 42,800 residents affected, prompting President Biden to cancel a scheduled event.
Los Angeles authorities have issued a dire warning as hundreds of residents are evacuated from the Pacific Palisades as a massive inferno sweeps through the city.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection warned residents Tuesday night that there was an “imminent threat” to life.
“This is a legal order to leave immediately,” the ministry said. “This area is legally prohibited from public access.”
Evacuation orders caused traffic jams on Sunset Boulevard, LA residents left their mansions behind, and the fire spread to 1,260 acres.
However, the fire closed part of the Pacific Coast Highway, forcing some residents to abandon their cars, The New York Times reported.
Meanwhile, more than 100 firefighters and strike teams are currently battling the blaze, which broke out around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Los Angeles Firefighter David Ortiz said.
It spread rapidly across the region, fueled by what California officials called “life-threatening and destructive” winds.
A fire that started in Los Angeles spread to 1,260 acres late Tuesday
The fire broke out at around 10:30am on Tuesday and more than 100 firefighters and strike teams are currently working to extinguish it.
As the fire spread, Police Academy star Steve Guttenberg explained that people were abandoning their cars and it was becoming difficult for fire engines to get through the roads.
He urged neighbors to “leave your keys in your car if you leave it behind so someone like me can move it.”
“We really need people to move their cars,” he told KTLA. “So if you leave your car on Palisades Drive, please leave your keys there.”
The actor said he has a friend who can’t leave his house because of an abandoned vehicle.
X user Jonathan Vigliotti also posted a video of his car burning out of control in his driveway.
“Come on, guys!” he called, his voice filled with fear. “I have to go!”
“We had a fire in our neighborhood. There was panic in the streets and tonight the Palisades fire will have the worst winds,” he wrote to X.
Will Adams watches flames from the Palisades fire approach his property
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection urged residents to “evacuate now.”
Some residents were forced to abandon their cars and flee.
A man is seen abandoning his car and evacuating during a traffic jam.
Other residents have shared the horrors they have faced, with Mina telling DailyMail.com that she was lucky to be able to drive out of the city with her daughter, clothes and two small dogs on her back. said.
she He described the scene of people running, sirens wailing and planes flying by as “chaotic” and “horrifying”. Seawater is overflowing overhead.
“People are parking their cars on the side of the road, getting out of their cars and running for their lives!” Mina told DailyMail.com. “People are literally dragging their children by the hand and running down the sidewalk with Louis Vuitton luggage.
“One guy was running with two Gucci suitcases and a houseplant. It’s like something out of a disaster movie.”
A Los Angeles firefighter drags a hose past cars attempting to evacuate a neighborhood threatened by the Palisades wildfires.
In an effort to contain the fire, Southern California Edison (SCE) cut off power to parts of Cuthbert, Galahad and Malibu.
In an effort to contain the fire, Southern California Edison (SCE) cut off power to parts of Cuthbert, Galahad and Malibu.
The company expects the outage to last at least eight hours, but said it could last longer if crews need daylight to visually inspect power lines and equipment. Inspection is required before SCE restores power.
More than 42,800 residents across California were without power Tuesday night, about 29,000 of whom were receiving power from SCE, according to poweroutage.us.
Still, the hellish situation forced President Joe Biden to cancel an event scheduled to announce the protection of hundreds of thousands of acres of land in California from oil and gas drilling.
The sudden change comes after Biden flew to the West Coast after visiting New Orleans to pay respects to the victims of the terrorist attack, as he looks to pick up the pace for the end of his term.
Biden boarded the presidential limousine, the Beast, late Tuesday morning, only to exit and enter his hotel 10 minutes later amid concerns about the weather.
