A large fire in Southern California, known as the Pacific Palisades Fire, erupted early on January 7, 2025, rapidly spreading from 200 acres to over 3,000 acres within hours. This inferno has devastated the upscale Pacific Palisades area, leading to mass evacuations as residents fled on foot. Flames have reached Malibu and Topanga State Park, with authorities issuing evacuation orders due to an “immediate threat” to life. Over 30,000 residents have evacuated as firefighters face strong winds and challenging terrain. Power has been cut to many areas, and recovery efforts are complicated by ongoing danger and damage.
Large swaths of Southern California were on fire early this morning as the Pacific Palisades Fire continued to spread westward.
The fire broke out around 10:30 a.m. yesterday, and initial reports from authorities said it was 200 acres in size. However, within 30 minutes the inferno had expanded to cover 770 acres.
Since then, it has grown to more than 3,000 acres, destroying approximately “three football fields” of land every 60 seconds, prompting a mass exodus of terrified residents.
Many people abandoned their cars on one of the only roads in and out of the upscale Pacific Palisades area and fled on foot from the raging inferno that had engulfed the multimillion-dollar residential community in the Santa Monica Mountains. Ta.
As of Wednesday morning, flames had spread as far west as Malibu and as far east as Topanga State Park, according to fire maps released by the Los Angeles County Department of Land Management.
The entire area remains under an evacuation order as the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection warned of an “immediate threat” to their lives.
“This is a legal order to leave immediately,” the ministry said. “This area is legally prohibited from public access.”
More than 30,000 people have since heeded calls to evacuate the City of Angels, as California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that “many structures” had already been destroyed.
Officials warned that the situation could worsen overnight amid “destructive and life-threatening” winds. Hundreds of firefighters swarmed the area, attacking the blaze from the ground and air, while crews traversed steep terrain to clear vegetation and set up firebreaks.
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More than 100 firefighters and strike teams are currently working to extinguish the blaze.
More than 100 firefighters and strike teams are currently working to extinguish the fire, which is moving westward amid wind gusts of up to 80km/h, according to reports. new york times.
Southern California Edison (SCE) also cut power to parts of Cuthbert, Galahad and Malibu to contain the fire.
As of Tuesday evening, more than 33,000 Los Angeles residents were without power, the majority receiving power from SCE, according to poweroutage.us.
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 can restore power.