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Firefighters are currently battling at least two fires in Los Angeles at the start of what is expected to be two to three days of Santa Ana winds that can reach 100 miles per hour. The fires, known as the Palisades Fire and the Sunset Fire, are threatening homes north of the LA metro area, but all of Southern California is on high alert as forecasters warn that dry weather combined with strong winds is “historic”. .”
The Palisades Fire is currently listed at more than 1,260 acres without containment and has caused evacuations from areas north of LA north of the Pacific Palisades to the Pacific Coast Highway. The California Department of Transportation has closed the southbound lanes of the Pacific Coast Highway in the area, according to the New York Times.
Los Angeles fire officials issued an update at 3:30 p.m. local time that was broadcast by KCAL on YouTube. Officials say there are 250 firefighters on the scene, including 46 engines, three trucks, five helicopters, four brush trucks, two water trucks, six ambulances, one emergency vehicle, and several police and fire investigators.
As officials at the press conference said, the worst winds are expected between 10pm local time on Tuesday and 5am on Wednesday. Genasys has the latest map of the existing orders, which include Pacific Palisades at the time of writing, but this could grow rapidly.
Drivers left cars on the road, and the LA Fire Department brought in a bulldozer to remove the cars. Residents in the area who spoke to KTLA said the internet is down and some are worried because they are stuck without a way to escape from their homes.
Another reporter with KTLA covering the Palisades Fire may also appear in the media YouTube the river running away from the fire when they arrived dangerously close.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SteYSEU4MdI
The Sunset Fire is listed at only 1.5 acres but has yet to be contained. The region’s power company, Southern California Edison, has cut power to about 8,000 homes and warned that power could be lost to thousands of people during the storm to protect against electrical equipment that is causing more fires.
Wind gusts have reached 70 miles per hour in Southern California at the time of this writing, but the worst winds are expected Tuesday through Wednesday. Forecasters issued an “extremely dangerous” warning, which New York Times articles usually only appear every few years. But it has a third warning for this season only.
#PalisadesFire A lot of buildings are being lost, shit pic.twitter.com/Qyw3N9Bj9a
– firevalleyphoto (@firevalleyphoto) January 7, 2025
#PalisadesFire pic.twitter.com/2z1SInQIXa
– firevalleyphoto (@firevalleyphoto) January 7, 2025
The images and videos shared on social media are gruesome and show the scene, which KTLA sometimes refers to as a “war zone.”
This is Paradise California in the Palisades. We were in an area where there was a fire. A lot of fear on the streets, and very bad winds will hit the Palisades Fire tonight pic.twitter.com/NY4joNow4I
— Jonathan Vigliotti 🐋 (@JonVigliotti) January 7, 2025
If you’re in the area we recommend downloading an app called Watch Duty, which allows users to monitor wildfires in their area and turn on alerts to keep up to date with what’s happening. The app features user-submitted images, and pulls together popular information from official sources, including social media releases. If you’re in Southern California, you should have it on your phone.
