Los Angeles [US], January 9: The worst-case scenario has been realized in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles, where an estimated 1,000 structures, many of them homes, have been destroyed by a Santa Ana-wind-fueled wildfire, authorities confirmed on Wednesday morning.
The Palisades Fire was first reported around 10.30amon Tuesday in the 1100 block of North Piedra Morada Drive. By Wednesday morning, the fire had exploded to more than 5,000 acres with no containment.
At a news conference on Wednesday morning, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone revealed that an estimated 1,000 structures had been lost. There was also a "high number of people who didn't evacuate" who suffered serious injuries.
Evacuations were ordered for the entire Palisades community down to the Pacific Ocean, according to CalFire. The evacuations, which also included warnings for Santa Monica and Calabasas areas, impacted tens of thousands of homes and businesses.
An evacuation shelter for people and pets was established at the Westwood Recreation Center at 1350 S Sepulveda Blvd. Santa Monica and Las Virgenes unified school districts canceled classes Wednesday. Dozens of Los Angeles County schools were closed Wednesday due to the fire. A number of schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District were also closed.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Pacific Palisades is located about 10 miles from Malibu, where the Franklin Fire burned more than 4,000 acres and burned several homes after erupting during similar windy conditions in December.
More than 30,000 people were evacuated on Tuesday as high winds helped a brush fire surge into the coastal Pacific Palisades neighbourhood. Further blazes later saw other areas around southern California come under threat.
Frightened residents abandoned their cars on one of the only roads in and out of the upscale Pacific Palisades area, fleeing on foot from the almost 3,000-acre (1,200-hectare) blaze engulfing an area packed with multimillion-dollar homes in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Firefighters used bulldozers to push dozens of vehicles to one side, leaving many crumpled with their alarms blaring, to make way for emergency vehicles. Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said despite the chaotic evacuation, there were no immediate reports of deaths. A fire official told television station KTLA that several people were injured, some with burns to faces and hands. One female firefighter reportedly sustained a head injury.
Hundreds of firefighters swarmed the area, attacking the blaze from the ground and the air, while crews worked through steep terrain to cut back vegetation and create firebreaks. "We are not out of danger," said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, speaking at an afternoon media conference.
A second blaze broke out some 30 miles (50km) inland near Pasadena, and doubled in size to 400 acres (162 hectares) in a few hours, according to Cal Fire. Almost 100 elderly residents from a nursing home were evacuated in the city, according to CBS News.
Videos and photos showed elderly residents, many in wheelchairs and on gurneys, crowded onto a smokey and windswept parking lot as firetrucks and ambulances attended. Fire officials said a third blaze had prompted evacuation orders in the San Fernando Valley, northwest of LA.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said President Joe Biden has approved federal aid to help firefighters respond.
Source: Qatar Tribune
