The city of Los Angeles declared a state of emergency Tuesday night as strong winds spurred the rapid spread of multiple wildfires along the foothills on the northern edges of the city.
The Pali-sades and Eaton fires were burning out of control in Los Angeles County as ferocious winds fueled the fast-moving blazes.
Santa Monica officials Tuesday evening ordered evacuations for parts of the city due to the threat of the Palisades Fire. In addition to the people living in the small slice of the evacuation zone in the northern part of the city, an “evacuation warning” for a larger area is now in place. Residents have been told to be ready to evacuate.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said her emergency declaration would “amplify our response to this devastating fire and clear a path for a rapid recovery.” Meanwhile, the L.A. Unified School District said four of its schools will be closed.
Earlier Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency as the Palisades Fire burned through Los Angeles County.
A third blaze, a brush fire reported late Tuesday night in the Sylmar neighbourhood north of Los Angeles, led the L.A. Fire Department to issue evacuation orders for that area. The mandatory evacuation orders were “in place for North of the 210 Freeway from Roxford to the Interstate 5 / 14 Freeway split,” according to the LAFD spokesperson Margaret Stewart.
More than 30,000 people in Los Angeles County have been ordered to evacuate as the Palisades Fire, one of several wildfires that broke out on Tuesday morning, blazed through the Pacific Palisades community.
Fueled by intense Santa Ana winds, the fire has spread over more than 2,900 acres and threatened 13,000 structures; Newsom said during an afternoon press conference that he’s already seen many of them destroyed. The fire remained uncontained Tuesday night.
L.A. fire officials have been warning residents for days of this significant wind event, which is similar to weather last month that burned homes and businesses in Malibu, and the month before that in the town of Camarillo.
OVER 30,000 FORCED TO EVACUATE LA DUE TO WILDFIRES
