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Photos: Thousands Flee the Wind-Fueled Fires Ravaging LA

NPR Staff
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A woman cries by a car as she tries to get in with orange glowing smoke behind her on a fire-engulfed street.
A woman cries as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.  (Etienne Laurent/AP Photo)

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; California Gov. Gavin Newsom said during an afternoon press conference that he’s already seen many of them destroyed. The fire remains uncontained.

Hundreds of firefighters have been battling the blaze on foot in the hillsides of the Santa Monica Mountains, where the fire originally broke out, as well as by plane, dropping water and flame retardant. In the Pacific Palisades community, thousands of people have scrambled to escape the flames. According to LAist, video footage showed drivers on the Pacific Coast Highway fleeing their cars to the ocean at the behest of officers.

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Additionally, a second major wind-driven fire was burning Tuesday night in Los Angeles County as fierce Santa Ana winds roared across the region. The Eaton Fire had destroyed 400 acres in Altadena, north of Pasadena — an area bordering the Angeles National Forest.

Evacuations have been ordered. “High winds were driving rapid fire growth, posing a significant threat to nearby communities and making containment efforts challenging,” CalFire said. “Firefighters are working aggressively to slow the spread and protect critical infrastructure under extreme conditions. The combination of low humidity, dry fuels, and shifting winds has heightened the potential for spot fires and rapid expansion.”

Conditions were changing quickly Tuesday night as evacuation areas shifted alongside the fire. Officials warned that the Santa Ana winds were only going to get worse on Tuesday night through Wednesday morning, reaching 100 mph or more. The National Weather Service warned of a “particularly dangerous situation.”

“Very strong gusts and low relative humidity will allow any fires that develop to spread VERY rapidly,” the agency added. On Wednesday, that’s predicted to affect Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

You can find the latest information about the fire’s reach and damage from member station LAist.

A lone woman on a beach looks over her shoulder at a massive plume of smoke in the near distance.
A lone sunbather sits and watches a large plume of smoke from a wildfire rise over the Pacific Palisades in Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Richard Vogel/AP Photo)
Firefighter points hose at flames, surrounded by orange glowing smoke.
A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire around a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Etienne Laurent/AP Photo)
Man pushes an older woman sitting in a shopping cart away from a plume of smoke along the sidewalk of a beach.
Jerome Krausse pushes his mother-in-law in a shopping cart as they evacuate from their home in the Pacific Palisades after a wildfire swept through their neighborhood in Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Richard Vogel/AP Photo)
Flames engulf a wooded area.
The Palisades Fire burns a property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Etienne Laurent/AP Photo)
More than 200 acres were burning in Pacific Palisades, an upscale spot with multimillion-dollar homes in the Santa Monica Mountains, shuttering a key highway and blanketing the area with thick smoke. (David Swanson/AFP/Getty Images)
People fleeing among cars with a tree and orange smoky haze and flames in the background.
People flee from the advancing Palisades Fire, by car and on foot, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Etienne Laurent/AP Photo)
A young man runs with a worries face past cars on a city street with smoke in the distance.
A person flees from an advancing wildfire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Ethan Swope/AP Photo)
Flames engulfing a wooded area and structures with a tree in the foreground.
Firefighters stage in front of the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Etienne Laurent/AP Photo)
A plume of smoke covers the sun glowing orange above firefighters working with tools to contain the fire.
Firefighters work as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles County. (David Swanson/AFP/Getty Images)
The wreckage of the foyer of a house with the second floor completely collapsed and a stairway still on fire.
The Palisades Fire burns a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Etienne Laurent/AP Photo)
A firefighter passes a house with its roof on fire in a suburban street.
A residence burns as a firefighter battles the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Eugene Garcia/AP Photo)
The inside of a home with furniture all ablaze and more flames seen on the street out of the living room window.
The Palisades Fire burns a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Etienne Laurent/AP Photo)
A firefighter jumps over a low wall and toward a burning house.
A firefighter jumps over a fence while fighting the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Ethan Swope/AP)
Flames in foreground with untouched houses behind and and pristine lawns.
Flames rise as the Palisades Fire advances on homes in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Ethan Swope/AP)
Firefighters protect structures from the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Etienne Laurent/AP)
Flames and smoke on hilltops on the outskirts of Los Angeles, seen from downtown.
Plumes of smoke are seen as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades, as seen from Santa Monica, Los Angeles County. (Agustin Paullier/AFP/Getty Images)
A luxurious swimming pool and manicured lawns with high flames and plumes of smoke only a few hundred yards away.
A fast-moving brushfire in a Los Angeles suburb burned buildings and sparked evacuations Tuesday as ‘life threatening’ winds whipped the region. (David Swanson/AFP/Getty Images)
A city street with houses and a church, flames rising behind them, and a person walking in the street in the foreground.
A passerby walks across the street in Sierra Madre as fire burns in the background. (Josie Huang/KPCC)
A suburban street with strong flames encroaching.
Fire is seen in Altadena. (Josie Huang/KPCC)

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