A fast-moving fire forced more than 30,000 people to evacuate their homes in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday as skies turned red and fierce winds toppled trees and power lines.
The storm was expected to cause even more damage overnight into Wednesday. Two large fires, one in the Pacific Palisades and one in the mountains above Pasadena, were not completely contained as of Tuesday night, with wind speeds expected to reach up to 160 miles per hour. This was the strongest in Southern California. Over ten years.
Here's the latest information on the blaze:
Where is the fire burning?
The fire continued to burn on the other side of the Los Angeles area. To the west, the Palisades Fire has burned more than 2,900 acres in Pacific Palisades, a coastal neighborhood west of downtown Los Angeles. The fire spread rapidly throughout Tuesday. By the afternoon, the fire had more than doubled in size in about three hours.
To the east, another fire broke out in the evening in Eaton Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains above Altadena. The fire, known as the Eaton Fire, burned 400 acres in a few hours.
And to the north, the Hearst Fire quickly grew to 100 acres and forced evacuations in Sylmar, a San Fernando Valley suburb northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
How many houses were destroyed?
Multiple buildings were damaged in the Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Christine M. Crowley said Tuesday afternoon, but it was unclear exactly how many homes and buildings were damaged in either fire. said.
Officials said more than 10,000 homes and about 13,000 structures were at risk in the Palisades fire area.
At least 550 homes were threatened by the Eaton Fire, Pasadena spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.
Why did these large fires occur at the same time?
Forecasters this week warned of damaging winds of 50 to 80 mph, and in the mountains more than 160 mph. The combination of these winds and dry air brought significant fire weather to Southern California. The hill is covered with vegetation after two wet winters prior to this one. Forecasters said: “This is the worst situation in terms of fire weather.”
Catastrophic fires tend to occur in California in the winter and late fall.
During periods of low rainfall, as has been the case this winter, plants become extremely dry. And California's cooler weather coincides with Santa Ana winds, strong, dry, gusty winds that blow west from Nevada and Utah to Southern California and are associated with some of the region's most devastating fires.
The worst and most destructive fire in California history, which destroyed the Northern California town of Paradise, occurred in mid-November 2018.
Is the fire expected to continue growing Wednesday?
Unfortunately, it is. With aircraft grounded due to high winds, firefighters were limited to fighting the fires from the ground on Tuesday night, and both blazes were completely unable to be extinguished.
Winds are expected to peak between 10pm local time on Tuesday and 5am local time on Wednesday, which could cause the fire to spread quickly. Winds are expected to begin to weaken Wednesday afternoon, but remain moderately strong in Los Angeles and Ventura counties into Thursday, weather officials said.
Fire officials are urging people who have not yet evacuated but live near the fire to remain vigilant as the fire could progress rapidly and unpredictably in the coming hours. He is urging all Southern California residents to be on the lookout for new fires.
