Tens of thousands of residents in the West Los Angeles area remained under mandatory evacuation orders Wednesday morning after a wind-driven wildfire exploded and hit the Pacific Palisades community on Tuesday.
The Palisades Fire was first reported around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 1100 block of North Piedra Morada Drive. The fire had grown to more than 2,900 acres by evening and was expected to continue spreading amid Santa Ana’s hurricane-force winds.
The latest CalFire updates can be found here.
There was no initial estimate of the number of structures damaged or destroyed. But news footage showed dozens of homes and other buildings ablaze.
The Palisades Fire destroys neighborhoods amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) Houses in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles burst into flames as the Palisades Fire progresses. , Tuesday, January 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) Will Adams stares down flames from the Palisades as fire closes in on his property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) A helicopter drops water on the ongoing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday. , January 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) Smoke can be seen rising from a wildfire burning in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 7. 2025. (Getty Images) Smoke billows from a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades, seen from Santa Monica, California, on January 7, 2025. (Getty Images) The Palisades fire as seen from LAX on January 7, 2025. (KTLA) A burning palm tree is seen during the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles on January 7, 2025. (KTLA) Warning California camera footage of wildfires in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles County. January 7, 2024. (Warning California) Firefighters try to extinguish a fire that damaged a building in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. (AP Photo) Firefighters are working to extinguish the blaze that has engulfed the home. On January 7, 2025, wildfires rage in Pacific Palisades, California. (Getty Images) Firefighters battle a blaze as the Palisades Fire burns through buildings in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) A firefighter jumps over a fence while fighting a fire in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
According to CalFire, evacuations were ordered for the entire Palisades area to the Pacific Ocean. At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, officials said more than 10,000 homes in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu were affected by the evacuation order. Evacuation orders also extended to areas of Santa Monica and Calabasas.
A shelter for people and pets has been established at the Westwood Recreation Center, 1350 S. Sepulveda Boulevard.
Dozens of Los Angeles County schools will be closed Wednesday due to fires. A comprehensive list of closures can be found here.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The Pacific Palisades is about 10 miles from Malibu, where the Franklin Fire broke out under similar windy conditions in December, burning more than 4,000 acres and destroying several homes.
Palisades Fire Resources: LAFD Alerts | CALFIRE Incident Page | LAFD on X
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