(Bloomberg) -- Uncontrolled wildfires tore through parts of the Los Angeles region, fanned by extreme winds, forcing thousands of residents to flee and grounding firefighting aircraft.
The largest blaze — known as the Palisades Fire — roared across almost 3,000 acres just west of Santa Monica early Wednesday, while separate blazes exploded in size overnight. A fire in Eaton Canyon, near Altadena, has expanded to about 1,000 acres, while another grows northwest of LA. All are uncontained.
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Mandatory evacuation orders have been expanded to parts of northern Santa Monica, with alerts covering a large swath of the coastal city warning that residents may need to leave. Widespread and damaging gusts are expected to worsen, hampering efforts to contain the flames.
The National Weather Service has in place a high wind warning through 6 p.m. Pacific time. Local media early Wednesday reported winds of as much as 99 miles (159 kilometers) per hour in some areas.
The NWS issued red flag warnings that extend from central California’s coast to the US-Mexico border. Beverly Hills, Hollywood Hills, Malibu and the densely-populated San Fernando Valley are facing a “particularly dangerous situation” — the most severe fire alert level.
About 30,000 people were ordered to leave their homes on Tuesday after a brush fire erupted in the Pacific Palisades community, damaging homes and causing panic and traffic gridlock, with some abandoning their cars on narrow hillside roads.
The blazes come less than a month after a wildfire threatened Malibu, just west of Pacific Palisades. Malibu officials on Wednesday warned that residents should prepare to evacuate if conditions worsen.
Local television broadcast scenes of flames engulfing parts of the Palisades Charter High School, and multiple explosions were heard on camera near the campus. Across the street, parts of Palisades Elementary Charter School were also reported to have gone up in flames, according to KTLA.
A CBS News reporter tweeted images of Malibu’s iconic “sand castle” homes being destroyed by flames.
All schools in the Santa Monica and Malibu public school district, and Pasadena unified school district will be closed on Wednesday.
The strongest wind gusts are expected to scour the San Fernando Valley and the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Isolated gusts could be as strong as 100 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
The Palisades Fire erupted as Southern California braced for what forecasters called a “life-threatening and destructive” Santa Ana wind storm that could last for days. The region has received almost no rain for months, leaving grass and brush primed to burn, and San Diego Gas & Electric Co. started safety power cuts to customers on Tuesday evening, citing elevated risks.
Edison International’s Southern California utility — the largest in the region — shut off electricity to about 53,000 homes and businesses in an effort to prevent wildfires. The company said it may need to cut power to an additional 439,000 customers if Santa Ana winds become exceptionally strong.
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Around 200,000 customers are without power in Los Angeles county, according to PowerOutage.us.
In a statement issued Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden said he was being frequently briefed on the wildfires and urged residents to stay vigilant and listen to local officials. The US Federal Emergency Management Agency has also authorized the use of funds to assist in combating the blazes.
--With assistance from Michelle Ma, Sarah McGregor, Janine Phakdeetham, Yasufumi Saito, Lauren Rosenthal, Skylar Woodhouse, Derek Wallbank and Michael Ovaska.
(Updates with expansion of fires in second paragraph.)
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