Due to “life-threatening and destructive” winds, several residents of Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood were forced to evacuate due to a rapidly spreading fire.
The Pacific Palisades Highlands subdivision was the scene of the fire, which started Tuesday morning local time. According to Margaret Stewart, a public relations officer with the Los Angeles Fire Department, it has expanded to over 300 acres.
Homes were in “immediate threat,” and some communities were told to evacuate, the department said in a news release.
Dry weather and strong winds have caused the fire to flare up, and they are expected to get stronger over night. The windiest areas are predicted to experience gusts of up to 100 mph.
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As of 1:15 p.m. local time, it was unclear if any houses had burned; Stewart stated she was not aware of that.
Communities in Rustic Canyon and Topanga Canyon, which are scattered across the canyons west of the Pacific Palisades, have been in danger due to fire.
Another LAFD public information officer, Erik Scott, released a video on X in which he addressed locals, saying, “Be ready for evacuation orders to come through.” The fire, Scott continued, was “rapidly spreading due to the significant winds.”
According to Stewart, more than 200 firemen were battling the fire, which was generally spreading westward. Additionally, firefighters were worried about spot flames and swirling fires in the canyons, which might shoot embers in any direction.
According to Stewart, “they can carry up to a mile,”
Southern California was ready for a rapidly spreading wildfire. The National Weather Service had forecasted “a life-threatening, destructive windstorm” from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning, and Los Angeles hasn’t seen much rain in months.
According to Oxnard-based weather service meteorologist Rich Thompson, since July 1, downtown Los Angeles has only seen 0.16 inches of precipitation.
According to Thompson, the weather service recorded wind gusts of between 50 and 80 mph on Tuesday and predicted that the threat will increase over night.
“It looks like the winds will increase a little in strength later today and tonight,” he stated. “The Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills area, Palos Verdes they get Santa Ana winds, but not usually this strong.”
The Santa Ana winds, which blow down mountain slopes to deliver hot, dry air to coastal regions, are frequently the cause of winter wildfires in California. The winds can quickly push any fires that start, especially in a dry area, and they usually reduce humidity levels.
Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, stated in a YouTube video that climate change has made such occurrences more likely.
“There is evidence that climate change is increasing the overlap between extremely dry vegetation conditions later in the season and the occurrence of these wind events, particularly going forward,” he said.
According to Thompson, the terrain will only get dryer over the day, which is a concerning indication for firefighters.
Thompson stated, “The wind will continue to crank tonight and tomorrow.” “Humidities are starting to drop down in the 20 to 30% range and continue to drop down into the teens and single digits tomorrow and into Thursday,” Thompson said. No respite will be provided.
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