Los Angeles fires: 2nd blaze spurs evacuations

A fast-moving brush fire that erupted Tuesday in Los Angeles threatened homes and sent thousands of residents fleeing, prompting city and state officials to declare a state of emergency.

Meanwhile, a second rapidly spreading blaze broke out several hours later, spurring more evacuations, as dangerous winds continued to sweep Southern California late into the evening.

The Pacific Palisades fire, which had grown to nearly 3,000 acres by 6:30 p.m. local time, was first reported before 11 a.m. and quickly prompted thousands of evacuations across the region and into Malibu.

From the mountains to the coast, huge swaths of smoke and flames rose from the area as fire crews battled the wind-driven blaze. By Tuesday evening, the brush fire had jumped the Pacific Coast Highway, nearly reaching Will Rogers Beach State Park.

"This is a highly dangerous windstorm that's creating extreme fire risk – and we're not out of the woods," California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. "We're already seeing the destructive impacts with this fire in Pacific Palisades that grew rapidly in a matter of minutes."

Later Tuesday evening, a second brush fire in Altadena -- to the northeast of Pacific Palisades -- ignited. Fueled by the whipping winds, the Eaton fire rapidly grew from 10 acres to 400 acres in less than two hours. Several areas are under mandatory evacuation orders.

President Joe Biden, who is in Los Angeles, received two briefings regarding the rapidly spreading fires.

The president "encourages residents in the affected areas to remain vigilant and heed the warnings of local officials—especially if ordered to evacuate," the White House said in statement.

Overall, evacuation orders were in place for approximately 30,000 residents and more than 10,000 homes were threatened by the Palisades fire, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Later Tuesday evening, the city of Santa Monica also issued a mandatory evacuation for a strip of the city north of San Vicente Boulevard, saying there was an "immediate threat to life."

No injuries had been reported as of late Tuesday.

Scenes of destruction

KABC reported that both a high school, Pacific Palisades Charter High School, and a playhouse nearby, the Theatre Palisades, had caught fire.

Flames also crept dangerously close to the Getty Villa, a hilltop museum in Malibu with a renowned collection of art from Ancient Greece and Rome. However, administrators assured the public that the museum's collection was safe.

"Fortunately, Getty had made extensive efforts to clear brush from the surrounding area as part of its fire mitigation efforts throughout the year," Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust said in a statement. "Some trees and vegetation on site have burned, but staff and the collection remain safe."

The museum said its galleries and library archives were sealed off from smoke by its state-of-the-art air-handling system and the doubled-walled construction of its galleries.

Winds expected to worsen

Wind conditions were expected to worsen into the evening and through the night, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone.

"We are not out of danger," Marrone told reporters during an afternoon briefing. "The National Weather Service has predicted that the winds are going to pick up and get worse."

The strongest winds were expected between 10 p.m. Tuesday into 5 a.m. Wednesday, he said. Residents in the area were told to have an evacuation plan in order.

The dangerous winds are forecast to continue through 6 p.m. Wednesday, spanning Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Diego, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, with some wind gusts reaching up to 100 mph, according to the governor's office.

Earlier, fire officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for thousands of residents in the area from Merrimac Road west to Topanga Canyon Boulevard and south to Pacific Coast Highway. Those not under evacuation orders are being asked to shelter in place.

As the fire began spreading Tuesday afternoon, traffic gridlock initially clogged major streets in the Pacific Palisades area, including Palisades Drive and Sunset Boulevard. The LAFD said about 30 vehicles left abandoned on Sunset and Palisades would have to be moved by the county to provide clear access.

Sections of the 10 Freeway and Pacific Coast Highway were closed to all non-essential traffic on Tuesday afternoon.

More than 17,000 customers were without power across Los Angeles County, according to PowerOutage.US.

A separate brush fire threatened the West Hollywood area Tuesday morning, with crews working to contain the blaze on Sunset Boulevard between San Vicente and Crescent Heights.

The cause of both fires was under investigation, according to Cal Fire.

A "life-threatening" and "destructive" windstorm is also expected from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning across much of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, according to the National Weather Service. Areas that are not typically windy will also be impacted, the agency said.

Much of Southern California remains under red flag alerts for fire danger from Tuesday through Thursday as strong Santa Ana winds, low humidity and critically dry fuels jeopardize the region.

In addition, drought conditions have returned to much of Southern California, according to an update from the U.S. Drought Monitor that was released last week.

Moderate drought now is currently in place from Los Angeles to San Diego, leaving very dry vegetation that can potentially fuel a spark and create a wildfire.