Thousands Evacuate in L.A. as Wildfires and Extreme Wind Hit Southern California

Firefighters are currently battling at least two wildfires in Los Angeles during the first of what’s expected to be two or three days of Santa Ana winds that can reach up to 100 miles per hour. The fires, known as the Palisades Fire and the Sunset Fire, are threatening homes in the northern parts of the L.A. metro area, but all of Southern California is on high alert as forecasters warn the dry conditions combined with extremely high winds are potentially “historic.”

The Palisades Fire is currently listed at over 1,260 acres with no containment and has prompted mandatory evacuation orders in parts of the northern L.A. neighborhood of Pacific Palisades down to the Pacific Coast Highway. The California Department of Transportation has shut down southbound lanes of Pacific Coast Highway in the area, according to the New York Times.

The Los Angeles Fire Department gave an update at 3:30 p.m. local time that was livestreamed by KCAL on YouTube. Officials report there are 250 firefighters are on scene, including 46 engines, three trucks, five helicopters, four brush patrols, two water tenders, six paramedic ambulances, one fast response vehicle, and a number of officers and fire investigators.

As the officials at the press conference noted, the worst of the winds are expected between 10 p.m. local time Tuesday and 5 a.m. Wednesday. Genasys has the latest map of the current evacuation orders, which includes all of Pacific Palisades at the time of this writing, but those could expand quickly.

Drivers have abandoned cars on the road, with the L.A. Fire Department bringing in a bulldozer to clear the vehicles. People in the area speaking to KTLA have reported internet outages and some are concerned because they’re stuck without any viable way of escaping their homes.

One reporter with KTLA covering the Palisades Fire could even be seen on the news outlet’s YouTube stream fleeing the flames as they got dangerously close.

The Sunset Fire is listed at just 1.5 acres but is also not contained yet. The power company in the area, Southern California Edison, has cut power to about 8,000 homes and warned that power could be cut off for thousands more during this high wind event in order to protect against electrical infrastructure sparking more fires.

Wind gusts have reached 70 miles per hour in Southern California at the time of this writing, but the worst of the wind is expected overnight Tuesday into Wednesday. Forecasters issued a “particularly dangerous situation” warning, which the New York Times notes is often something only seen every few years. But this is the third warning for this season alone.

#PalisadesFire more homes being lost, terrible pic.twitter.com/Qyw3N9Bj9a

— firevalleyphoto (@firevalleyphoto) January 7, 2025

#PalisadesFire pic.twitter.com/2z1SInQIXa

— firevalleyphoto (@firevalleyphoto) January 7, 2025

Photos and videos shared on social media are alarming and show the scenes, which KTLA has sometimes described as a “war zone.”

These are Paradise California conditions in the Palisades. We were in a neighborhood as it went up in flames. Mass panic in the streets, and the worst of the wind will hit the Palisades Fire tonight pic.twitter.com/NY4joNow4I

— Jonathan Vigliotti 🐋 (@JonVigliotti) January 7, 2025

If you’re in the area we highly recommend downloading an app called Watch Duty, which allows users to monitor wildfires in their area and turn on alerts to learn about the latest developments. The app includes user-submitted photos, but also draws together vital breaking news information from official sources, including evacuation orders. If you’re in Southern California, you really should have it on your phone.