More than 100,000 residents have been forced to evacuate Los Angeles County as wildfires continue to tear through the region Thursday. The Palisades Fire, which was first reported at 10:30 AM PST on Tuesday, was fanned by wind gusts of up to 60 MPH into Tuesday night. It is now one of five active fires in the area..
As of Thursday morning, the fire had multiplied in size, spread to at least 17,234 acres and was 0% contained, with an expectation that its going to spread due to the strong Santa Ana wind gusts and low humidity fueling the fires.
The second-largest fire, the Eaton fire, was reported by CalFire on Tuesday evening, and had spread to 10,600 acres by Thursday morning. Firefighters are also currently battling the Sunset Fire, Hurst Fire, and Lidia Fire.
The fire has burned through homes and businesses in the Pacific Palisades, including the Will Rogers’ historic ranch house. The Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire have destroyed more than 2,000 structures as of Thursday morning, according to the Associated Press. In Los Angeles County, just over 215,000 customers were without power, according to Poweroutage.us.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who declared a state of emergency Tuesday night, said early Wednesday morning that the state had deployed over 1,400 firefighters to the region to fight these “unprecedented fires.” As of early Wednesday morning, no fatalities had been reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
See photos of the massive fires below:
Water is dropped on the advancing Palisades Fire by helicopter in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 7.Ethan Swope—APPeople watch the smoke and flames from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan. 7.Tiffany Rose—Getty ImagesThe Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 7.Ethan Swope—APThe Palisades Fire burns a Christmas tree inside a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan. 7. Ethan Swope—APA resident of a senior center is evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches Altadena, Calif. on Jan. 7.Ethan Swope—APFirefighters work to put out the wildfire in a residential area during the Pacific Palisades fire in Los Angeles on Jan. 7.Philip Cheung—The New York Times/ReduxA firefighter jumps over a fence while fighting the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, on Jan. 7.Ethan Swope—APFirefighters battle fire from the surf as beachfront homes go up in flames along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on Jan. 7.David Crane—MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News/Getty ImagesEmbers whip across the ground as homes burn during the fire in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 7.Josh Edelson—AFP/Getty ImagesA firefighter watches the flames from the Palisades Fire burning homes on the Pacific Coast Highway on Jan. 8.Apu Gomes—Getty ImagesA palm tree burns during the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 7.Kyle Grillot—Bloomberg/Getty ImagesSamuel Girma runs to get another hose as he tries to prevent a home from catching fire on LaPaz Rd. as the Eaton Fire continues to grow in Altadena, Calif. on Jan. 8.Robert Gauthier—Los Angeles Times/Getty ImagesWill Adams watches as flames from the Palisades Fire close in on his property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 7.Ethan Swope—APFire engulfs a home as the Eaton Fire moves through the area in Altadena, Calif. on Jan. 8.Justin Sullivan—Getty ImagesPhotographers watch as the Palisades fire burns at the end of Orlon Ave. in the Pacific Palisades, on Jan. 7.Brian van der Brug—Los Angeles Times/Getty ImagesA firefighter battles the Palisades Fire as it burns a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 7.Ethan Swope—APA neighbor braves the heat of a smoldering house as he tries to prevent it's spread next door on LaPaz Rd. as the Eaton Fire continues to grow, on Jan. 8.Robert Gauthier—Los Angeles Times/Getty ImagesFirefighters work during the Palisades fire on Jan. 7.David Butow—ReduxResidents embrace in front of a fire-ravaged property after the Palisades Fire swept through in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, on Jan. 8.Etienne Laurent—APFire crews begin to clear a toppled tree in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 8.Etienne Laurent—APA resident stands in front of a garage as fire crews fight the Palisades Fire nearby in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 7.Ethan Swope—APThe Palisades fire burns in the distance at the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, Calif. on Jan. 7.Marcus Ubungen—Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
