Thousands ordered to evacuate from Palisades Fire in Los Angeles: The Picture Show: NPR

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A woman cries as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.

A woman cries as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.

Etienne Laurent/AP


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Etienne Laurent/AP

More than 30,000 people in Los Angeles County have been ordered to evacuate as the Palisades Fire, one of several wildfires that broke out Tuesday morning, blazed through the Pacific Palisades community.

Fueled by intense Santa Ana winds, the fire has spread to more than 1,200 acres and threatened 13,000 structures; California Governor Gavin Newsom said during an afternoon news conference that he has already seen many of them destroyed. The fire remains uncontained.

Hundreds of firefighters have been battling the blaze on foot on the hillsides of the Santa Monica Mountains where the fire originally broke out, as well as by plane, dropping water and flame retardants. In the Pacific Palisades community, thousands of people have struggled to escape the flames. According to LAistvideo footage showed drivers on the Pacific Coast Highway fleeing their cars into the ocean, on orders from officers.

Conditions change rapidly as evacuation zones move with the fire. Officials warn that Santa Ana winds will only worsen Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, reaching 100 mph or more. The National Weather Service warned of an “extremely hazardous situation.”

“Very strong wind gusts and low relative humidity will allow any fire that develops to spread VERY quickly,” the agency added. On Wednesday, it is expected to affect Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

You can find the latest information on the scope and damage of the fire from member station LAist.

Smoke from a wildfire is seen from the Venice Beach section of Los Angeles.

Smoke from a wildfire is seen from the Venice Beach section of Los Angeles.

Jae C. Hong/AP


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Jae C. Hong/AP

Firefighters act in front of the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Firefighters act in front of the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Etienne Laurent/AP


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Etienne Laurent/AP

Jerome Krausse pushes his mother-in-law in a shopping cart as they evacuate from their home in Pacific Palisades after a wildfire swept through their neighborhood in Santa Monica, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/ Richard Vogel)

Jerome Krausse pushes his mother-in-law in a shopping cart as they evacuate their home in Pacific Palisades after a wildfire swept through their neighborhood in Santa Monica, California.

Richard Vogel/AP


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Richard Vogel/AP

A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire around a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire around a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Etienne Laurent/AP


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Etienne Laurent/AP

More than 200 acres burned in Pacific Palisades

More than 200 acres (80 hectares) burned in Pacific Palisades, an upscale area of ​​multimillion-dollar homes in the Santa Monica Mountains, closing a key highway and covering the area with thick smoke.

David Swanson/AFP/Getty Images


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David Swanson/AFP/Getty Images

A person flees an advancing wildfire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

A person flees an advancing wildfire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Ethan Swope/AP


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Ethan Swope/AP

Bicyclists hike along the shoreline as a large dark plume of smoke passes over the beach from the Pacific Palisades wildfire, from Santa Monica, California.

Bicyclists hike along the shoreline as a large dark plume of smoke passes over the beach from the Pacific Palisades wildfire, from Santa Monica, California.

Richard Vogel/AP


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Richard Vogel/AP

People watch a brush fire burn in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Jan. 7, 2025. A fast-moving brush fire in a Los Angeles suburb burned buildings and prompted evacuations Tuesday. "life threatening" winds whipped the region. More than 200 acres (80 hectares) burned in Pacific Palisades, an upscale area of ​​multimillion-dollar homes in the Santa Monica Mountains, closing a key highway and covering the area with thick smoke. (Photo by David Swanson/AFP) (Photo by DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images)

People watch a brush fire burn in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Jan. 7, 2025. A fast-moving brush fire in a Los Angeles suburb burned buildings and prompted evacuations Tuesday as “life-threatening” winds lashed the region. (Photo by David Swanson/AFP) (Photo by DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images)

DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images/AFP


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DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

People flee the advancing Palisades Fire, by car and on foot, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

People flee the advancing Palisades Fire, by car and on foot, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Etienne Laurent/AP


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Etienne Laurent/AP

Firefighters work as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades, California on Jan. 7, 2025. A fast-moving brush fire in a Los Angeles suburb burned buildings and prompted evacuations Tuesday. "life threatening" winds whipped the region. More than 200 acres (80 hectares) burned in Pacific Palisades, an upscale area of ​​multimillion-dollar homes in the Santa Monica Mountains, closing a key highway and covering the area with thick smoke. (Photo by David Swanson/AFP) (Photo by DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Firefighters work as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades, California on Jan. 7, 2025. A fast-moving brush fire in a Los Angeles suburb burned buildings and prompted evacuations Tuesday in extreme conditions as winds whipped through the region. (Photo by David Swanson/AFP) (Photo by DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images)

DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images/AFP


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DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

A home burns as a firefighter battles the Palisades fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)

A home burns as firefighters battle the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Eugene Garcia/AP


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Eugene Garcia/AP

A firefighter lines up in front of the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

A firefighter lines up in front of the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Etienne Laurent/AP


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Etienne Laurent/AP

A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Etienne Laurent/AP


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Etienne Laurent/AP

Firefighters protect structures from the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Firefighters protect structures from the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Etienne Laurent/AP


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Etienne Laurent/AP

A brush fire is burning near homes in Pacific Palisades, California.

A brush fire is burning near homes in Pacific Palisades, California.

David Swanson/AFP/Getty Images


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David Swanson/AFP/Getty Images

Plumes of smoke are seen when a brush fire burns

Plumes of smoke are seen as a brush fire burns in the Pacific Palisades as seen from Santa Monica, California.

Agustin Paullier/AFP/Getty Images


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Agustin Paullier/AFP/Getty Images

A brush fire is burning near homes

A fast-moving brush fire in a Los Angeles suburb burned buildings and prompted evacuations Tuesday as “life-threatening” winds whipped the region.

David Swanson/AFP/Getty Images


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David Swanson/AFP/Getty Images