Map: Track where the California fires are burning

Three large fires, fueled by strong winds, scorched parts of the Los Angeles area, forcing thousands to leave their homes as officials issued evacuation orders for large residential areas.

Tens of thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate, including some celebrities in the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood. Evacuation orders surrounding the Palisades fire have since expanded to include areas along the Pacific Coast Highway and parts of the city of Santa Monica.

How the Palisades Fire Spread

California

The Pacific Ocean

Palisades Fire

Charter of the Palisades
High school

7 January at 14.11 PT

Source: Cal Fire

Note: Shapes show the reported extent of the fire, given in local Pacific Time

New York Times

Other smaller but significant fires also burned in the region overnight.

An eruption near Pasadena in Eaton Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains. It has grown to an estimated 1,000 acres by Wednesday morning, Angeles National Forest said.

Another, the Hurst fire, burned in Sylmar, a community in the San Fernando Valley northwest of Los Angeles.

As the Palisades fire continues to grow, smoke has spread south through Los Angeles, pushed by strong Santa Ana winds. Here’s where it’s expected to move in the coming hours:

Already ahead of devastating losses, officials warned the worst was yet to come, with increasingly ferocious winds expected to fuel the out-of-control flames until Wednesday. The cause of the fires is still under investigation, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.