Los Angeles wildfires latest: Crews struggle to contain blazes as thousands flee; 2 dead

LOS ANGELES – Several wildfires continued to burn across the Los Angeles area on Wednesday, destroying homes and businesses, closing schools, clogging roadways and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee.

More than 30,000 residents were under evacuation orders on Wednesday morning.

The Palisades Fire broke out on Tuesday morning and ripped through Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood, a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity residences and memorialized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit “Surfin’ USA.” 

In the frantic haste to get to safety, roadways became impassable when scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some with suitcases.

A second fire, dubbed the Eaton Fire, broke out Tuesday evening near Pasadena. FOX 11 Los Angeles’ crew was at the scene in Altadena as a group of nursing home residents were being evacuated from the area. In addition to family members and loved ones living in nursing homes, animals were also seen being escorted out of the dangerous fire. 

Two people died as a result of that fire, county officials confirmed Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, firefighters were battling a third blaze, called the “Hurst Fire,” that started around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. It quickly prompted evacuations in Sylmar, a San Fernando Valley community that is the northernmost neighborhood in Los Angeles. 

Two additional fires, the Tyler Fire in Riverside County, and the Woodley Fire around the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve in Encino, broke out Wednesday morning – adding to the dire situation for firefighters. 

Flames were being pushed by Santa Ana winds topping 60 mph in some places. The winds were expected to increase overnight, producing isolated gusts that could top 100 mph in the mountains and foothills — including in areas that haven’t seen substantial rain in months.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency, warning that the worst of the winds were expected between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 5 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

The situation prompted the Los Angeles Fire Department to take the rare step of putting out a plea for off-duty firefighters to help. It was too windy for firefighting aircraft to fly, further hampering the fight.

The causes of all three fires were under investigation.

Palisades Fire

The Palisades Fire broke out around 10:30 a.m. local time and had burned nearly 3,000 acres with 0% containment as of Wednesday morning. 

Several evacuation orders and warnings were put in place, including Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica, according to FOX 11.  

Over 100 cars were abandoned on the road as people fled on foot, the news station reported. The traffic jam that occurred on Palisades Drive prevented emergency vehicles from getting through. A bulldozer was brought in to push the abandoned cars to the side and create a path. 

Eaton Fire

As firefighters battled the massive fire in the Pacific Palisades, the Eaton Fire erupted shortly after 6:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday near the Altadena-Pasadena area. 

It quickly exploded to 10,600 acres with 0% containment as of 10:45 a.m. PT on Wednesday, according to the Angeles National Forest X account. The fast-moving fire prompted evacuations, FOX 11 reported, and more than 100 structures have burned so far.

“We have two reported fatalities to civilians, unknown cause at this time, and we do have a number of significant injuries,” Anthony Marrone, chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, announced Wednesday morning.

Hurst Fire in Sylmar

The Hurst Fire in Sylmar – the third to break out on Tuesday in the area – was first reported a little before 10:15 p.m. local time, according to FOX 11. 

The fire quickly stretched to about 500 acres with 0% containment, according to Cal Fire, and officials with the Los Angeles Fire Department warned it was rapidly spreading.

Tyler Fire

A fourth fire, dubbed the Tyler Fire, began around 3:25 a.m. local time in Riverside County, officials said.

It had burned about 15 acres and is about 50% contained, according to Cal Fire updates. 

Officials in the area said affected residents were being evacuated, and two structures were destroyed. 

Woodley Fire

A fifth wildfire in Southern California, called the Woodley Fire, broke out in Los Angeles County around 6:15 a.m. local time Wednesday in the Encino area, according to Cal Fire. It had burned about 75 acres around the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve and was 0% contained. 

The Woodley Fire is located between the massive Palisades Fire to the south, and the Hurst Fire to the north, officials say. 

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