As search efforts continue in the wildfire that has burnt 23,000 acres and claimed at least eight lives, firefighters are still battling to contain the Palisades Fire despite difficult weather conditions and another uncommon red flag warning that went into place on Wednesday.
It began on January 7 in the midst of a strong windstorm that forecasters said would be the worst to hit Southern California in almost a decade. In the coastal Los Angeles County neighborhood, the fire began at 10:30 a.m. at the 1100 block of North Piedra Morada Drive and swiftly expanded as the flames were blown ahead by strong gusts of up to 40 mph.
Within an hour, the blaze had spread to 200 acres, forcing residents to leave the area. Drivers disembarked from their automobiles to flee the area, leaving at least 30 cars abandoned on Sunset Boulevard, close to its intersection with the Pacific Coast Highway. According to some, firefighters instructed people to exit their vehicles so they could escape while the PCH was being shut down.
“The fire department came up and said get out of your cars now because the fire was right up against the cars,” said Marsha Horowitz, who was driving along Sunset at the time. “The fire came right down to the road.”
In Malibu and the Pacific Palisades, homes, shops, schools, and beloved monuments have all been completely destroyed by fire. As the wildfire began to threaten areas beyond the coastline and the nearby Santa Monica Mountains, a flare-up over the weekend caused it to advance toward Mandeville Canyon, forcing evacuations in Brentwood and Encino.
Watch:SkyCal provides a bird’s-eye view of fire-affected neighborhoods in Pacific Palisades
As deputies continue their search with K-9 teams, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed eight deaths on Tuesday in relation to the Palisades Fire, a number that has increased over the past week. Authorities claimed at a news conference on Wednesday morning that a grid search had begun the previous day across the region.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna stated last week that since deputies were still using K-9 units to hunt, the number of fatalities may increase.
Firefighting activities continued Wednesday despite a somewhat uncommon “Particularly Dangerous Situation” Red Flagwarning, even though mandatory evacuations are still in place. Even though winds have decreased this week compared to when the blaze began, low humidity is a serious worry because it increases the risk of wildfires and may make controlling them more difficult.
The Malibu coast and Pacific Palisades are still under a wind advisory warning from the National Weather Service for Wednesday, which calls for winds of up to 25 to 35 mph with gusts of 45 to 55 mph.
Some local politicians came under fire since the Palisades’ fire hydrants were empty when the blaze broke out, and it was later discovered that the neighboring 117-million-gallon Santa Ynez Reservoir was vacant and undergoing renovations at the time. An examination into the scarcity of water and the drop in water pressure has been demanded by Governor Gavin Newsom. The Los Angeles City Council decided on Tuesday to request an independent study on the response to the wildfire and an analysis of the city’s water infrastructure.
The fight against the Eaton Fire, which started hours after the Palisades Fire on January 7, is still ongoing after it turned into one of the worst wildfires in California history. Officials from the coroner confirmed on Tuesday that 17 people had died in the fire, the majority of them were in the severely damaged neighborhood of Altadena, which is located just north of Pasadena.
Where does the wildfire stand now?
Around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, provided an update on the Palisades Fire, estimating it to be 23,713 acres and 19% contained. Since the previous day, its acreage has not increased in size. Its containment, meanwhile, had increased little from 18% the previous evening.
“Today, the Santa Ana winds are expected to diminish but humidity will remain at low levels, therefore, theRED FLAG WARNINGwill remain in effect till 6:00PM this evening,” according to Cal Fire’s Wednesday morning bulletin. “Firefighters continue to aggressively engage in fire suppression.”
An estimated 5,000 structures, including houses, whole buildings, and smaller structures like garages and sheds, have been damaged or destroyed, according to Cal Fire’s overhead footage. According to the state fire agency, as of Wednesday morning, 2,191 buildings had been totally destroyed and 397 more had been damaged.
However, according to fire officials, damage assessments are still being conducted, so those numbers are not anticipated to be the final ones.
According to fire officials, firefighters are still constructing and fortifying containment lines around the fire’s perimeter. Although there are still strong gusts and low humidity, the winds have slightly subsided, which should aid in the fight against the fire.
Evacuations and emergency shelters
According to fire officials, there is a curfew in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. every evening in all locations that are subject to both mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders. On Tuesday, FEMA launched a Disaster Resource Center on the UCLA campus where survivors and evacuees can access emergency and recovery resources.
Here are the most recent details on evacuation orders and available options for impacted individuals.
A map of the current obligatory evacuation orders and alerts is shown below.
Pacoima, California 91331; Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, 10736 Laurel Canyon Boulevard
Pasadena Convention Center, Pasadena, California, 91101, 300 E Green Street
Los Angeles, CA 90025; Stoner Recreation Center, 1835 Stoner Ave.
Los Angeles, California 90025; Westwood Recreation Center, 1350 South Sepulveda Boulevard
601 W McKinley Ave, Pomona Fairplex (Gate 3) Pomona, CA 91768
14201 Huston Street, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423; Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Recreation Center
Little creatures:
Big Animals:
Road closures
Due to the fire, certain LA County routes are still restricted, and the Pacific Coast Highway is still closed.
A map of road closures around LA County can be found below.
School closures
The city of Malibu has announced that schools would be closed until Tuesday, January 21. The Los Angeles Unified School District declared a day earlier that certain schools would be moving, and municipal officials made that announcement Wednesday morning.
According to LAUSD, starting Wednesday, teachers, staff, students, and their families who were affected by the fire at Palisades Charter Elementary and Marquez Charter Elementary were moved to Brentwood Science Magnet Elementary and Nora Sterry Elementary.
“Schools will have a regular day, as teachers have worked around the clock to prepare classrooms,” according to a statement from the LAUSD.
Additionally, seven LAUSD schools that are currently closed will be temporarily moved. A list of the campuses is shown below.