Life-threatening windstorm triggers wildfire in Southern California
This is a developing story. For the latest local updates, head to LAist.com.
Gusty winds are creating extreme fire danger for much of Southern California today, where several small blazes have already sent firefighters scrambling.
The National Weather Service warned of strong winds and possible fire risks for Tuesday through Wednesday throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
An evacuation order was issued at 3:07 p.m. local time for those in the area of the Palisades to leave immediately.
Palisades fire
As of Tuesday afternoon, firefighters are working to contain a brush fire that is rapidly exploding in size, driven by 60 mph winds in residential areas of the Pacific Palisades in the Santa Monica Mountains. These gusty winds — which haven’t even reached the maximum predicted 80-100 mph yet — make firefighting difficult, picking up embers and dropping them up to 3/4 of a mile beyond the fire line.
There are already reports of structures burning. LA fire officials have been warning residents for days of this significant wind event, which is similar to weather last month that burned homes and businesses in Malibu, and the month before that in the town of Camarillo.
Southern California hasn’t seen significant rainfall since last April, and a pileup of dry fuel in combination with the winds has the region on edge and bracing for the worst. As LAist’s Jacob Margolis reports, wildfires in the region have gotten increasingly destructive and deadly.
How to prepare
➡️ Trying to stay safe in a wildfire? There’s an app that can help
➡️ Evacuation terms can be confusing. Here’s what they mean and how to sign up for alerts
➡️ How to keep yourself safe from wildfire smoke
➡️ This is why fire officials don’t want you to stay and defend your home
Weather outlook
The National Weather Service is reporting extreme risk for areas including San Fernando Valley, Pasadena, Burbank and the highway 118/210 corridors.
LAist spoke to Alex Hall, professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at UCLA, who explained the Santa Ana winds, a local phenomenon, are “very strong, hot winds that … can kick up really big fires, and that creates kind of an apocalyptic atmosphere here in Los Angeles.”
President Biden was originally expected to visit the area Tuesday but canceled his visit due to weather concerns.
The California Newsroom is following the latest from across the region. Click through to LAist’s coverage for the latest.
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