Frightened residents abandoned their cars on one of the only roads in and out of the upscale Pacific Palisades area, fleeing on foot from the 3,000-acre (1,200-hectare) blaze engulfing an area packed with multimillion-dollar homes in the Santa Monica Mountains.
More than 1,400 firefighters were on the ground, with hundreds more on the way, California Governor Gavin Newsom said.
Hundreds of firefighters swarmed the area, attacking the blaze from the ground and the air, while crews worked through steep terrain to cut back vegetation and create firebreaks.
Around 30,000 people were ordered to evacuate the fast-spreading flames, which leveled multiple homes as powerful winds spread embers far and wide.
Trees and vegetation around the prestigious Getty Villa Museum were burned, but the structure and collections were spared, the museum said in a post on X.
Actor James Woods posted a video on X showing flames engulfing trees and bushes near his home as he got ready to evacuate, and shortly afterward said all the fire alarms were going off.
Across town, on the northern edge of Los Angeles, another fire broke out in Eaton Canyon, near Pasadena, quickly consuming 200 acres (81 hectares) Tuesday night, according to Angeles National Forest officials.
US President Joe Biden -- who was in Los Angeles for a planned announcement on new national monuments -- said he was “being frequently briefed on the wildfires” and has offered “any federal assistance that is needed.”
‘Everyone panicked’
One man, who gave his name as Gary, told broadcaster KTLA that hot ashes were raining down on his community of Sea Ridge.
“Everyone panicked, that’s when everybody made a run and went to go and pack their houses up.”
“By the time we got to the bottom of the hill, which is about two or three miles, there were flames on both sides of the road, and it became gridlocked,“ she said.
“I could see people walking with suitcases, with their dogs, children. An elderly woman was really visibly upset and in tears.”
“We pulled off the mask and ran to the car,“ he said.
The fire came as the area was being hit by seasonal Santa Ana winds that forecasters said could develop into the worst windstorm in a decade, with gusts of up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) an hour expected.
“And what’s going on now is only just the beginning, because weather conditions are going to get a lot worse.”
Wildfires are an expected part of life in the US West and play a vital role in nature.
Southern California had two decades of drought that were followed by two exceptionally wet years, which sparked furious vegetative growth -- leaving the region packed with fuel and primed to burn.
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