In just a few hours, flames scorched over 1,000 hectares in Los Angeles. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Tuesday as wildfires, driven by strong winds, spread uncontrollably, reaching one of the city’s affluent neighborhoods, Pacific Palisades, according to M1.
Reports from disaster management and local authorities indicate that many residential buildings have burned down in the Pacific Palisades area, located just a few kilometers from Hollywood, and several people have been injured.
Along the coastal stretch between Santa Monica and Malibu, the fire has ravaged nearly 3,000 hectares, prompting the evacuation of over 30,000 people. Television footage shows firefighters using water from the ocean and aerial operations to combat the flames, which have already consumed multiple buildings. Bulldozers were clearing abandoned vehicles from the roads to make way for emergency and fire services.
Meanwhile, inland near Pasadena, vegetation also caught fire, burning 400 hectares within hours in an area roughly 50 kilometers from Pacific Palisades.
According to CBS News, nearly 100 residents of a senior care facility were evacuated, many in wheelchairs or on stretchers, waiting in the smoky parking lot for firefighters and paramedics to arrive.
The California Fire Department has since reported a third fire outbreak, forcing additional evacuations in Sylmar, a community in the San Fernando Valley northwest of Los Angeles
