Pacific Palisades fire now most destructive in Los Angeles history as out-of-control wildfires continue to burn

LOS ANGELES (NEXSTAR) — Five people are dead, many have been hurt, and more than 1,000 structures have been destroyed by multiple massive wildfires tearing across the Los Angeles area, authorities said Wednesday.

Three major fires — the Eaton Fire, the Palisades Fire, and the Hurst Fire — continue to burn from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, home of the famed Rose Parade. Combined, the fires have consumed about 22 square miles — about half the size of the entire city of San Francisco.

Thousands of firefighters have been attacking the flames, with the Los Angeles Fire Department calling for off-duty firefighters to help. Firefighters from Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, as well as Northern California, have also been called in to assist local teams battling the fires.

The water-dropping aircraft, previously grounded by high winds, have returned to the skies as of midday Wednesday. The U.S. Department of Defense sent 10 Navy helicopters with water buckets as well, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed.

"None of us know where the next one is going to be," Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said during a Wednesday morning press conference while encouraging residents to be vigilant as the fires spread rapidly.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone confirmed that at least two civilians died in the Eaton Fire. He did not provide their causes of death. Authorities said two people have also been arrested for allegedly trying to loot abandoned homes in the area.

Here's what we know.

Thousands ordered to evacuate, millions without power

At least 70,000 residents were ordered to evacuate as the fires marched toward highly populated and affluent neighborhoods home to California’s rich and famous. Hollywood stars, including Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore and James Woods, were among those forced to flee.

The home of Vice President Kamala Harris in Los Angeles was included in one of the evacuation zones, although no one was there, according to a spokesperson.

Images of the devastation that emerged overnight showed luxurious homes that had collapsed in a whirlwind of flaming embers. The tops of palm trees whipped against a glowing red sky.

Photos: Massive wildfires devastate Los Angeles area

As of late Wednesday morning, more than 2 million were without power in and around Southern California. Los Angeles County had the largest share of power outages by far, with 1.2 million customers impacted, KTLA reported, citing the California Office of Emergency Services.

Some of those impacted were part of a Public Safety Power Shutoff, or PSPS, in which utilities cut power as a preventative measure when fire risk is high out of fear that downed power lines could spark new blazes.

Eaton Fire explodes to over 10,600 acres

Nexstar’s KTLA reported over 100 structures have burned in the Eaton Fire as flames destroyed homes, medical centers, daycares, gyms and more throughout Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. KTLA crews captured homes going up in flames as the fire reached Pasadena late Wednesday morning.

The Eaton Fire is continuing to spread rapidly and has scorched 10,600 acres, according to CalFire. No containment has been reached and a cause has not been identified.

Flames that broke out Tuesday evening near a nature preserve in the foothills northeast of LA spread so rapidly that staff at a senior living center had to push dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street to a parking lot. Residents — one as old as 102 — waited in their bedclothes as embers fell around them until ambulances, buses and construction vans arrived to take them to safety.

Pacific Palisades fire becomes most destructive in city's history

Another blaze that started hours earlier ripped through the city’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood, a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity homes. The Palisades Fire has burned more than 15,800 acres as of Wednesday afternoon and remains 0% contained.

During a Wednesday morning press conference, Marrone said an estimated 1,000 structures had been lost in the Palisades Fire. He also confirmed a “high number of people who didn’t evacuate” suffered serious injuries.

With flames still growing, the Palisades Fire is now considered more destructive than the 2008 Sayre Fire, according to statistics kept by the Wildfire Alliance, a partnership between the city’s fire department and MySafe:LA. That blaze destroyed 604 structures — including homes and other buildings — in Sylmar, the northernmost suburb of the city.

The Palisades Fire is also expected to be among the most expensive ever, if not the most expensive. Citing estimates from AccuWeather, KTLA reports the fire could cause between $52 billion and $57 billion, driven in part by Pacific Palisades being home to some of the most expensive real estate in the country.

For reference, the catastrophic Camp Fire in 2018 racked up a record $16.5 billion in damage.

The fire burned down Temescal Canyon, a popular hiking area surrounded by dense neighborhoods of multimillion-dollar homes. Flames jumped the famous Sunset Boulevard and burned parts of the Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in many Hollywood productions, including the 1976 horror movie “Carrie,” the 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday” and the TV series “Teen Wolf.”

In the race to get to safety on Tuesday, roadways became impassable when scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some toting suitcases.

A traffic jam on Palisades Drive prevented emergency vehicles from getting through, and a bulldozer was brought in to push the abandoned cars to the side and create a path.

Several people in Malibu were treated for burns, and a firefighter had a serious head injury, according to Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott.

Separate smaller fires also burning

The Hurst Fire was the third to start Tuesday evening, quickly prompting evacuations in Sylmar, a San Fernando Valley community that's the northernmost neighborhood in Los Angeles.

A fourth fire, the Tyler Fire, was reported early Wednesday in Coachella, in Riverside County. The causes were under investigation and, at last update, it was 50% contained.

Another fire, the Woodley Fire, also broke out on Wednesday. Located in the Sepulveda Basin, it quickly grew to 75 acres, KTLA reported.

Santa Ana winds fueling flames

Flames were being pushed by Santa Ana winds topping 60 mph in some places Tuesday, and increasing to 80 mph by early Wednesday, according to reports received by the National Weather Service. They could top 100 mph in mountains and foothills.

“This will likely be the most destructive windstorm seen (since a) 2011 windstorm that did extensive damage to Pasadena and nearby foothills of the San Gabriel Valley,” the weather service said in a red-flag warning early Wednesday.

California’s wildfire season typically begins in June or July and runs through October, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association, but January wildfires are not unprecedented. There was one in 2022 and 10 in 2021, according to CalFire.

The season is beginning earlier and ending later due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall tied to climate change, according to recent data. Rains that usually end fire season are often delayed, meaning fires can burn through the winter months, the association said.

Recent dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, where there’s been very little rain so far this season. Southern California hasn’t seen more than 0.1 inches of rain since early May.

Newsom posted on X early Wednesday that California had deployed more than 1,400 firefighting personnel to combat the blazes. “Emergency officials, firefighters and first responders are all hands on deck through the night to do everything possible to protect lives,” Newsom said.

President Joe Biden canceled plans to travel to inland Riverside County, where he was to announce the establishment of two new national monuments. He remained in Los Angeles, where smoke was visible from his hotel, and was briefed on the wildfires.

Biden and Newsom were briefed on the situation by officials late Wednesday morning.

Longtime Palisades resident Will Adams said embers flew into his wife’s car as she tried to evacuate, so she jumped out and ran toward the ocean to get out of danger.

“It is crazy, it’s everywhere, in all the nooks and crannies of the Palisades. One home’s safe, the other one’s up in flames,” he said.

The Associated Press and Nexstar's Alix Martichoux contributed to this report.