Palisades fire: Evacuations, road closures, shelters, schools, forecast
A firefighting plane makes a drop on the Palisades fire in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday.
Firefighters were battling a fast-moving fire that broke out Tuesday morning along Piedra Morada Drive in Pacific Palisades and by evening had grown to more than 2,900 acres.
The blaze, which started around 10:30 a.m., damaged homes and forced thousands to evacuate. Some residents had to leave their cars on the side of the road in their attempt to leave. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.
Eaton fire: Evacuations, school closures, shelters
Residents of a senior center are evacuated as the Eaton fire burns near Altadena on Tuesday night.
The Eaton fire is burning near Altadena and Pasadena. Arcadia and Sierra Madre have also ordered evacuations in some of their northern neighborhoods.
These are the schools closed today due to fires
The following school district planned to be closed Wednesday due to fires, according to this tally by the Los Angeles County Office of Education:
- Alhambra Unified School District
- Arcadia Unified School District
- Azusa Unified School District
- Baldwin Park Unified School District
- Duarte Unified School District
- El Monte City School District
- Glendale unified School District
- La Canada Unified School District
- Los Vírgenes School District
- Monrovia Unified School District
- Mountain View School District
- Pasadena Unified School District
- Rosemead School District
- San Marino Unified School District
- Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District
- South Pasadena Unified School District
- Temple City Unified School District
- Valle Lindo School District
- Los Angeles Unified School District:
- -Topanga Elementary Charter
- -Woodland Hills Academy
- -Palisades Elementary
- -Brentwood Magnet
- -Marquez Charter Elementary
- -Diego Rivera Learning Complex
- -University High School
99 mph winds bring night of terror as fires devastate SoCal communities
A wind gust sends burning embers into the air, helping to fuel the Eaton fire early Wednesday morning in Altadena.
Extraordinarily powerful winds and gusts — of up to 99 mph — have been reported as three major wildfires burn homes and businesses in Los Angeles County on Wednesday morning.
The National Weather Service reported a gust of 99 mph near Altadena at 10:20 p.m. Tuesday; 98 mph near Woodland Hills at 9:37 p.m.; and 84 mph at Hollywood Burbank Airport at 8:30 p.m.
Freeways, roads closed due to fires
Numerous roads are closed in fire zones, and officials are urging people to stay away.
The 10 Freeway westbound is closed in Santa Monica as motorists approach the coast.
Pacific Coast Highway is closed through Pacific Palisades.
The 210 Freeway is westbound is closed at Roxford Street.
Interstate 5 connectors to the 210 closed.
Topanga Canyon Boulevard is closed at PCH to Mullholand.
3 massive fires bring night of terror to Southern California
A night of intense winds and destruction pounded Southern California overnight as fires chewed through neighborhoods.
Forecasts expected the worst of the winds to continue into this morning before leveling off.
Palisades fire
Burned more than 3,000 acres and numerous homes, businesses and landmarks in Pacific Palisades and westward along Pacific Coast Highway, toward Malibu.
Eaton fire
Burned more than 1,000 acres and many homes in Altadena and Pasadena. More than 52,000 residents have been ordered evacuated.
Hurst fire
Burned more than 500 acres in the area around Sylmar.
Palisades fire burns homes along PCH, damages Palisades Village shopping center
The Palisades fire has leveled homes and businesses along Pacific Coast Highway. The glow from the flames could be seen all the way to Hollywood.
L.A. developer Rick Caruso said several homes around his Palisades Village shopping center were “fully engulfed” in flames, and his shopping center, which opened in 2018, suffered damage. His daughter’s home was destroyed in the blaze, and he said his family was waiting to hear if one of his sons had also lost his home.
Along Pacific Coast Highway, Rosenthal Wine Bar & Patio — in an unincorporated area between Malibu and Pacific Palisades — was on fire. A Times photographer captured an image of flames seen just behind a table with a bottle and two wine glasses. Also ablaze was the nearby Wylie’s Bait & Tackle.
Wylie’s Bait & Tackle goes up in flames along Pacific Coast Highway near Topanga Beach.
Homes were also burning along Surfwood Road in the unincorporated neighborhood of Sunset Mesa, just west of Pacific Palisades.
A firefighter prepares to battle a house fire along Surfwood Road in the unincorporated neighborhood of Sunset Mesa, just west of Pacific Palisades.
On nearby Shoreheights Drive overnight, a large home — and the car parked in front — was fully ablaze.
A firefighter is silhouetted in front of a burning home on Shoreheights Drive in Sunset Mesa.
Homes were also on fire elsewhere along Pacific Coast Highway.
The Palisades fire devastates homes along Pacific Coast Highway.
All of Pacific Palisades is under a mandatory evacuation order, as was a sliver of Santa Monica northwest of San Vicente Boulevard. The northwestern section of Santa Monica northwest of Montana Avenue was under an evacuation warning.
Areas along Topanga Canyon Boulevard, from the beach to close to Mulholland Drive, were also under a mandatory evacuation order. The eastern one-third of Malibu was under a mandatory evacuation order, and the area around Malibu City Hall was under an evacuation warning.
All Malibu residents should be prepared to evacuate, city officials said.
“Evacuate now, especially if you need extra time or have pets/livestock,” city officials said. More than 2,900 acres had burned in the Palisades fire as of Tuesday night.
Lack of water from hydrants in Palisades fire is hurting firefighting efforts, reports say
The Palisades fire burns along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on Tuesday.
As fires raged across Los Angeles on Tuesday, some firefighters battling the Palisades fire reported on internal radio systems that hydrants in Pacific Palisades were coming up dry.
“The hydrants are down,” said one firefighter.
Homes, temple, clinic burn as fire spreads through Pasadena, Altadena
As homes burned in the Eaton fire, evacuation orders expanded in Pasadena, Sierra Madre and Arcadia.
Homes were burning on Vinedo Avenue in unincorporated Altadena, and firefighters were trying to battle flying embers. A wind gust of up to 99 mph was detected near Altadena, the National Weather Service said early Wednesday morning.
Multiple homes were burning on Woodlyn Road in northern Pasadena, near Altadena.
A police officer patrols the area as multiple homes burn on Woodlyn Road in northern Pasadena early Wednesday morning.
Embers could be seen flying as powerful gusts whipped through the area.
Homes were also burning on Del Rey Avenue in northern Pasadena, near the Altadena border.
Firefighters work to save houses on Del Rey Avenue in northern Pasadena, near Altadena.
KABC-TV Channel 7 reported that the AltaMed Medical Center in Altadena, on Washington Boulevard, was engulfed in flames, as were homes in the eastern Pasadena neighborhood of Hastings Ranch; and, in southeastern Altadena, the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center and the Terraces at Park Marina assisting living center.
Most of Altadena was ordered evacuated, as was unincorporated Kinneloa Mesa. The mandatory evacuation area was expanded in Altadena to include areas west of Lake Avenue and north of Altadena Drive, and, generally speaking, north of Woodbury Road that is east of Windsor Avenue and west of Fair Oaks Avenue.
In Pasadena, a mandatory evacuation order was in place in the northern half of the neighborhood of Hastings Ranch — north of Sierra Madre Boulevard. A mandatory evacuation order was downgraded to a warning elsewhere in Pasadena.
Evacuation orders were also issued for eastern La Cañada Flintridge, including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, according to the official evacuation map on the Genasys website.
Most of Sierra Madre — all areas north of Sierra Madre Boulevard — were ordered evacuated, and the rest of the city was under a voluntary evacuation. A northern swath of Arcadia was ordered evacuated — areas north of Orange Grove Avenue (that are west of Santa Anita Avenue) and north of Foothill Boulevard (that are east of Santa Anita Avenue).
Hurst fire erupts in Sylmar; evacuations ordered
The Los Angeles Fire Department issued mandatory evacuation orders Tuesday night for areas of Sylmar threatened by a fire that broke out near where Interstate 5 meets the 14 and 210 freeways.
Dubbed the Hurst fire, it is one of at least four named fires currently raging in Los Angeles County as high winds and dry vegetation have created conditions conducive to explosive wildfires.
The fire — which was at 50 acres as of 10:10 p.m., according to an LAFD spokesperson — had grown to more than 500 acres by about 2 a.m.
Dana Dierkes, a public affairs officer for the Angeles National Forest, said at about 11:20 p.m. that the fire had “jumped [the] 210 [Freeway].” Dierkes said at that time she did not “have any details about structures burned or if there are any injuries.”
Mandatory evacuation orders were “in place for north of the 210 Freeway from Roxford to the Interstate 5 / 14 Freeway split,” Stewart said in her 10:10 p.m. statement.
The origin of the Hurst fire was about a mile and a half from Sylmar’s Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall, where dozens of youths are incarcerated. Vicky Waters, a spokesperson for L.A. County’s Probation Department, said that the hall had not yet been ordered to evacuate but that the agency had an evacuation site and transportation ready if the flames grew closer.
“Both youth and staff are safe, and we are monitoring the situation closely,” Waters wrote in a text. “Should the situation change, we are ready to respond and evacuate safely and expeditiously.”
Evacuation centers were set up at the Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, at 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd. in Pacoima; Northridge Park, 10120 Reseda Blvd. in Northridge; and the Sepulveda Recreation Center, at 8825 Kester Ave. in Panorama City.
Palisades fire: ‘Worst is yet to come’ as winds gain speed
Fearsome winds forced crews to ground firefighting aircraft in the battle against the Palisades fire on Tuesday night, making it even more challenging for firefighters to get a handle on the fast-growing blaze.
The use of aircraft was halted shortly before 8 p.m., and Los Angeles fire officials said they would continually reassess weather conditions to determine when they might be used again, said Margaret Stewart with the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Eaton fire prompt closures of numerous schools
The Eaton fire has prompted officials to close schools in Pasadena, San Marino, Glendale, Alhambra, Burbank and South Pasadena on Wednesday.
Burn victims treated at Duke’s Malibu restaurant
Multiple burn victims who were reported walking toward Duke’s Malibu restaurant around 9 p.m. on Tuesday were evaluated, treated and transported as needed, according to Margaret Stewart with the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The extent of their injuries remains unclear.
Duke’s posted on Instagram earlier in the day that the restaurant would be closed due to dangerous road conditions and high-wind warnings.
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Tracy Koerner said he hadn’t been informed of any fire at the restaurant itself. He added that people are being triaged at L.A. County Fire Station 70.
In a separate incident, a 25-year-old female firefighter sustained a serious head injury around 8:30 p.m., according to LAFD spokesperson Erik Scott. She received immediate treatment at the scene and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
Fast-moving Eaton fire explodes in Pasadena, Altadena
A fire broke out Tuesday night in the hills above Altadena near Eaton Canyon, prompting a response from firefighters. The Eaton fire has burned more than 400 acres and prompted evacuations in the area west of the Eaton Canyon Golf Course, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Bert fire burning in Pasadena
A separate fire in Pasadena, the Bert fire, had expanded to three acres just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The fire is in east Pasadena, near San Gabriel, several miles from the Eaton fire.
Fires burn along Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades
The Palisades fire off Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday.
Extreme winds ground aircraft fighting Palisades and Eaton fires
A firefighting plane makes a drop on the Palisades fire in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday.
Extreme winds Tuesday night forced crews to temporarily halt efforts to battle the Palisades and Eaton fires by air, authorities said.
Aircraft were grounded in the fight against the Palisades fire shortly before 8 p.m., according to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department. As a result, firefighters are unable to drop water or flame retardant from the air.
LAFD is “continually assessing” weather conditions to determine when helicopter use can resume, the spokesperson said.
Strong winds also prompted officials to suspend air coverage for the Eaton fire in Altadena for the evening, said Pasadena spokesperson Lisa Derderian around 8:45 p.m. Firefighters are continuing to protect homes and save lives on the ground, she said.
L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone had warned at a 3:30 p.m. news conference that increasing wind speeds could make air attacks “unfeasible.”
Although it might be frustrating for residents to see firefighting aircraft grounded, extreme winds can make those efforts less effective, as water or retardant that is dropped is immediately dispersed by the wind, Gov. Gavin Newsom said at the news conference.
“We can be up there all day, making people feel good,” Newsom said, “but we’re not doing any good.”
Eaton fire evacuation zones
Mayor Bass declares state of emergency
We’ve declared a state of emergency to amplify our response to this devastating fire and clear a path for a rapid recovery.To the hundreds of brave firefighters and first responders who have been responding all day to this blaze – we thank you.
To the thousands of families…
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) January 8, 2025
Santa Monica issues evacuation order for all areas north of San Vicente Boulevard
The city of Santa Monica issued an evacuation order for all areas north of San Vicente Boulevard around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday due to the Palisades fire.
“Immediate threat to life,” the city said in an alert sent to residents. “This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW.”
The city also announced an evacuation warning for all areas north of Montana Avenue to San Vicente Boulevard.
Landmark The Reel Inn restaurant burned by Palisades fire
The Reel Inn, a casual Pacific Coast Highway seafood restaurant that has been a Malibu institution for more than three decades, appears to have burned in the Palisades fire.
All of the eatery’s staff members are safe, according to the owners.
“We are so grateful for the 36 years we’ve been a part of the community. Grateful to all of our customers. We are heartbroken and unsure what will be left,” owners Teddy and Andy Leonard wrote in an Instagram post Tuesday evening.
Videos posted on social media showed devastation along the stretch of Pacific Coast Highway at the eastern edge of Malibu near Topanga Canyon Boulevard, with fire lining the sides of the highway.
One video showed wind-whipped flames engulfing the fish shack’s towering sign.
Fast-moving Eaton fire explodes in Pasadena, Altadena: ‘We’re not playing around. This is serious’
A fire broke out Tuesday night in the hills above Altadena near Eaton Canyon, prompting a response from firefighters.
The Eaton fire has burned more than 400 acres and prompted evacuations in the area west of the Eaton Canyon Golf Course, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Photos: Palisades fire explodes, fueled by gusting Santa Ana winds
Firefighters battle a house fire off Bollinger Drive in Pacific Palisades after the Palisades fire exploded.
Firefighters scrambled to corral a fast-moving wildfire in the Los Angeles hillsides dotted with celebrity homes as a “life-threatening, destructive” windstorm hit Southern California, fanning the blaze seen for miles while roads were clogged with cars as residents tried to flee.
Forecasters warned the worst may be yet to come with the windstorm predicted to last for days, producing isolated gusts that could top 100 mph in mountains and foothills.
Fire reaches playing fields of Palisades High; fate of structures was uncertain as darkness fell
A man retreats from the Palisades fire in Pacific Palisades
The Palisades fire spread Tuesday to the grounds of Palisades Charter High School and Palisades Charter Elementary School.
At least one television report said the high school had burned to the ground, but the office of that area’s school board member said this account had not been verified.
Getty Villa Museum grounds catch fire
A view from the balcony of the outer peristyle at the Getty Villa in Malibu in 2009.
Amid the devastating and fast-moving fire in Pacific Palisades, the grounds of the Getty Villa have caught fire, the museum confirmed Tuesday.
Fire officials said that trees and brush were ablaze and that flames were approaching structures, but the museum said the Villa and its art had been spared so far. A video on the social media platform X showed the flames approaching the Villa de Leon, a historic home near the museum’s driveway entrance on Pacific Coast Highway.
“Fortunately, Getty had made extensive efforts to clear brush from the surrounding area as part of its fire mitigation efforts throughout the year,” Katherine E. Fleming, president and chief executive of the J. Paul Getty Trust, said in a statement. “Some trees and vegetation on site have burned, but staff and the collection remain safe.”
‘Hell of a way to start a new year’: Gov. Newsom visits site of fire
Gov. Gavin Newsom called the Palisades fire a “hell of a way to start a new year” as he watched the towering black plumes of smoke rise while speaking at a news conference at Will Rogers State Beach.
He described seeing the “impact of these swirling winds and the embers and the number of structures that are destroyed” when visiting the fire zone earlier Tuesday afternoon, and urged all residents to heed evacuation orders.
He proudly touted the fact that it took only one text for President Biden to issue a fire management assistance grant: “No politics, no hand-wringing, no kissing of the feet.”
This grant will allow the state to receive federal reimbursement for the majority of expenses related to the Palisades fire, he said.
Newsom was scheduled to be in the Coachella Valley at noon to speak at an event with Biden but rerouted to Pacific Palisades after that event was canceled because of the weather.
“We were here not too long ago [for] the Franklin fire and a few weeks prior to that, the Mountain fire,” he said. “November, December, now January — there’s no fire season. It’s fire year. It’s year round.”
Palisades fire at 1,261 acres and growing, with stronger winds on the way
The Palisades fire has scorched 1,261 acres and is continuing to grow as of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, with even stronger winds expected overnight, fire officials said.
Wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph have been recorded in Los Angeles over the course of the day, and gusts are expected to peak between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 5 a.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
“The fire is being fueled by a combination of strong winds and surrounding topography, which is making it extremely challenging for our personnel that are assigned to this incident,” Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said.
So far, around 30,000 residents have been evacuated from 10,000 households, with no injuries reported, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said. Several structures have been reported destroyed, but officials do not yet have a total, Crowley said.
There are more than 250 Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters and more than 100 Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters on scene.
‘Within a few minutes, there were multiple fires’
Darrin Hurwitz said what appeared to start as a small brush fire turned into a raging inferno within the space of about half an hour. The Pacific Palisades resident, who lives on Las Lomas Avenue, said as many as 20 homes were burning as he fled to safety Tuesday from the Palisades fire.
“Things were moving so quickly,” said Hurwitz, who was working at home when the flames erupted. “Within a few minutes, there were multiple fires.”
Hurwitz said he rushed around his home, grabbing practical items including clothing for his two elementary-school-age children, laptops and medications, as well as more sentimental belongings such as artwork and family heirlooms.
After arriving at his parents’ home in Calabasas, where he watched news of the fire unfolding, he was mourning the items his family may have lost. He wondered if his home was even still standing. His children questioned whether their school, Marquez Charter Elementary, which was evacuated Tuesday, was damaged and if they’d be able to return.
Hurwitz, who grew up in Southern California, moved from the East Coast to Pacific Palisades more than two years ago, drawn to the community for its breathtaking views and family-friendly atmosphere. But fire risk has been on his mind.
“There hasn’t been a day I’ve lived there,” Hurwitz said, “where I haven’t thought, one, this is the most beautiful place in the world, and two, it may all go up in flames at some point.”
‘Run for your lives’: Motorists trying to flee Pacific Palisades face flames, chaos, danger
People evacuate on foot at Sunset Boulevard and Palisades Drive as the wind-driven Palisades fire bore down on the area.
Residents fleeing a wildfire in Pacific Palisades faced a gantlet of danger as roads became choked with traffic and fast-moving flames threatened evacuation routes.
When a spot fire erupted off Sunset Boulevard and Palisades Drive, some motorists abandoned their cars by the time the flames reached Pacific Coast Highway around 2 p.m.
Fire officials ordered those residents who were unable to flee their neighborhoods to shelter in place as crews battled flames along Sunset Boulevard.
Palisades fire evacuation area
Watch live
Live view of the Pacific Palisades fire from Culver City.
Pacific Palisades fire explodes to nearly 3,000 acres as thousands of residents flee, homes are lost
A truck is surrounded by flames from the Palisades fire along Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday.
A fire was burning out of control Tuesday in Pacific Palisades, destroying homes and forcing residents to abandon their vehicles and flee amid a potentially “life-threatening and destructive” windstorm.
Wide swaths of Pacific Palisades, Topanga and Malibu were under an evacuation order by the afternoon, as residents fought traffic jams and heavy smoke as they tried to escape the nearby flames. The Palisades fire broke out around 10:30 a.m. near Piedra Morada Drive and was pushed by intense wind gusts that officials had warned could fuel any spark into a fast-moving and erratic wildfire.
The fire had blackened more than 2,900 acres by 6:30 p.m as it continued to charge southwest. The grounds of the Getty Villa caught fire, as did the campus of Palisades Charter High School.
Palisades residents face traffic gridlock, panic as fire blazes through community: ‘It looks grim’
A woman cries as the Palisades fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan. 7.
As a brush fire tore through Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, evacuees quickly jammed the area’s whirligig of canyon and hillside roads, as black smoke descended in 50-mph gusts, forcing some to abandon their cars and flee on foot.
County bulldozers were pushing roughly 30 ditched vehicles out of the way on Palisades Drive and Sunset Boulevard to clear a path for fire crews and further evacuations.
“If anybody has a car, leave the keys in the car so we can move your car so that these firetrucks can get up Palisades Drive,” actor and Palisades resident Steve Guttenberg told KTLA, adding that he has friends stuck up the hill unable to get out because of abandoned vehicles blocking the roads.
Ellen Delosh-Bacher abandoned her car on Sunset Boulevard after the fire exploded behind a Starbucks along the road.
SoCal faces most destructive winds since 2011, when storm wreaked havoc on Pasadena area
Toppled power poles block Live Oak Avenue in Irwindale after high winds in December 2011.
Forecasters say Southern California this week could see the worst winds since 2011, when a massive storm cut a path of destruction through Pasadena and other parts of the San Gabriel Valley.
Offshore winds will be dry, unpredictable and strong — possibly up to 100 mph in some parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The worst of the windstorm is expected Tuesday through Wednesday.
Dangerous winds prompt Southern California Edison to shut off power to thousands of customers. Here’s where
A Super Scooper plane drops water on the Palisades fire on Jan. 7 in Pacific Palisades.
A “life-threatening and destructive” windstorm is forecast to last through Thursday, bringing with it severe fire danger and widespread power outages across Southern California.
This is the third time in as many months that strong Santa Ana winds have prompted Southern California Edison to cut power to its customers.
The map below shows which areas are currently without electricity and which are under consideration for power cuts.
