A fast-moving brush fire is spreading in the Southern California neighborhood of Pacific Palisades. High winds have dramatically raised the risk of wildfires for the next several days.
A brush fire in Pacific Palisades has grown to more than 700 acres and is forcing residents in the area to leave their homes.
The Los Angeles Fire Department issued a mandatory evacuation order for the area between Piedra Morada Drive and Pacific Coast Highway.
Track the brush fire’s movement and evacuation zones here:
The National Weather Service said what could be the strongest Santa Ana windstorm in more than a decade began Tuesday across Los Angeles and Ventura counties and will peak in the early hours Wednesday when gusts could reach 80 mph. Isolated gusts could top 100 mph in mountains and foothills.
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The winds act as an “atmospheric blow-dryer” for vegetation, bringing a long period of fire risk that could extend into the more populated lower hills and valleys, according to Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the University of California, Los Angeles and the National Center for Atmospheric Research
Red flag warnings are in effect and will remain in place until 6 p.m. Thursday for the Malibu coast, the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, the San Gabriel Valley, the San Fernando Valley, Calabasas, the Santa Clarita Valley, the San Gabriel Mountains, and the 5 Freeway and 14 Freeway corridors.
The weather service warned of possible downed power lines and knocked-over big rigs, trailers, and motorhomes. Strong offshore gusts will also bring dangerous conditions off the coasts of Orange and Los Angeles counties, including Catalina Island, and potential delays and turbulence could arise at local airports.
Utilities said they were considering preemptively cutting power starting Tuesday to about a half-million customers across eight counties. In recent years, California utilities have routinely de-energized electrical lines as a precaution against weather conditions that might damage equipment and spark a fire.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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