Fierce wildfires are raging in the Los Angeles area, fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds, sending residents fleeing from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds and towering clouds of smoke. Thousands of firefighters were battling at least three separate blazes, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena.
According to L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, at least five civilians were killed and many others injured in the Eaton fire.
As of press time, the Palisades fire, west of Los Angeles, has burned about 4.5 square miles (11.6 square kilometers). The Eaton fire, north of Pasadena has burned about 1.6 square miles (4 square kilometers). And the Hurst fire, in the San Fernando Valley, has burned about 500 acres (202 hectares).
Over 70,000 residents were under evacuation orders as of Wednesday morning. Many of the evacuations were in the Pacific Palisades area, but others were in parts of Santa Monica and Altadena.
More than 300,000 power customers were without power early Wednesday, according the tracking site poweroutage.us. Another 440,000 customers could face similar shutoffs depending on weather conditions.
Regarding the Palisades fires, Janisse Quiñones, CEO of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said, “We pushed the system to the extreme. Four times the normal demand was seen for 15 hours straight, which lowered our water pressure.”
The utility was pushing water from its source into the system, but demand was so high that it wasn’t enough to fill three, one-million-gallon tanks that help maintain pressure for the hydrants in the hills of Palisades.
One tank ran out at 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, one at 8:30 pm and the third at 3 a.m. on Wednesday. Officials are urging residents across the region to conserve water so there’s enough for firefighters to use.
“We’re fighting a wildfire with urban water systems, and that is really challenging,” Quiñones said.
LADWP instructed customers to call 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397) if a power outage occurs. For downed trees, residents should call 311 to alert the Bureau of Street Services, which has emergency trucks available for response and removal of tree debris.
Southern California Edison shut off power to nearly 120,000 customers in six Southern California counties over safety concerns due to high winds and the risk of wildfires.
Another 440,000 customers could face similar shutoffs depending on weather conditions, the utility said Wednesday on its website.
Also, the air quality index for most of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Wednesday morning was well over 300, which is considered hazardous to the general public, according to AirNow.gov. At that level, people are advised to stay indoors and reduce activity levels.
The dangerous winds prompted closure of the Los Angeles Zoo to the public on Tuesday. Zoo officials said they would assess when to reopen. Several Los Angeles Unified School District campuses in the area also relocated classes due to the fire danger.
“Residents across Southern California are urged to remain vigilant and monitor the latest forecasts,” the National Weather Service advised. “There is high confidence in strong offshore winds with the potential to be the strongest wind event of the season, especially for the Southland valleys. Trees, large tree branches, and power lines may be downed by the wind … Residents living the near the foothills and mountains are advised to review the `Ready, Set, Go!’ fire plan. Most residents should be in the `Set’ stage and being prepared to go in the event of the fire evacuation.”
Red flag warnings of critical fire danger took effect at 4 a.m. Tuesday 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 Golden State (5) and Antelope Valley (14) freeway corridors.
At noon Tuesday, the warning extended to include Los Angeles County beaches, the Palos Verdes Hills, Catalina Island and the inland Los Angeles County coast, stretching into downtown Los Angeles.
Due to the elevated fire danger, Caltrans closed Topanga Canyon Boulevard between Mulholland Drive and Pacific Coast Highway from 10 a.m. Tuesday through 6 p.m. Friday. Only residents and local business traffic will be permitted into the canyon during the closure.
City News Service and Associated Press contributed to this report.
