California windstorm fuels Pacific Palisades wildfire as residents flee

Dozens of seniors were evacuated from a Pasadena assisted living center after the Eaton Fire got within about a block of their facility.

The residents of the Terraces at Park Marino, many in wheelchairs and on gurneys, were huddled together in the dark, windy parking lot of a 7-Eleven to escape the flames.

A supervisor told CBS News that about 95 residents had been evacuated. It was unclear where the seniors would be taken. 

The exact extent of the devastation from the Palisades Fire is still unknown, but footage from on the ground gives an idea of its potential scope.

CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti captured apocalyptic images from one Pacific Palisades neighborhood, where home after home was engulfed in flames.

“The firefighters here, they’re not trying to save these structures, they’re trying to prevent these flames from jumping to other neighborhoods,” Vigliotti reported Tuesday night. “You see all these embers. In some cases, they’re being carried more than a mile in advance of these source flames, lighting other homes on fire.”

The city of Santa Monica announced mandatory evacuation orders Tuesday night for a huge swath of the city because of the Palisades Fire. 

“City of Santa Monica is issuing an Evacuation Order for all areas of the city north of San Vicente,” the city said in a post to social media. “Evacuation Order: Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW. The area is closed to public access.”

Santa Monica, a coastal city with a population of about 90,000, is located between Malibu and Los Angeles, and just to the west of Pacific Palisades.   

Los Angeles County firefighters Tuesday night were battling a second brush fire with a large potential for growth in the Eaton Canyon area near Altadena.   

The Eaton Fire was first reported at around 6:40 p.m. Pacific Time in the area above Altadena. Evacuation orders had been issued for portions of Altadena and nearby Pasadena. 

Altadena is located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, on the border of the Angeles National Forest. The fire had scorched at least 400 acres, the U.S. Forest Service reported.

Firefighting resources across the region have already been stretched thin to the point that the city of L.A. Fire Department requested that all off-duty firefighters call in to their supervisors to report if they’re available to assist in the firefight.   

Read more here.

President Biden announced Tuesday night that is monitoring the wildfire activity in Southern California.

“I am being frequently briefed on the wildfires in west Los Angeles. My team and I are in touch with state and local officials, and I have offered any federal assistance that is needed to help suppress the terrible Pacific Palisades fire,” Mr. Biden said in a statement.

The president added that FEMA approved a “Fire Management Assistance Grant to support areas that are impacted and help reimburse the state of California for the immediate firefighting costs. I urge the residents of the Pacific Palisades and the surrounding areas of Los Angeles to stay vigilant and listen to local officials.”

Mr. Biden also urged “the residents of the Pacific Palisades and the surrounding areas of Los Angeles to stay vigilant and listen to local officials.”

As dangerous wildfires spread rapidly in Southern California, images of the blazes began to emerge. 

Evacuation orders for the Palisades Fire were expanded Tuesday night. The entire Pacific Palisades community was under an evacuation order, while Malibu and Calabasas were under a combination of mandatory and voluntary evacuations.  

All areas south of the 101 Freeway between Malibu Canyon and Topanga Canyon roads were either under mandatory or voluntary evacuation zones.

The latest evacuation map is here:

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency as the Pacific Palisades wildfire exploded in size, fueled by one of the strongest Santa Ana wind events to hit Southern California in the last decade. 

“This is a highly dangerous windstorm that’s creating extreme fire risk — and we’re not out of the woods. We’re already seeing the destructive impacts with this fire in Pacific Palisades that grew rapidly in a matter of minutes,” Newsom said in a statement Tuesday.

He urged Southern California residents to pay attention to local weather reports and follow guidance from emergency officials.

Read more here.

The number of structures damaged or destroyed by the Palisades Fire so far was unclear. 

However, CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti reported that at least six homes had been destroyed in one neighborhood, as CBS News captured footage of heavy flames, smoke and billowing ash. 

CBS News correspondent Carter Evans resides in one neighborhood that was under threat. 

“I’m in the back of this home, trying to help the firefighters, so they asked me for help, because he couldn’t get over the gate,” Evans said. “So I’m trying to get the flames out.”

As the Pacific Palisades wildfire in Los Angeles quickly grew Tuesday afternoon amid a destructive windstorm, some fleeing residents stuck in gridlock were forced to abandon their cars as dangerous flames approached. 

Sunset Boulevard was jammed with cars as people tried to evacuate. Resident Marsha Horowitz was walking down Sunset with her dog and said the fire department told people to get out of their cars. “The fire came right down to the road, and the fire department came up and said ‘get out of your cars now,’ because the fire was right up against the cars,” she said. 

“We’re all freaked out everywhere, all shaking,” Pacific Palisades resident Sue told CBS Los Angeles. “The fire department have been the most amazing humans. They hugged us and said don’t worry we’ll take care of you. They have been amazing.” She estimated winds earlier at 50 mph.   

Read more here.

The famous Getty Villa, a museum located near the Los Angeles coast in Pacific Palisades, announced that it will remain closed through at least early next week as a wildfire tears through the area. 

“We swiftly closed the Villa to non-emergency staff, and the site is closed to the public on Tuesdays. The Getty Villa will remain closed at least through Monday, January 13,” J. Paul Getty Trust President Katherine Fleming said. “We, of course, are very concerned for our neighbors in the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and the surrounding areas.”  

Fleming said the facility utilized its irrigation system throughout the day and that the galleries and collections have measures to protect them from the smoke.   

Read more here.

The growth of the brush fire burning in Pacific Palisades has been aided by high winds that weather officials have called “life-threatening and destructive,” with isolated wind gusts potentially reaching up to 100 miles per hour in some areas.

The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning through Wednesday evening for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. 

The Santa Ana wind event is expected to be the worst the region has seen in more than a decade, according to the National Weather Service. 

Read more here.