UPDATED at 2:07 p.m.: Homes have been destroyed as high winds forecast to increase to between 40 and 60 miles per hour later this afternoon fanned the wildfire that is now scorching a swath of Pacific Palisades and, according to reports, destroying multiple homes.
While it began as a 10 acre blaze at about 10:30 a.m. in the area of N Piedra Morada Dr near The Highlands, the incident quickly became a 200-plus acre blaze in less than an hour, threatening homes with smoke blowing West toward the Getty Villa. The museum is closed to the public today but a source tells Deadline the people working there were told to leave. The facility reportedly has a very detailed plan to keep the art safe, including fireproof walls.
Eastbound Pacific Coast Highway has been closed at Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Eastbound lanes of PCH were also closed at Las Flores Canyon Road, according L.A.C.S.D Public Information Officer Tuyet Alcala. Traffic was being diverted on the Santa Monica Freeway at Lincoln Boulevard to keep people from entering the area. Sunset Boulevard at Palisades Drive was also reportedly impassible, with firefighters potentially using the thoroughfare as a firebreak.
At about 12:30 p.m., with local roads choked with traffic and some people abandoning their cars, residents were evacuating on foot, according to Captain Eric Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
On KTLA5, a local resident — who the young reporter did not recognize as actor Steve Gutenberg — plead with people who were abandoning their cars to at least leave the keys in them so others could move the vehicles blocking their way. “This is not a parking lot,” said the actor. “If you leave your car on Palisades Drive, leave the keys in it so a guy like me can move it.”
Evacuation orders were issued at about noon for the area around Piedra Morada, according to multiple news outlets. Areas near Topanga to the west and Rustic Canyon to the east were reportedly under evacuation warnings. Emergency officials are reportedly urging anyone in the path of the fire to leave the area.
In fact, one former ABC7 local TV reporter was live on the air from her home and had to get off when she received the evacuation order. An alert sent out by the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff Station warned of “immediate threat to life.” See map below for current evacuations as of 1 p.m. Mandatory evacuations are in red and evacuation warnings are in yellow.
Local TV stations broke into coverage of former President Jimmy Carter’s memorial services to cover the incident, with remote crews staging shots from the beach parking lots on PCH with a billowing black plume in the background. The smoke could also be seen across most of West Los Angeles.
Actor James Woods posted close-up video of flames approaching the back deck of his home.
The National Weather Service in has been warning for several days that today’s windstorm would bring extreme fire conditions as it couples very high winds with very low humidity. Winds were clocked at 46 mph in the Palisades this morning. Humidity is expected to be critically low on Wednesday.
As of about noon, SCE had begun emergency power shutdowns to prevent power lines blown down by winds from sparking fires. Areas effected included the Point Dume area and up the the coast into Western Malibu.
