LA Palisades wildfires live updates: Evacuations ordered and homes burned – BBC.com
At least five wildfires are raging in Los Angeles and neighbouring counties – three are completely uncontainedA fire that broke out in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday is approaching the world-famous Hollywood sign – while buildings along the city’s Sunset Boulevard are in ruinsA fire chief tells the BBC the Hollywood Hills blaze is rapidly expanding with “zero” chance of containing itParis Hilton is among the A-list stars who have lost their homesFive people are confirmed dead and more than 137,000 people have been evacuated in what has become the most destructive wildfire in LA’s historyThe fire seems set in everywhere you look, illuminating the city with an eerie glow, writes our correspondent John Sudworth from LAThis video can not be playedHollywood landmarks at risk as fires continue burning in LAEdited by Jenna Moon and Matt SpiveyOur colleagues at Newsround have been hearing from some children in Los Angeles who have been sharing their experiences.Ryan, from Santa Monica, says: “The fire has been spreading so much that so many houses have been burned, have been destroyed and so many people have to go to shelters”My grandparents had to evacuate from their house because they lost power and spend the night at our house here, and my whole family is scared about this whole experience.”Arthur (pictured below) and his family live about 10 miles (16km) from the Eaton fire and were evacuated on Wednesday morning
to a school, and are now in a hotel. “We are scared,” Arthur says. “The sun is red, there is smoke in the air and there is smoke in our lungs. “Our heart goes out to the first responders trying to contain the fire and anyone who has lost anything.”Sunset Boulevard, the famous strip in West Hollywood, lies in ruins after fires tore through the well-known thoroughfare, according to reports in the LA Times. Local residents have described seeing banks, cafes and supermarkets they’ve frequented for decades completely destroyed. Michael Payton, store director of the Erewhon supermarket chain, told the LA Times, external the shop, famous for its patronage by Los Angeles A-listers, had survived but that the area was levelled.”The whole Palisades is done,” he said, “The whole town is done. This is complete devastation.”The Sunset fire first broke out on Wednesday evening in the Hollywood Hills and now covers about 43 acres. Buildings near Sunset Boulevard engulfed by smoke as wildfires swept through the areaThis video can not be playedFootage of the fires across Los Angeles show the Sunset fire, which broke out in the Hollywood Hills where the famous Hollywood sign sits.Mandatory evacuations were triggered by the fire on Wednesday evening causing traffic chaos on Hollywood Boulevard.Officials say the Palisades fire could be the most destructive in the history of the state of CaliforniaThere are at least five fires raging in the Los Angeles area and nearby regions – here is the latest information about the blazes from Cal Fire:The Woodley and Olivas fires have now been contained, according to local fire authorities.The Palisades fire has spread through more than 17,200 acres of land in what could become the most destructive fire in the history of the state of California.But how did it spread? Our map below shows you its path of destruction and its expansion within six hours.With five fires still burning in Los Angeles, the two largest – Eaton and Palisades – are entirely uncontained.These before-and-after satellite images of those two areas show the extent of the damage caused. Together, the Eaton and Palisades fires are burning nearly 26,400 acres of land in LA.Here’s what the Pacific Coast Highway along the Malibu coastline looked like before the Palisades firesAnd here’s what the same highway now looks like with a scorched landscape and smoke covering the areaHere’s a satellite image of houses in Altadena before the firesThe Eaton fire started in Altadena around 18:30 local time on Tuesday and by Wednesday night, five deaths had been reported and it had spread to more than 10,000 acresBaillie Gifford Prize-winning author John Vaillant is in southern California and has been following the Los Angeles wildfires closely. He tells BBC Radio 4’s Today programme it is all “tragically familiar”. “When you look at the global sweep of these things, the steady heating of the planet and the intensification of fire in all kinds of places from southern Europe to northern Canada to California – you can see the pattern,” says Valliant – whose book tells the story of how wildfires overwhelmed a city in Canada.But for people around Los Angeles, the fires are new and shocking, he says. “There is this strange disconnect between the individual surprise in the face of this larger trend of many previous occurrences of fires like this. I am surprised that they are surprised.”Valliant describes the neighbourhoods as “unrecognisable” in the face of the destruction the fires have brought.Residents who are evacuating with their pets are struggling to find places to keep them. At least eight pet day care centres have opened their doors to small animals needing a place to stay while their owner is unable to return home. Another four shelters are accommodating large animals, such as horses. Meanwhile, what appears to be a desert tortoise has been spotted by a Reuters photographer roaming the streets among evacuees from the Eaton fire in Altadena.Sarah Keith-LucasWeather presenterThe fire weather outlook for southern California has now been downgraded from “extremely critical” to “critical”.Winds speeds through Wednesday evening continued to gust widely between 40-60mph (64-97kmh), with isolated gusts over the hills between 70-85mph (113-137kmh). We should have seen the peak of the highest gusts now, with wind speeds forecast to gradually weaken a little over the next few hours into Thursday morning. However, throughout Thursday, winds could strengthen again a little, with afternoon gusts of up to 40mph still affecting parts of Los Angeles. Humidity will remain low, too. Although we’ve seen the worst of the Santa Ana winds, a red flag warning of critical fire weather remains in force until 18:00 local time Friday (02:00 GMT Saturday) for strong, gusty winds and low humidity. Although temperatures may fall by a few degrees over the next few days, there is no rain in the forecast for at least the next week.So despite a modest improvement in fire weather conditions, significant fire growth remains likely with ongoing or new fires.Jennifer Colby, a response co-ordinator in the nearby city of Pasadena, says most in the area “have never seen a disaster like this before”.”It’s very difficult”, she tells our colleagues at BBC Breakfast.Colby says thousands of personnel are “working tirelessly to support the community with a priority of keeping everyone safe.”The fire department are optimistic that favourable weather conditions over the next couple days could help bring the blazes under control, she adds.Thomas MackintoshLive reporterAt least five fires are now raging in Los Angeles and its neighbouring county – the latest one is burning in the iconic Hollywood HillsCalifornian fire ecologist Chad Hanson has given me some of the main developments since I last spoke to him yesterday. He tells me the most striking aspect right now for him is seeing the scale of destruction.”What we have seen are entire neighbourhoods which have been wiped out,” he says. “Homes gone, businesses gone.”Hanson says the “devastation is kind of hard to get your mind around. Five people have been killed – it could have been hundreds.”Since first responders realised that conditions would prevent them from containing the fires, they focussed their efforts on evacuating residents instead. “They did an extraordinary job.”Hanson says there is a prediction of another Santa Ana wind event next week. “There is no rain predicted between now and then,” he adds. “It’ll be even drier and if we have another Santa Ana event” then any remaining or new fires could spark up.Let’s bring you some of the latest images coming to us from California as new wildfires have broken out in the last few hours.Intense flames have been difficult to tackle due to high winds, dry conditions and low water pressure.The photos below give an idea of the challenges facing firefighters:Five people are known to have died as a result of the firesSparks fly from the wheel of a burned school bus as the Eaton fire moves through the areaSteve Salinas shields from intense heat as he hoses down a neighbours rooftop in EatonA firefighter battles the Palisades fire near the Pacific Coast HighwayWe can bring you more now from Battalion Chief David Acuna, who has given some context as to just how extraordinary the fires are for this time of year in California. “We have only two other times in the last 30 years … had a major fire in January and yet here we are,” he tells BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.Acuna says the Eaton fire may be the second major fire of the month, something that is “unprecedented”. “It is amazing that this climate change and these conditions have led to where we are now in a significant position of threat,” he says. Usually, January would provide time for fire teams to “recoup”, Acuna adds. Staffing is reduced, and “we do projects to prepare the upcoming spring and early summer – but right now we are all out fighting fires and rescuing people.”David Acuna, a battalion chief at the Californian Fire Service, tells the BBC’s Today programme that the fire burning in the Hollywood Hills is “rapidly expanding” and progress on containing the fires “is zero”.”The wind has been blowing consistently at 60-100mph since yesterday morning,” Acuna says.”It actually blew harder last night,” he says, adding wind speeds have now dropped to about 30 mph (48kmh). But “it is still significant and because there are a lot of open areas it is extremely dangerous.”Acuna insists the priority of the first responders is to save people, adding that more evacuation warnings and orders are being drawn up.It has just gone 23:15 in Los Angeles. Five fires continue to burn in the city, with the two largest – Eaton and Palisades – entirely uncontained. Together, the Eaton and Palisades fires are burning nearly 26,400 acres of land in LA.The LA Fire Department (LAFD) says the Woodley and Olivas fires which broke out Wednesday have been contained.The Lidia fire, which broke out at around 14:00 local time (22:00 GMT) on Wednesday in the mountainous Acton area north of LA, is about 40% contained, according to Cal Fire, the state’s fire authority.Kelly NgBBC NewsIf you’re just joining us, here’s what to know about what unfolded in the Los Angeles area overnight.More than 1,000 structures have been destroyed as six separate fires burn in and around Los Angeles, which is dotted with film stars’ mansions.Some of the worst devastation was in the scenic enclave of Pacific Palisades, where a wind-whipped inferno has exploded from several hundred acres to more than 15,000 since Tuesday.In the past few hours, we heard that actors Leighton Meester and Adam Brody, who attended the Golden Globes just days ago, have lost their home.In an Instagram post, actress and presenter Ricki Lake shared that she lost her “dream home.” “It was our heaven on earth,” she wrote, adding that she grieves “along with all of those suffering during this apocalyptic event.”Paris Hilton said she lost her Malibu home “where we built so many precious memories” adding “my heart and prayers are going out to every family affected by these fires.”They join a growing list of celebrities who have lost their homes in the wildfires.High winds and drought are the main culprits behind the mid-winter wildfires raging in Southern California – and climate change is likely to be playing a major role.US government research is unequivocal in linking climate change to larger and more severe wildfires in the western United States.”Climate change, including increased heat, extended drought, and a thirsty atmosphere, has been a key driver in increasing the risk and extent of wildfires in the western United States,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says.And following a very warm summer and lack of rain in recent months, California is particularly vulnerable.The dry conditions, combined with the naturally-occurring Santa Ana winds, can produce the sort of fast-moving and dangerous fire outbreaks we are seeing in Los Angeles and its neighbouring Ventura county.Fire season in Southern California is generally thought to stretch from May to October. But as California Governor Gavin Newsom put it in a press conference on Tuesday, blazes are now a perennial issue. “There’s no fire season,” he said. “It’s fire year.”John SudworthReporting from Los AngelesTony Davoodi is among those trying to save their homes themselvesWe meet Tony Davoodi helping a neighbour trying to protect his home in the Pacific Palisades, the suburb where the disaster first begun on Tuesday.The adjacent houses on all sides are completely gone, their skeleton structures still burning. The friends scoop water from the swimming pool in buckets and pans, ferrying the water to the edge of the property. It steams as they pour it onto the hot earth. For now, it seems to be working.We were with David Behrend as he discovered his house had been razedDavid Behrend is originally from South Africa but has lived in the Palisades for years.He’s managed to get through the police roadblocks, and we meet him close to the fire trucks and then follow him down the road a short way to inspect his property. He’s hopeful it might still be standing. When we get there, there’s nothing left except a smouldering shell. He tells me the house holds many memories. It is the place where he has brought up his children. But he’s insured, and is adamant he’ll be able to rebuild.Tanner Charles and his friend were at home trying to make their house as fire-proof as possible when the Palisades blaze started closing in. They filmed the moment they were forced to leave, running down a street with multiple burning homes.The Palisades fire, one of several burning in Los Angeles, exploded in size late Tuesday as powerful winds hit northwest Los Angeles. It has destroyed at least 1,000 buildings and forced more than 30,000 residents to evacuate.This video can not be playedWatch: Moment friends abandon house as Palisades fire closes in© 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.
