Southern California is facing a pretty serious disaster this week. Santa Ana winds are blowing at up to 100 miles per hour in the canyons north and west of Los Angeles. A lack of rain this winter has left the area full of dry vegetation and, as feared, several different wildfires have started and are being driven by the winds. Here's a map showing where the fires have broken out.
#BREAKING Another brush fire has burned 75 acres near the Sepulveda Basin. Get live updates on all the fires burning across Southern California here: https://t.co/ej8PfNvzpj pic.twitter.com/b85mSAih5d
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) January 8, 2025
The worst of those fires, so far, is the one that swept through Pacific Palisades, a pricey area northwest of Santa Monica that is home to a lot of celebrities. About 30,000 people were ordered to evacuate which created additional problems. So many people were trying to leave at once that it resulted in gridlock on the streets leading out of the Palisades into Los Angeles.
Gridlock traffic in Pacific Palisades, threatened by the Palisades Fire. Drivers have abandoned cars, blocking people from trying to escape in neighborhoods currently threatened by flames. pic.twitter.com/IthhDEkqyh
— Jonathan Vigliotti 🐋 (@JonVigliotti) January 7, 2025
The winds drove the fire faster than the cars were moving in many cases. The blocked streets also meant that firefighters couldn't get to the burning neighborhoods.
This is not typical wildfire season. Last year around this time we were covering an atmospheric river. Apocalyptic. And sadly the Palisades Fire has only just begun. pic.twitter.com/p90pNkaHTV
— Jonathan Vigliotti 🐋 (@JonVigliotti) January 7, 2025
As the fire moved closer to the road, some people got out and ran for their lives, leaving their cars behind.
The Palisades Fire moved in so quickly, evacuees panicked. Every car represents someone or a family that, in fear, abandoned their cars, and fled on foot. The wind could reach 100 mph tonight. pic.twitter.com/z0weB3WS2d
— Jonathan Vigliotti 🐋 (@JonVigliotti) January 8, 2025
With the roads completely blocked, emergency crews had to bring in a large bulldozer to shove the cars out of the way.
🔴 Cars are bulldozed as firefighters battle a blaze in Pacific Palisades, California, with hundreds of people being evacuated. pic.twitter.com/5Wtp5kUktD
— Ivan 👑 (@IvanSoto1776) January 8, 2025
On top of that, there were reports that water pressure collapsed. Firefighters simply ran out of water.
Around 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, a hydrant firefighters were using on Lachman Lane ran dry. You can hear what sounds like air pushing out, but no water. #PalisadesWildfire #PalisadeFire #PacificPalisades pic.twitter.com/09e6FRrcIM
— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) January 8, 2025
There are several stories confirming this:
As fires raged across Los Angeles on Tuesday, some firefighters battling the Palisades fire reported on internal radio systems that hydrants in Pacific Palisades were coming up dry.
“The hydrants are down,” said one firefighter.
“Water supply just dropped,” said another.
Developer Rick Caruso, who owns commercial property in the Palisades and who ran for Mayor of LA in 2022, highlighted the fact that firefighters were unable to work because of the lack of water.
"This is like a 3rd world country"
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 8, 2025
Rick Caruso says there is 0 water coming out of the fire hydrants. Mayor Bass is in Ghana. pic.twitter.com/GPXmDVvLS1
Helicopters and even airplanes were grounded because of the high winds. Entire neighborhoods went up in flames overnight.
This is Bowdoin St in Pacific Palisades. Every home is on fire. Crews aren’t trying to save them. They’re trying to put out flames before they ignite other neighborhoods. pic.twitter.com/58RJr3h4Eu
— Jonathan Vigliotti 🐋 (@JonVigliotti) January 8, 2025
Neighborhood after neighborhood… GONE. This is the heart of the Palisades. pic.twitter.com/HPVvbyCKmT
— Jonathan Vigliotti 🐋 (@JonVigliotti) January 8, 2025
Homes in Malibu along Pacific Coast Highway were burned to the ground.
Malibu’s iconic sand castles are crumbling… one at a time. This has been a numbing and terrifying 14 hours in California history. pic.twitter.com/JmHym7tyQK
— Jonathan Vigliotti 🐋 (@JonVigliotti) January 8, 2025
And this is what the center of Pacific Palisades looks like this morning.
This is what’s left of the Pacific Palisades. The mall survived. Most everything else is gone. Homes, apartment complexes… businesses. pic.twitter.com/Vfz721V48J
— Jonathan Vigliotti 🐋 (@JonVigliotti) January 8, 2025
Here's a clip posted by Elon Musk.
A friend in LA just took this video pic.twitter.com/WJBWCHmCUs
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 8, 2025
I don't know what the story is here but this seems crazy. I hope this person is okay.
🚨 Una escena apocalíptica se vive en Los Ángeles, California: Incendios forestales devastan comunidades como Pacific Palisades y Malibu 🔥#AbrimosHilo de esta tragedia 🧵 pic.twitter.com/UvTRGSr7VD
— adn40 (@adn40) January 8, 2025
Here's another video of two guys who tried to save a house one of them grew up in from the encroaching flames, but they finally gave up and drove away when they realized there was no hope.
Video of the moment my friend and I abandoned his house after we tried to save what we could. Please be praying for him and his family @orlylistens
— Tanner Charles 🌪 (@TannerCharlesMN) January 8, 2025
Location: North of Rustic Canyon#cawx #PalisadesFire #fire #California pic.twitter.com/fie6Ywkmz3
Mayor Karen Bass happens to be in Africa at the moment all of this is happening but she is still tweeting about it.
Our @LAFD and @LAPDHQ teams continue to work overnight to protect Angelenos affected by fires in L.A.
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) January 8, 2025
Angelenos should be advised that the windstorm is expected to worsen through the morning and to heed local warnings, stay vigilant and stay safe.
Red flag parking restrictions…
The responses to that post are about what you would expect. People are furious that she is on a junket while the city is literally burning. Bass also recently made major cuts to the firefighters budget.
Los Angeles Mayor Bass’ second biggest cut in LA’s budget?
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) January 8, 2025
The FIRE department.
MINUS $17.6 MILLION. pic.twitter.com/pxLg03HpQc
But of course the DEI training is still intact.
LA County recently posted this video on how they make their firefighters train in cultural inclusivity, equity, diversity pic.twitter.com/nvB3RRjTQK
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 8, 2025
This is a major disaster and it may not be over yet. The winds are finally slowing down a bit but there is still a danger this could spread to even denser and more heavily populated areas like Santa Monica. President-elect Trump is blaming this on a decision by Gov. Newsom.
President-elect Trump goes after Gov. Gavin Newsom over LA wildfires pic.twitter.com/leYgA34Eg9
— Jacob Wheeler (@JWheelertv) January 8, 2025
Newsom, for his part, posted a video of himself getting a briefing near a burning home.
On the ground in Pacific Palisades and getting briefed by @CAL_FIRE on the #PalisadesFire in Los Angeles.
— Governor Newsom (@CAgovernor) January 7, 2025
Californians in the affected areas should stay alert and follow evacuation orders from local authorities ➡️ https://t.co/gIKZPSxfln pic.twitter.com/v8A4N9FK9i
This is getting political fast so you can expect the media to start praising Newsom and absent Karen Bass any moment now for their tremendous leadership.
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