Images show Palisades Fire in Los Angeles and other Southern California blazes
Firefighters are continuing to battle a series of wildfires that have scorched thousands of acres since they broke out Tuesday and Wednesday in Los Angeles County. Fueled by a fierce windstorm, the blazes have burned at least 1,300 structures so far, officials said.
Stunning images emerging from areas affected by the particularly destructive Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire show the early extent of the damage, primarily in the affluent Los Angeles neighborhood Pacific Palisades and northern valley community Altadena.
Time-lapse satellite video published overnight by the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, a project between Colorado State University researchers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, painted a harrowing picture from above.
"A dire situation is unfolding tonight as wildfires rage in Southern California," the institute wrote in a social media post. "Communities continue to be significantly impacted by the Palisades and Eaton Fires."
The blazes grew out of an explosive brush fire that spread across northwestern Los Angeles early Tuesday, fueled by powerful winds that tore through the region. Evacuation orders were in place for at least 179,000 L.A. residents as of Thursday morning, according to the county's Office of Emergency Management.
Many were forced to evacuate their homes in the Pacific Palisades, a coastal neighborhood between Santa Monica in western L.A. County and Malibu, because of the Palisades Fire, which broke out on Tuesday morning.
It had grown to more than 17,000 acres Thursday, with zero containment, Cal Fire said. The Los Angeles County Fire Department estimated that the Palisades Fire threatened more than 13,00 structures, with at least 300 structures already destroyed.
L.A. fire officials said they received reports of multiple burn victims within 24 hours of the blaze taking shape, and warned more people were at risk. Several major roadways in the county were jammed by heavy traffic as residents attempted to flee in their cars, prompting many to abandon their vehicles in the road and continue on foot.
The Eaton Fire broke out Tuesday night in the hills above Altadena in northern L.A. County, farther inland than the Palisades. That blaze also prompted evacuation orders as the fire rapidly expanded that night. Cal Fire said the Eaton fire had engulfed more than 10,600 acres by Thursday morning.
Some additional evacuations got underway later Tuesday in the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles, where a third fire, the Hurst Fire, broke out and quickly spread across hundreds of acres.
Another fire, the Woodley Fire, erupted Wednesday morning near the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve and Woodley Park. Cal Fire initially said strong winds were pushing this blaze south, but crews have since managed to contain it fully.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in response to the wildfires, warning Tuesday that "we're not out of the woods."
"This is a highly dangerous windstorm that's creating extreme fire risk," Newsom said in a statement. "We're already seeing the destructive impacts with this fire in Pacific Palisades that grew rapidly in a matter of minutes."
