CA - Pacific Palisades - 30,000 People Ordered to Evacuate From L.A. Wildfires

[Izzylizzy]

'Placing the area affected on to maps of New York and London gives a sense of how big that is, stretching from Clapham to Greenwich in the UK's capital, or across large areas of lower Manhattan and Queens.'

LA fires in maps: Where are they and how bad is the damage?

Maps and images showing how the fires currently affecting the Los Angeles area are developing.

www.bbc.com

 

[Dotta]

"How LA was devastated by apocalyptic wildfires:

Haunting video timeline breaks down all the horror
from the first spark to the latest chaos -
as thousands are evacuated
and more than 10,000 buildings destroyed."

How LA was devastated by apocalyptic wildfires

Catastrophic wildfires across Los Angeles this week have killed at least 10 people, forced 180,000 to flee their homes, and destroyed thousands of buildings.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[JennieM]

'I have nothing to go back to'​

Lucy Sherriff
Writing from Los Angeles

IMAGE SOURCE, LUCY SHERRIFF/BBC

It's been four days since Los Angeles became an inferno - and my home became a pile of smouldering embers.

I'm now staying at a friend's house in La Crescenta, north of the city, after evacuating my condo in the Palisades, 30 miles (48km) away from where the fires first started on Tuesday morning.

I thought we'd be safe here, but with six active fires now burning across the city, nowhere feels safe.

So far, LA's fires have forced more than 179,000 people including myself to evacuate.

As a climate reporter, I am used to covering extreme weather events.

Just a few weeks ago I was interviewing residents who had fled the Malibu fires.

Now I'm on the other side of the story.

• Read Lucy Sherriff's full first-hand account here

IMAGE SOURCE, LUCY SHERRIFF/BBC
Image caption,
The smouldering remains of Lucy Sherriff's home

More evacuation orders issued as largest LA wildfire bears down on new area

Many people in the wealthy neighbourhood of Brentwood have been told to leave, as the Palisades Fire spreads east.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[JennieM]

Winds will remain a threat until early next week, Biden says​

IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS

President Joe Biden, accompanied by Kamala Harris, has been delivering a briefing on the federal response to the wildfires this afternoon.

Speaking to the media, he says the fires in Los Angeles are "truly unprecedented".

There has been some progress in the last 24 hours, he says.

Overnight, local state and federal firefighters were "able to partially prevent" some of the fires spreading, Biden adds, but winds will remain a threat until early next week.

"We're gonna make sure California has every possible resource to fight this fire, and survive it," Biden says.

More evacuation orders issued as largest LA wildfire bears down on new area

Many people in the wealthy neighbourhood of Brentwood have been told to leave, as the Palisades Fire spreads east.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[JennieM]

Night-time curfew and pledge to 'aggressively' rebuild - what you need to know​

IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES

Here's what you need to know:

• A night-time curfew has been ordered tonight in the Palisades and Eaton areas as police warn people are taking advantage of the wildfires to loot. Officers say anyone caught looting will be arrested
• LA Mayor Karen Bass has pledged "aggressively" to rebuild the city, saying red tape and other bureaucracy will have to be swept aside to do this
• Firefighters say that as winds ease they are making progress containing some of the five wildfires that have been raging for four days
• The Palisades Fire - the largest of the five - is "headed in the right direction" and containment is now up to 8%, fire officials say
• The Kenneth Fire's trajectory has been stopped, firefighters say, and evacuation orders within LA city have been lifted
• Eaton Fire has burned 13,956 acres so far, with 3% of the fire contained
• The Hurst Fire's current acreage stands at 771 with 37% containment. Evacuation warnings and alerts have been lifted for the surrounding area
• Nearly 400 acres have been affected by the Lidia Fire in the town of Acton, and it is 75%contained
• Evacuation orders are in place for nearly 180,000 people and at least10 people have died
• A forecast for more strong winds is raising fears that the blazes could spread further and a red flag warning - indicating critical fire conditions - is in place

More evacuation orders issued as largest LA wildfire bears down on new area

Many people in the wealthy neighbourhood of Brentwood have been told to leave, as the Palisades Fire spreads east.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Izzylizzy]

Actor Milo Ventimiglia has revealed his family's Malibu home burnt down in the Los Angeles fires — an eerie reflection of the tragedy that befell his character on the NBC drama series "This Is Us."

"You start thinking about all the memories in different parts of the house and what not and then you see your neighbors houses and everything kind of around and your heart just breaks," Ventimiglia said.

Ventimiglia and his pregnant wife, Jarah, evacuated Tuesday and watched on security cameras as the flames from the Palisades Fire took over. The couple grabbed everything they could think of — but not everything, like the crib and other belongings in their baby's nursery.

"We got good friends and we got good people we're working with and we'll make do. Wife and baby and dog, most important," Ventimiglia said.

After the fictional fire in "This Is Us," Ventimiglia became an advocate for fire safety. Now, he says his interest has turned to wildfire safety and is already thinking about ways he might be able to help his community and others.

"This Is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia loses home to Los Angeles fires in eerie reflection of on-screen tragedy

Ventimiglia, a 47-year-old father to be, is among the celebrities affected by the destructive blazes that broke out Tuesday morning.

www.cbsnews.com

Wow!
That is eerie yet reminds me of Jung's synchronicity theory and the role it can play in a person's personal growth.
His death from fire in the family home in "This Is Us" was a big part of the series going forward and we now see in his fire advocacy in his real life.

 

[JennieM]

Biden promises to help LA families recover and rebuild

US president Joe Biden has again pledged to help those affected by wildfires, saying he'll do all he can to get them through this "living nightmare".

"To the Southern California families impacted by this disaster: I know you are in a living nightmare," he posted on X.

"I promise we’re going to help you get through this and eventually recover and rebuild."

In a video accompanying his post, he says "we're doing everything we can at a federal level" and "we're going to make sure you get every resource you need".

He says he has approved California Governor Gavin Newsom's request for a major disaster declaration which means immediate cash assistance for those most impacted to cover things from "groceries to baby formula to prescriptions".

More evacuation orders issued as largest LA wildfire bears down on new area

Many people in the wealthy neighbourhood of Brentwood have been told to leave, as the Palisades Fire spreads east.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[JennieM]

It's surreal to think there's literally nothing to go back to. No home, no library, no stores, no kids' karate dojo, no theatre, no community centre. It's all just gone. I keep thinking "I should have grabbed more of my stuff before I fled".

But then I think back to one crystal clear moment before I fled my house: standing in my bedroom, trying to choose which pair of earrings to take with me – a gold pair of hoops my sisters had gifted me for my 30th, or a pair of handmade abalone shell earrings that a Native American woman had given me after reporting on her community.

I told myself, out loud: "Only take what you need. What do you need?" And I realised in a moment of clarity, whilst I was frantically scanning all of my favourite clothes, shoes, and jewellery, that I really didn't need any of it.

I grabbed my grandmother's ring, passports, birth certificates, and left everything else to burn.

'I have nothing to go back to' - LA fires heartbreak

Lucy Sherriff had covered fires before for the BBC - this time there was one in her backyard.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Izzylizzy]

This may be a dumb question but how long could these fires go on for?
Has anything been reported about a possible end in sight for the Palisades/Elton fires?

 

[Fika]

This may be a dumb question but how long could these fires go on for?
Has anything been reported about a possible end in sight for the Palisades/Elton fires?

Been wondering the same .

 

[Dotta]

"Charity shares harrowing photos of animals injured in devastating LA wildfires -
as deer, dogs and cats are rescued
while owners desperately search for their missing pets."

Charity shares harrowing photos of animals injured in LA wildfires

Pasadena Humane - an LA-based animal shelter - said it has taken in over 300 animals due to evacuations, while its staff and volunteers are 'working nonstop' to help with their care.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Izzylizzy]

Been wondering the same .

Thank you because the thought that this could continue for even a few more days is unfathomable and we here are just observers.

I'm real curious on the possible direction/paths of the Palisades/Elton fires and if it's all developed land.
I'm not familiar with Cali.

 

[LittleSeaTree]

'Placing the area affected on to maps of New York and London gives a sense of how big that is, stretching from Clapham to Greenwich in the UK's capital, or across large areas of lower Manhattan and Queens.'

LA fires in maps: Where are they and how bad is the damage?

Maps and images showing how the fires currently affecting the Los Angeles area are developing.

www.bbc.com

I appreciate that, wow

 

[Herat]

Tanker teams are targeting an area of the Palisades Fire identified as upper Sullivan Canyon and Mandeville. Information from Watch Duty

Mandeville Road has a number homes along it, all of which seem very nice in a California ranch kind of style, most all with swimming pools and some vegetation. They are really in a very vulnerable area for wildfires, along a road that runs in the bottom of a canyon, in a north-south direction, so very vulnerable to winds and very remote from utilities. I'd wonder if their water source was well water rather than city pipes.

However, its, once again, astonishing the lack of prudent wildfire hygiene around these nice places. Trees are right up against property lines and homes. Not one has what is really safe defensible space.

Sullivan Canyon Trail · Los Angeles, CA 90049

Los Angeles, CA 90049

www.google.com

 

[Herat]

Thank you because the thought that this could continue for even a few more days is unfathomable and we here are just observers.

I'm real curious on the possible direction/paths of the Palisades/Elton fires and if it's all developed land.
I'm not familiar with Cali.

No, Palisades and Malibu to the west are a series of north-south canyons and ridges that are excellent at funneling Santa Ana winds down in a rushing vortex to the sea. It's almost like an accordion in terms of topography. At the bottom of many of these canyons are road and houses, often with ranch-type property where people keep horses for trail riding. At the top of the ridges are trails for hiking and horseback riding. These are really prized areas for the privacy, amount of land available, and exclusiveness of them. However, they have terrible fire risks for the topography. The more glitzy Pacific Palisades you saw before the fire was an area where the ridge was wider and it was much easier to build on, plus the stunningly beautiful Pacific Ocean views were extremely desirable. The first disaster footage from Palisades showed how there was only one road to get from the lower, flatter residential areas to the higher residential areas. Pacific Palisades road was two lanes in each direction, but there were no side roads to go around so firefighters were trying to go up and panicked residents were trying to flee going down. To the east, there was a "fire road" that ran from the upper Palisades to the lower Palisades. From the google images, it looks not well-maintained, with cracked pavement and at least one area where there might be bollards on it. It would be unusable also because, tragically, it was on the side where the fire started and would have been in the middle of the flames as they pushed downhill. There looks to be a metal gate at the south end of the fire road that makes it impossible to get farther south to evacuate.

The Pacific Palisades Road on the left of the image, with the barely visible fire road to the right, near the Pacific Hills Recreation Center tag.

Pacific Palisades road

www.google.com

Zoomed in on the Fire Road

Pacific Palisades road

www.google.com

At this level of a Google topography map, you can clearly see the parallel ridges and canyons.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[Herat]

Google streetview from the bottom of the fire evacuation road: Fire Road in Pacific Palisades. Although the gate looks kind of damaged, it would still be a horribly impassable barrier to a mass evacuation.

Street View · Google Maps

Explore a place in a more immersive way in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[Izzylizzy]

No, Palisades and Malibu to the west are a series of north-south canyons and ridges that are excellent at funneling Santa Ana winds down in a rushing vortex to the sea. It's almost like an accordion in terms of topography. At the bottom of many of these canyons are road and houses, often with ranch-type property where people keep horses for trail riding. At the top of the ridges are trails for hiking and horseback riding. These are really prized areas for the privacy, amount of land available, and exclusiveness of them. However, they have terrible fire risks for the topography. The more glitzy Pacific Palisades you saw before the fire was an area where the ridge was wider and it was much easier to build on, plus the stunningly beautiful Pacific Ocean views were extremely desirable. The first disaster footage from Palisades showed how there was only one road to get from the lower, flatter residential areas to the higher residential areas. Pacific Palisades road was two lanes in each direction, but there were no side roads to go around so firefighters were trying to go up and panicked residents were trying to flee going down. To the east, there was a "fire road" that ran from the upper Palisades to the lower Palisades. From the google images, it looks not well-maintained, with cracked pavement and at least one area where there might be bollards on it. It would be unusable also because, tragically, it was on the side where the fire started and would have been in the middle of the flames as they pushed downhill. There looks to be a metal gate at the south end of the fire road that makes it impossible to get farther south to evacuate.

The Pacific Palisades Road on the left of the image, with the barely visible fire road to the right, near the Pacific Hills Recreation Center tag.

Pacific Palisades road

www.google.com

Zoomed in on the Fire Road

Pacific Palisades road

www.google.com

At this level of a Google topography map, you can clearly see the parallel ridges and canyons.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

Wow!
You just gave new meaning to "ask and you shall receive"
Thank you so much.
I'm going to check it all out now.
A Cali paper should hire you.
Thanks again!

 

[Herat]

OMG, this is barely 150 feet from the site where LAFD is saying the fire started. WOW

And another locked gate at the top of the Fire Road in Pacific Palisades. How would you get through that with fierce winds, blowing embers at your back, billowing smoke obscuring your view of the track of the road, and 500 other cars loaded with panicked residents behind you?

And who has the ability to unlock the gates at the top and bottom of the fire road?

Street View · Google Maps

Explore a place in a more immersive way in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[dulcinea]

This may be a dumb question but how long could these fires go on for?
Has anything been reported about a possible end in sight for the Palisades/Elton fires?

It depends on where the fire is burning and if firefighters can access it. I watched the El Dorado fire burn for more than two months. Remember the gender reveal that started a massive fire? That was it.

 

[Herat]

Wow!
You just gave new meaning to "ask and you shall receive"
Thank you so much.
I'm going to check it all out now.
A Cali paper should hire you.
Thanks again!

Thanks. I think understanding the relative topography of that area makes it intuitive why this fire got so huge.

Currently, there are at least 8 helicopters and 3 tankers on Palisades, mostly on the west side near Topanga Canyons, actually in Malibu and some on the east side. They are all fighting in these ridge-and-canyon areas.