Fires erupt in Southern California as Santa Ana winds slam Los Angeles and Ventura counties

LOS ANGELES — A windstorm that forecasters described as potentially destructive and life-threatening is impacting a large swath of Southern California, dramatically raising the risk of wildfires for the next several days. Firefighters are battling a fire in the foothills of Pacific Palisades, a Los Angeles coastal neighborhood.

At least 30,000 residents are under a mandatory evacuation order in Pacific Palisades.

The quick-moving fire was reported shortly before 10:30 a.m. in the 1100 block of North Piedra Morada Drive, sending a massive plume of smoke rose above the Santa Monica Mountains.

“The Palisades Fire is burning near Palisades Drive,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement from NotifyLA alert system. “Those nearby should get set for a potential wildfire evacuation by gathering supplies and loved ones.”

“This is a highly dangerous windstorm that’s creating extreme fire risk – and we’re not out of the woods,” California Gov. Gavin 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.”

Los Angeles County and Angeles National Forest firefighters are also responding to another brush fire nearby burning in the Eaton Canyon area above Altadena. It’s called the Eaton Fire. It has jumped from 10 acres to 200 acres Tuesday night, mandatory evacuations have been issued.

The city of Los Angeles has declared a state of emergency for the wind event, the L.A. City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson announced during a press conference Tuesday. He added that the most severe part of this windstorm is yet to come, but the city has “all resources on deck”.

“We want everybody to know that the city is well prepared and has a tremendous emergency management infrastructure,” said Harris-Dawson. “If you can stay off of our roads, please do so to allow emergency vehicles to go across the city.”

A massive contingent of Los Angeles city and county firefighting resources were deployed to the scene in Pacific Palisades, including helicopters and Super Scoopers.

In a statement released at 11:13 a.m., Pepperdine University noted that fire officials predicted the fire had the potential to spread to as many as 200 acres “in the next 20 minutes as the winds push it from the northeast toward the Pacific Ocean. The fire is not presently a threat to the Malibu campus, though smoke from the fire is visible from campus.”

Shortly afterward, the LAFD issued a mandatory evacuation order for the an area between Piedra Morada Drive and Pacific Coast Highway, including the Getty Villa the southern end of Topanga Canyon Boulevard. The area immediately to the west was under an evacuation warning.

An evacuation center was established at the Westwood Recreation Center at 1350 South Sepulveda Boulevard.

“People in the area of Palisades need to evacuate now due to a rapidly moving wildfire, the Fire Department said. “Pack all people and pets into your vehicle and leave the area immediately. If you are not in the mandatory evacuation zone, stay off the roads to allow first responders and evacuees to move quickly.”

Track the brush fire’s movement and evacuation zones here:

The Los Angeles Unified School District said it was temporarily relocating students from three campuses in the Pacific Palisades area due to the fire.

Just before 1 p.m., the Los Angeles Police Department announced a citywide tactical alert as its officers assisted in the response to the blaze.

Around 2 p.m., at least one home was seen engulfed in flames near Paseo Miramar, a winding residential street just north of Sunset Boulevard.

Los Angeles live fire map: Blaze burns through Pacific Palisades

There were no confirmed reports of injuries.

“We threw everything we had at it really quick,” LAFD Capt. Erik Scott said in an interview, referring to the fire. “We knew that if we didn’t get it in 20 minutes it would go to hundreds of acres and it was just impossible to catch, even though we had such a significant initial attack.”

In a video published on X, actor James Woods said he was “standing in my driveway getting ready to evacuate.” The footage showed dramatic flames burning dangerously close to several hillside homes.

“We’ve got a lot of planes going over, dropping water,” Woods said, “but…”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement noting that, in preparation for high winds, the Fire Department had “pre-deployed strike teams in and near areas prone to wildfire. Firefighters are now actively and aggressively responding to the #PalisadesFire with support from regional partners.”

President Joe Biden released a statement Tuesday night writing:

“I am being frequently briefed on the wildfires in west Los Angeles. My team and I are in touch with state and local officials, and I have offered any federal assistance that is needed to help suppress the terrible Pacific Palisades fire. Earlier tonight, FEMA approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant to support areas that are impacted and help reimburse the state of California for the immediate firefighting costs. My Administration will do everything it can to support the response. I urge the residents of the Pacific Palisades and the surrounding areas of Los Angeles to stay vigilant and listen to local officials.”

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Los Angeles County residents “can really be proud that we arguably have the largest initial attack of aviation resources in the United States when it comes to automatic and mutual aid between L.A. County, L.A. city and Ventura County,” Scott told ABC7.

“We absolutely hit this hard from the ground and air — but that just shows the power of Mother Nature,” the LAFD spokesman said.

The erratic weather caused President Joe Biden to cancel plans to travel to Riverside County’s Coachella Valley, where he was to announce the establishment of two new national monuments — one near Joshua Tree National Park and another in Northern California. Biden will deliver his remarks in Los Angeles instead.

The National Weather Service said what could be the strongest Santa Ana windstorm in more than a decade would begin in the afternoon across Los Angeles and Ventura counties and peak in the early hours of Wednesday, when gusts could reach 80 mph. Isolated gusts could top 100 mph in mountains and foothills.

ABC News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.