A rapidly growing wildfire raged across an upscale section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, destroying homes and creating traffic jams as 30,000 people evacuated beneath huge plumes of smoke that covered much of the metropolitan area.

At least 2,921 acres (1,182 hectares) of the Pacific Palisades area between the coastal settlements of Santa Monica and Malibu had burned, officials said, after they had already warned of extreme fire danger from powerful winds that arrived following extended dry weather.

The fire continued to spread as officials cautioned that the worst wind conditions were expected overnight, raising fears that additional neighborhoods might need to evacuate. The city of Santa Monica subsequently issued evacuation orders for the northern part of the area.

Witnesses described seeing several homes engulfed in flames, with some fires nearly reaching vehicles as residents fled the Topanga Canyon hills. The blaze then moved downhill toward the Pacific Ocean.

"We feel very blessed at this point that there are no injuries reported," Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said during a press conference, noting that over 25,000 people living in 10,000 homes were at risk.

Firefighters used aircraft to scoop water from the ocean and drop it on the nearby flames. Television footage showed flames consuming homes while bulldozers cleared abandoned vehicles from roads to allow emergency crews to pass.

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As the sun set over Los Angeles, massive orange flames lit up the hills leading toward Topanga Canyon.

This is by far the craziest video from the fire in Los Angeles. This guy is filming huge walls of fire surrounding a house they're in, and there's another person and a dog. I have no idea why they didn't evacuate or what happened to them. Let's hope they're okay. #PalisadesFire pic.twitter.com/QYtsBSKvdl

— Sia Kordestani (@SiaKordestani) January 8, 2025

State of emergency

The fire scorched some trees on the grounds of the Getty Villa, a museum home to priceless artworks. However, the collection remained unharmed, thanks in part to preventive measures, such as clearing brush around the buildings, according to the museum.

With only one major road connecting the canyon to the coast and just one coastal highway offering a route to safety, traffic came to a standstill, forcing people to flee on foot.

Before the fire broke out, the National Weather Service issued its highest alert for extreme fire conditions across much of Los Angeles County from Tuesday through Thursday, forecasting wind gusts of 50 to 80 mph (80 to 130 kph). Due to low humidity and dry vegetation from the lack of rain, the conditions were "about as bad as it gets in terms of fire weather," according to the Los Angeles office of the National Weather Service on X.

Governor Gavin Newsom, who declared a state of emergency, announced that the state had deployed personnel, firetrucks, and aircraft throughout Southern California to address the fire threat to the broader region. "Hopefully, we're wrong, but we're anticipating other fires happening concurrently," Newsom told the press.

A second fire, called the Eaton Fire, ignited about 30 miles (50 km) inland, in the foothills above Pasadena, burning 200 acres (80 hectares), according to Cal Fire.

The strong winds also disrupted President Joe Biden’s travel plans, grounding Air Force One in Los Angeles. He had intended to fly to the Coachella Valley for a ceremony to establish two new national monuments in California, but the event was postponed to a later date at the White House. "I have offered any federal assistance that is needed to help suppress the terrible Pacific Palisades fire," Biden said in a statement. He also noted that a federal grant had been approved to help reimburse California for its fire response.