'It's Like an Inferno': What to Know as Palisades Fire Burns Through More of Los Angeles

01/07/2025 06:57 PM

The cause of the rapidly growing blaze is under investigation

A fast-moving wildfire in Southern California has so far burned through more than 1,000 acres on Tuesday, Jan. 7. and has prompted widespread evacuations around the Los Angeles neighborhood of the Pacific Palisades, authorities said.

According to the L.A. Fire Department, as of 2:23 p.m., local time, the Palisades fire had so far covered nearly 800 acres — a number that was soon updated by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to more than 1,200 acres, reflecting how quickly the blaze was growing amid severe winds.

There have been no reported injuries or fatalities, officials said. Some 30,000 people have been evacuated from 10,000 homes or 15,000 structures.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The entire Pacific Palisades neighborhood, located west of downtown L.A., had been ordered to evacuate, The New York Times reported. 

Lori Libonati, a Pacific Palisades resident who witnessed the fire burning Tuesday morning before leaving the area, described the scene as "bad" to The Los Angeles Times.

"It's like an inferno," she told the newspaper. "We just saw the flames." 

Another Pacific Palisades resident, Krishan Chaudry, told CBS' KCBS that he saw the flames from his backyard. "This happened just spur of the moment," he said. "We were just looking at the smoke, and then all of a sudden, we saw fire everywhere."

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Erik Scott said the fire was first reported at about 10:30 a.m. in the 1100 block of North Piedra Morada Drive, according to The CW's KTLA.

"Fire is burning westward near the Pacific Palisades Highlands community with Rustic Canyon to the East & Topanga Cyn to the West are all under evacuation warning," said Scott, as reported by the local outlet. 

The Los Angeles National Weather Service had earlier warned on Monday, Jan. 6, of a "life-threatening" and "destructive widespread windstorm" that was expected on Tuesday afternoon and to continue through Wednesday morning, Jan. 8, covering most of Ventura and L.A. counties.

Those counties were to see north-northeasterly wind gusts of 50 to 80 mph, with isolated gusts up to 80 to 100 mph predicted in the mountains and foothills — and a related fire risk — forecasters warned.

PEOPLE confirmed that the Tuesday evening premiere of the film Unstoppable in Los Angeles has also been canceled due to the blaze. 

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Celebrities reported being in the vicinity of the fire, such as actor James Woods, who posted on X: "We were blessed to have LA fire and police depts doing their jobs so well. We are safe and out. There are several elementary schools in our neighborhood and there was an enormous community effort to evacuate the children safely. Can not speak more highly of the LA fire and LAPD."

Actor Steve Guttenberg, who lives around the area, told KTLA he was doing his part by telling people who left their vehicles to leave their keys, too, so that they could be later moved for the approaching fire trucks.

"If you leave your car behind, leave the key in there so a guy like me can move your car so that these fire trucks can get up there," he told the outlet.