As the Post Went to Print Tuesday Evening, the Fire Had Reached 2,921 Acres; Continued to Grow Overnight
By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
A brush fire that started Tuesday morning, January 7, had reached 2,921 acres—“and growing”—as the Palisadian-Post went to print in the evening—with winds anticipated to peak into the night, according to multiple government agencies.
“Extreme fire behavior, including short- and long-range spotting, continues to challenge firefighting efforts for the Palisades fire,” CAL FIRE wrote in an incident report at 6:25 p.m. Tuesday. “Winds gusts up to 60 MPH are expected to continue through Thursday, potentially aiding in further fire activity and suppression efforts.”
The Palisades fire was first reported at 10:30 a.m. at 20 acres burning near 1190 N Piedra Morada Drive in The Highlands, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson David Ortiz. By 12:23 p.m., the fire was estimated to be 200 acres, then updated to 770 acres at 2:23 p.m.
As LAFD hosted a press conference around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday—where multiple government officials spoke—the fire was reported to be 1,200 acres.
LAFD Fire Chief Kristin Crowley spoke at the press conference first, relaying details about when the fire began, citing the “extreme fire weather condition,” with red flag alert. Winds were reported to be 25 MPH at the time, with gusts up to 50 MPH, Crowley said, with LAFD requesting resources from assistant agencies for an “aggressive attack.”
Pacific Coast Highway was closed from Lincoln Tunnel to Topanga Canyon Boulevard, with 30,000 residents under mandatory evacuation from Merrimac Road to the northeast, Topanga Canyon Boulevard to the northwest and Pacific Coast Highway to the south, with residents reporting gridlocked conditions while trying to leave.
“People in the area of Pacific Palisades need to evacuate now due to a rapidly moving wildfire,” read an alert from the City of Los Angeles Emergency Management Department. “Pack all people and pets into your vehicle and leave the area immediately.”
An LA County dozer was called in to move approximately 30 abandoned cars that were blocking Sunset and Palisades as people fled to get to safety. Areas of Malibu, along PCH and near Tuna Canyon, were also under evacuation orders at press time, while additional zones, extending to Calabasas, were under evacuation warnings.
An evacuation center was opened at Westwood Recreation Center on Sepulveda Boulevard.
Crowley reported that “multiple structures” were damaged as of 3:30 p.m., though no injuries had been reported at the time. As the evening progressed and the fire extended into different neighborhoods of the Palisades, additional structures were seen burning.
Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone warned “we are not out of danger” during the press conference, noting that winds would “pick up and get worse” between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Marqueece Harris-Dawson—president of LA City Council and acting as mayor on behalf of Karen Bass at the time—said the city was “well-prepared” with a “tremendous plan.” He reiterated the importance of staying off the road to give emergency responders a chance to get through.
“The scope and scale of today’s fire here in the Palisades has been terrifying,” Councilmember Traci Park said during the press conference, saying “this is not a drill” and that is an “actual public safety emergency,” so people under evacuation orders should comply.
She reported that it could take a “couple of days” for agencies to get the situation under control, that it could be “some time” before people could return to their homes.
Governor Gavin Newsom was on site to speak as well, reporting that “by no stretch of the imagination are we out of the woods,” and that he witnessed destroyed structures during a drive through the canyon.
Multiple agencies, including LAFD, LACoFD, Los Angeles Police Department, CAL FIRE and beyond, continued to coordinate an effort to battle the fire.
National Weather Service Los Angeles wrote on Monday, January 6, that a “particularly dangerous situation” with “extreme fire conditions” was predicted at the time, with “widespread damaging winds” and “low humidities.”
“This is about as bad as it gets in terms of fire weather,” according to the agency.
As the Post went to print on Tuesday, the fire was 0% contained, according to CAL FIRE. The cause remained “under investigation.”
This is an ongoing story. Updates will be available online and across social media channels as they become available.
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