By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

Los Angeles Police Department Senior Lead Officer for Pacific Palisades Brian Espin provided a community update regarding the Palisades fire on Friday, January 10, urging residents to stay out of the area. 

The Palisades Fire—which broke out on Tuesday, January 7—has burnt through 23,654 acres and is at 11% containment as of Saturday, January 11.

“Fire continues to burn actively with greatest rates of spread experienced on exposed ridgetops and drainages,” according to Los Angeles Fire Department. 

LAFD reported “critical” fire weather conditions were possible Saturday night, January 11, with weak northerly winds and low humidity. 

Because of the active fire, Espin explained, the Palisades is still under a mandatory evacuation order and individuals should not be in the area.

“It is still unsafe for people to be walking around in the neighborhoods,” Espin said. “I understand that everyone would like to retrieve their medications and check on their homes, but we are not able to safely sustain the sheer volume of residents that want an escort into the area … Our resources are stretched very thin.”

Though LAPD was previously providing escorts to homes to retrieve prescriptions, Espin said it put a strain on LAPD, LAFD and those working to patrol the area. 

As a result of the surge of traffic and individuals trying to get into the Palisades, Espin said police escorts into the evacuation zone will be halted, and only emergency personnel will be allowed into the area. 

“Please do not come to any checkpoints asking to access your residence as you will be turned away,” Espin said. “Please do not try and access the area by the beach as you will similarly be turned away.”

Espin said LAPD is working under the direction of Unified Command officials, and an update will be provided when individuals can re-enter the Palisades.

“I understand the frustration with having to wait for so long to get back to our homes to check on them, but in these unprecedented times we must prioritize our precious resources to focus on the ongoing threat,” he said. “We need to keep the area clear for our firefighters and our officers focused on supporting those efforts while also keeping an eye out for any potential looting, search and rescue efforts for missing persons, and protecting crime scenes in the event evidence of arson is discovered. We ask for your continued patience and support.”

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.

Reported it Could be “Some Time” Before Residents Could Return Home Following Evacuation Orders

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Speaking during a Los Angeles Fire Department press conference that took place at Will Rogers State Beach on Tuesday, January 7, around 3:30 p.m., Councilwoman Traci Park explained that it could be “some time” until residents under evacuation orders put in place for the Palisades fire, which began at 10:30 a.m. and had reached more than 1,200 acres at press time, could return home

“It may take our partners at fire a couple of days to get the situation under control,” Park said. “It may be some time until people are allowed to return to their homes and residences. Please bear with us during this period as our public safety partners work hard to protect lives and property, and ensure that this area is safe before people return.”

At the time of the press conference, LAFD Fire Chief Kristin Crowley reported that structures had burned.

Park was one of several officials who spoke during the press conference, beginning by thanking “all of our public safety partners.”

“LA [Fire Department] has over 250 firefighters on the frontlines in the hillsides right now,” she said, “actively fighting this fire supported by more than 100 firefighters from LA County Fire, as well as additional resources from Orange County, Ventura County, CAL FIRE and neighboring cities, including Arcadia and Santa Monica.”

She also thanked law enforcement, including California Highway Patrol, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles Police Department, for their “terrific coordinated response with us today.”

“To my constituents here in Pacific Palisades, I want to reiterate, this is not a drill, this is an actual public safety emergency,” Park continued, noting that areas west of Mandeville Canyon and north of Pacific Coast Highway to Topanga Canyon Boulevard were under evacuation orders.

Outside of the Palisades, an evacuation order had been issued for Topanga and Malibu near Tuna Canyon Road, with CAL FIRE advising residents to “leave now.” Evacuation warnings were also in effect at the time, extending as far west as Pepperdine and north as Calabasas.

“Please make sure you are packed and ready to go, and complying with all directives being given to you by law enforcement and by our partners at the fire service as well,” Park said of those watching who were not under evacuation orders at the time.

An evacuation center had been set up at Westwood Recreation Center, while people with large pets could go to Los Angeles Equestrian Center.

Park described the fire as a “dynamic situation” that was “fast-moving and growing,” with predicted wind patterns to increase over night on Tuesday.