(Bloomberg) — An uncontrolled wildfire is threatening densely populated Santa Monica after ripping through an affluent area of Los Angeles, with strong winds grounding firefighting aircraft overnight and fueling other blazes.
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Mandatory evacuation orders have been expanded to parts of northern Santa Monica, with alerts covering a large swath of the coastal city warning residents may need to evacuate. Widespread and damaging wind gusts are expected to worsen, hampering efforts to contain the fire.
The Palisades Fire was at almost 3,000 acres, while two other blazes flared up overnight — one near Altadena and the other near Sylmar, southeast of Santa Clarita. All are uncontained and all have prompted evacuation orders.
The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings that extend from central California’s coast to the US-Mexico border. Beverly Hills, Hollywood Hills, Malibu and the densely-populated San Fernando Valley are facing a “particularly dangerous situation” — the most severe fire alert level.
About 30,000 people were ordered to leave their homes on Tuesday after a brush fire erupted in the Pacific Palisades community, causing panic and traffic gridlock, with some abandoning their cars on narrow hillside roads.
Local television broadcast scenes of flames engulfing parts of the Palisades Charter High School, and multiple explosions were heard on camera near the campus. Across the street, parts of Palisades Elementary Charter School were also reported to have gone up in flames, according to KTLA.
All schools in the Santa Monica and Malibu public school district, and Pasadena unified school district will be closed on Wednesday.
Winds are expected to peak Tuesday through early Wednesday afternoon, with the strongest gusts expected to scour the San Fernando Valley and the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Isolated gusts could be as strong as 100 miles per hour (161 kilometers), according to the US National Weather Service.
The Palisades Fire erupted as Southern California braced for what forecasters called a “life-threatening and destructive” Santa Ana wind storm that could last for days. The region has received almost no rain for months, leaving grass and brush primed to burn, and San Diego Gas & Electric Co. started safety power cuts to customers on Tuesday evening, citing elevated risks.
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Edison International’s Southern California utility — the largest in the region — shut off electricity to about 53,000 homes and businesses in an effort to prevent wildfires. The company said it may need to cut power to an additional 439,000 customers if Santa Ana winds become exceptionally strong.
Nearly 220,000 customers are without power in Los Angeles county, according to PowerOutage.us. The municipal electric utility, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said around 86,300 customers are without power as of 9 p.m. local time on Tuesday.
In a statement issued Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden said he was being frequently briefed on the wildfires and urged residents to stay vigilant and listen to local officials. The US Federal Emergency Management Agency has also authorized the us of funds to assist in combating the Palisades Fire.
–With assistance from Sarah McGregor, Janine Phakdeetham, Yasufumi Saito, Lauren Rosenthal, Skylar Woodhouse, Derek Wallbank and Michelle Ma.
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