LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – Residents are being told to prepare to evacuate due to a rapidly spreading wildfire in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles Tuesday morning.
The blaze was first reported around 10:30 a.m. as a “vegetation fire” in the 1100 block of North Piedra Morada Drive and had already grown to 200 acres as of 11:45 a.m., according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Erik Scott.
“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,” Scott said.
View of the Palisades Fire from LAX on Jan. 7, 2025. (KTLA)
An ALERTCalifornia camera view of a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles County. Jan. 7, 2024. (ALERTCalifornia)
A fire burning in Pacific Palisades is seen on Jan. 7, 2024. (ALERT California)
More than 100 firefighters and pre-positioned strike teams were battling the blaze, David Ortiz of the LAFD said.
“This is pretty much the worst possible scenario for a firefight,” said Ortiz. Video from Alert California showed a large plume of smoke rising over the Santa Monica Mountains.
“Those near the Palisades Fire should get set for a potential evacuation,” the city of Los Angeles posted on X earlier. Ortiz described the fire as a blowtorch and urged residents to follow orders if asked to leave. “Do not stand in the way of this fire,” he said.
No homes were reported to be burning but Ortiz stressed that the firefight was just beginning.
Pacific Palisades is located about 10 miles from Malibu, where the Franklin Fire burned more than 4,000 acres and burned several homes after erupting during similar windy conditions in December.
Updates from the Fire Department can be found on its alerts page here.
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