The wind-driven brush fire in Pacific Palisades and Malibu exploded on Wednesday, and by evening had charred more than 15,800 acres and destroyed approximately 1,000 structures, authorities said.
The blaze was about five times larger than it was the night before.
The Palisades fire is “burning both east and west,” Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said Wednesday morning. “We’re going to have more winds. … Likely the biggest growth that we are seeing is to the west and our biggest priority is life and structure defense.”
The Associated Press reported Wednesday the fire was the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles, surpassing the 2008 Sayre fire, which destroyed more than 600 structures. The AP cited statistics kept by the Wildfire Alliance, a partnership between the city’s fire department and MySafe:LA. It is unclear if the group subtracted the structures burned in Malibu, its own city.
Among the fire’s casualties: Will Rogers’ ranch house and other buildings at Will Rogers State Historical Park, the Topanga Ranch Motel and a Gelson’s Market.
The fire broke out about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in the area of Piedra Morada and Monte Hermoso drives and quickly caused havoc, swelling due to significant Santa Ana winds and forcing thousands to flee their hillside homes.
Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said an estimated 1,000 structures were destroyed, but LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley said her agency was still vetting that figure.
A 25-year-old firefighter suffered a serious head injury Tuesday, Scott said. Marrone said there were no fatalities, but a “high number of significant injuries to residents who did not evacuate in addition to first responders who are on the fire line.”
By Wednesday night, Crowley said, 1,792 personnel were battling the fire.
The fire’s cause was under investigation.
Air tankers and helicopters have made water drops, while firefighters from across the region flooded the area.
“We are not out of danger,” Crowley warned on Wednesday night. “You can see the active fires that are burning. With strong winds that are going to continue throughout the night, I can tell you and assure you that firefighters and first responders remain focused on protecting lives and property.”
Some 30 vehicles were ditched along Sunset Boulevard and Palisades Drive by people fleeing the flames. Some were plowed out of the way by a Los Angeles County bulldozer to provide clear access for firefighters and others, officials said.
Vegetation around both the Getty Villa and LAFD’s Palisades station also erupted, but officials said neither building burned.
Along Pacific Coast Highway on Wednesday, dozens of structures were burned to shells or rubble.
Up above, hillside homes were consumed by flames, ravaging neighborhoods. Frames of vehicles sat on driveways, accompanied by debris fields that once were homes.
Across from Will Rogers State Beach, structures that once were part of the Tahitian Terrace mobile home park had burned to the ground.
Blake Armstrong, who had lived at Tahitian Terrace for three years, evacuated Tuesday afternoon but returned Wednesday morning to survey the scene.
“The idea that everything would be flattened and burned to the ground — I did not think was possible,” Armstrong said.
He managed to retrieve one item from the wreckage that was once his home: A small statue of a dog that his partner had purchased at an estate sale and represented an inside joke the two shared.
Armstrong, who appeared briefly emotional, regained his composure.
Live embers continued smoldering amid gusty winds and not far behind him was parked a completely burned-out car.
“I think everyone got out safely, so that’s what’s important, obviously,” he said.
Throughout the day, other residents of the area and curious passersby stopped to take photos of the scene.
Isaiah Dupree, who lives in downtown Los Angeles, had friends who were from the Pacific Palisades and recounted spending time here while growing up. His last trip was in August, when he spent a day at the beach.
“I spent years going down this road (Pacific Coast Highway), and all these restaurants and houses — it’s just destroyed now,” he said. “It’s not going to be the same after this. And it’s just crazy to see.”
Born and raised in L.A., Dupree said he had never witnessed such a devastating fire.
“It’s sad to see, but I know we’re going to come back better and stronger like we always do,” he said. “I just hope everybody’s evacuated and is doing OK.”
Denise Doyen and her husband, who moved to Pacific Palisades in 2002, sounded defeated Wednesday evening at the possibility that their home may have burned. Earlier in the day, a video someone posted on social media of their street shows that their home was still standing as of Wednesday morning. But when the couple returned in the evening and looked up toward the hillside, they no longer could see it.
Doyen said when they first married and lived in Westwood, they would move every five years or so to get closer to the Palisades. It had always been her dream to live somewhere with an ocean view.
Now, they waited.
When evacuating, the couple did manage to pack up three cars’ worth of stuff, but she had forgotten to pack her husband’s grandmother’s quilt and certain photos that were never backed up online.
“I was like, ‘Oh, God!’ because you’re running around the house, trying to prioritize, and you only have so much room in three cars,” Doyen said. “So I felt terrible.”
Evacuation orders were affecting some 37,000 residents, while about 15,000 homes in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu areas were threatened by the fire, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Wednesday.
About 20,000 additional residents and 6,500 structures were under evacuation warnings, Luna said.
Scott, the LAFD captain, said firefighters on Wednesday were “concentrating on structure defense.”
He said wind gusts up to 100 mph, coupled with surrounding topography, “makes it extremely challenging for us firefighters to really get a handle on (the fire). … There are a ton of power poles and lines that are down in multiple locations and Mandeville Canyon continues to be a significant concern for us today.”
Firefighters were also faced with lower water pressure as the firefight has “had a tremendous demand on our water system in the Palisades,” said Janisse Quiñones, CEO of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
The demand for the Palisades fire was four times the normal demand for the agency, which was stretched over a 15-hour period, Quinones said. Three large water tanks in the Pacific Palisades area, with one million gallons of water each, were dry by 3 a.m. Wednesday.
“The consumption of water was faster than we can provide water in a trunk line,” Quinones said, adding that the department was sending 20 water tanks full of water to support first responders on Wednesday.
Quinones noted during a Wednesday news conference that water tanks in the Palisades area were depleted due to the winds heavily limiting air operations, forcing firefighters to rely on water tanks connected to hydrants.
Crews were working to refill the tanks, which were full on Monday before the fire began.
Quinones urged residents to conserve water. A boil water advisory is in place for L.A. County District 29, the Sunset Mesa Community.
All Los Angeles Unified School District schools will be closed today. District leadership expects to make a decision regarding possible closures on Friday by around 4 p.m. today.
For updated news on evacuations and shelters: fire.ca.gov.