Wildfire rips through upscale coastal community as 20,000 residents evacuate
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Firefighters in California are running out of water after an ‘unprecedented’ outbreak of wildfires has engulfed large swathes of Los Angeles. Over 30,000 people have been evacuated from their homes so far as fires in the affluent neighbourhoods of Palisades Precinct and Eaton have spread faster than emergency services can respond to them, with experts warning the worst is still yet to come.
![[#PalisadesFire from a flight arriving into LAX]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235323198-bf07.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Extreme winds of up to 100mph have played a large role in spreading the fires so quickly, which are among the strongest seen in California for decades. Experts have said there is no chance of containing the fires until the winds, which are forecast to continue for several days, begin to subside.
![[January 7, 2025, Paacific Palisades, California, United States: A Vehicle seen burning down during the Palisades Fire. Palisades Fire burning through Pacific Palisades, California forcing thousands to evacuate. Fueled by Santa Ana winds the fire currently sits at 1,260 acres and remains 0% contained. 07 Jan 2025 Pictured: January 7, 2025, Paacific Palisades, California, United States: A Cal Firefighter fights the Palisades Fire. Palisades Fire burning through Pacific Palisades, California forcing thousands to evacuate. Fueled by Santa Ana winds the fire currently sits at 1,260 acres and remains 0% contained. Photo credit: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com sales@mega.global]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235325125-eb48.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Thousands of firefighters have been deployed to tackle the blazes, with hundreds more shipped in from neighbouring states. However, traffic jams on the nearby motorways are so dense that many motorists have abandoned their vehicles, which is hampering efforts by the emergency services ability to reach the affected areas.
![[Palisades Fire CAL FIRE CAL FIRE IMT 2 LA City Fire Department LAPD LA County Fire Department 2,921 Acres 1 County: Los Angeles]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235345450-db7f.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
A bulldozer was later deployed to push the abandoned cars out of the way and create a path, according to the LA Fire Department. Do not stand in the way of this fire,’ said firefighter David Ortiz. ‘This is pretty much the worst possible scenario for a firefight.’.
![[LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 07: People watch the smoke and flames from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on January 07, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Fueled by intense Santa Ana Winds, the Palisades Fire has grown to over 2,900 acres and 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate while a second fire has emerged near Eaton Canyon. (Photo by Tiffany Rose/Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235342440-4cb8.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Over 225,000 people have been left without power because of the fires, with the number expected to rise. Around 200,000 people in LA county and nearly 26,000 in the neighbouring Ventura county are affected by the outages, with thousands of residents in San Bernardino, San Diego and Riverside also experiencing blackouts.
![[Firefighters work to extinguish flames as the Eaton Fire burns in Pasadena, California, U.S. January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235327608-56a5.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
