Firefighters battle 200-acre Pacific Palisades brush fire as high winds slam Southern California

Firefighters are battling a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades that quickly spread to 200 acres Tuesday and triggered mandatory evacuations amid warnings from weather forecasters of “extreme” wildfire risks.  

With the blaze exploding in size within an hour, fire authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders for homes in the area around noon along with some evacuation warnings. At 10:30 a.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department first reported the blaze, saying it sparked near 1190 North Piedra Morada Dr. and was estimated to be 20 acres at that time. 

An hour later, at about 11:30 a.m., the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, estimated the wildfire was 200 acres. 

Krishan Chaudry, a resident in the LA coastal community, said he could see flames burning from his backyard, which he said appeared suddenly. Thick, billowing plumes of black smoke were seen rising over hillsides in footage from UC San Diego’s AlertCalifornia live-camera system while other footage showed the glow of flames over neighborhoods of homes.

“This happened just spur of the moment,” Chaudry said. “We were just looking at the smoke, and then all of a sudden, we saw fire everywhere,” Chaudry said.

LA city officials said those not in the Pacific Palisades area should shelter in place while the coastal community evacuated.

Many parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, including the area where the blaze was reported, are facing a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” red flag warning this week. It’s a relatively rare advisory the National Weather Service issues in more extreme cases, and it’s the same warning that was issued just before the Mountain Fire tore through nearly 20,000 acres late last year.

This week, Cal Fire has been preparing additional resources as particularly strong Santa Ana winds — which can fuel and spread powerful wildfires — batter the region. Gusts could up to around 60 to 70 mph in many areas and up to 100 mph in a few areas, according to forecasters.

“This will likely be a life-threatening, destructive, and widespread windstorm,” the National Weather Service said Tuesday, adding that the “Particularly Dangerous Situation” warning will be in effect from noon Tuesday through 4 p.m. Wednesday for areas of LA and Ventura including Malibu.

In December, the coastal community faced the Franklin Fire which destroyed more than two dozen structures, including a number of homes, as it burned through over 4,000 acres.

Check back for updates to this developing story.