Local authorities began warning SoCal residents on Sunday that “life-threatening” winds up to 100 mph would soon be ripping through the Southland. On Tuesday, those winds started fanning the flames of a dangerous blaze in Pacific Palisades, California — the town just East of Malibu, where the Franklin fire burned more than 4,000 acres along the coast a month ago.
The fire was first reported at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday and the entire community down to the Pacific Ocean was placed under an evacuation order within the hour. Less than four hours after the fire had begun it had reportedly spread to more than 770 acres. LAFD announced just before 4 p.m. Tuesday that the fire had then spread to more than 1,250 acres and closed Pacific Coast Highway from the Lincoln Tunnel in Santa Monica up to Topanga Boulevard.
Local news stations shared images of cars abandoned in the middle of city streets, unintentionally blocking pathways for fire trucks and emergency personnel to pass through. Emergency crews had to drive a bulldozer down the road in order to move those cars and clear new paths for fire fighters. L.A. County Lifeguards also shared images of smoke covering the sky and moving westward over the Pacific Ocean shortly after the blaze began.
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“This is pretty much the worst possible scenario for a firefight,” David Ortiz of the LAFD said, referring to the high winds.
“The wind direction of this event is more from the N-NE rather than typical NE-E Santa Ana’s,” the National Weather Service wrote on social media. “This means the strongest wind corridors shift more east and focus over more of LA Co. than is typical (including San Gabriel foothills) rather than the Ventura Coast.”
HEADS UP!!! A LIFE-THREATENING, DESTRUCTIVE, Widespread Windstorm is expected Tue afternoon-Weds morning across much of Ventura/LA Co. Areas not typically windy will be impacted. See graphic for areas of greatest concern. Stay indoors, away from windows, expect poweroutages. #LA pic.twitter.com/yl83LxeMEc
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) January 6, 2025
“The strongest winds with this event are expected to be this evening into early Wednesday afternoon when widespread damaging wind gusts of 50 to 80 mph are likely,” the National Weather Service announced. “This will likely be the most destructive windstorm seen since 2011 windstorm that did extensive damage to Pasadena and nearby foothills of San Gabriel Valley.”
