Here is what happened to the wildfire in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.
A fast-moving wildfire galloped over a steep hillside and threatened scores of homes in the Los Angeles coastal enclave of Pacific Palisades on Monday, Oct. 21. The tragedy prompted evacuations as rescue helicopters and firefighters poured the area with water to battle the flames.
Aerial video footage broadcasted by ABC-7 showed tall flames raging along a ridge line at the edge of a neighborhood. It burned perilously close to several homes as authorities urged residents to flee.
Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Brian Humphrey told ABC-7 on the broadcast that winds were relatively light. The winds kept the wildfire in check by decreasing the number of smoking embers blown into the air.
A cloud of thick and brown smoke was visible for miles around the fire. The fire damaged an estimated 40 acres of steep slopes rich in chaparral and dry brush.
Massive, repeated water drops from helicopters kept the wildfire from propelling into a neighborhood closest to the flames. The fire appeared to have been subdued within an hour. However, two injuries were reported, said Butler. One firefighter suffered minor injuries while one civilian was taken to the hospital due to respiratory stress.
Patrick Butler, an assistant chief with the Los Angeles Fire Department, said at a news conference that the fire, reported around 10:40 a.m. local time, started at the base of Palisades Drive. It developed over approximately 18 acres in just 15 minutes, he added.
The steep, hilly terrain delayed the responders from doing their job. The place, according to Butler, was an "extremely challenging for hand crews." Butler added the responders were essentially cutting their way up the hillside, with rocks coming down on them.
Butler said mandatory evacuation for about 200 homes continued in effect. Ground teams and helicopters put out hotspots and formed lines around the fire zone's perimeter.
The cause, however, was not immediately clear. There were not any immediate injuries or significant damage reported, said Butler. He added there were arson investigators on the scene.
Residents could be seen fleeing as the fire advanced on the affluent coastal community, and some stood near the edge of the hillside to try turning back flames with garden hoses. Local roads were blocked as dozens of homeowners attempted to leave the area. The firetrucks were likewise challenged to traverse narrow hillside roadways in the community. The Los Angeles Fire Department, later on, lifted its mandatory evacuation directives after declaring a fire out on the Pacific Palisades area.
The blaze in Pacific Palisades, located 18 miles (approximately 29 km) west of downtown Los Angeles came two weeks after a significant wind-driven wildfire damaged nearly 8,000 acres on the northern edge of Los Angeles. The incident destroyed dozens of structures and prompted evacuations of some 23,000 residents.
The likelihood of fire is expected to increase again by Thursday, Butler said, as low humidity, hot temperatures, and windy conditions are in store for Southern California this week. Butler said forecasts called for secure, dry Santa Ana winds to return Southern California on Thursday.
Sean Rios, a spokesperson of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, emphasized in a TV interview with CBSN Los Angeles that homeowners should regularly clean the areas around their houses to protect them. Rios said fire season could happen in California at any time of the year.
Firefighters battle a blaze from the air that was threatening homes in the Pacific Palisades community of Los Angeles, California, U.S., October 21, 2019.
Firefighters battle a blaze from the air that was threatening homes in the Pacific Palisades community of Los Angeles, California, U.S., October 21, 2019. REUTERS/Gene Blevins
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