Air passengers have captured footage from the air as Southern California fights devastating wildfires that have forced flights to divert.
The wildfire, which erupted Tuesday morning in Pacific Palisades, has so far grown to encompass over 2,900 acres with zero containment as of Wednesday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The fire is being driven by fierce Santa Ana winds, with gusts reaching up to 100 mph in higher elevations. Evacuations have been ordered for more than 30,000 residents in the affected areas, including parts of Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and Sylmar.
Passengers on board flights due to land at Hollywood Burbank Airport have been capturing a bird's-eye perspective on the scale of the devastation.
Mark Viniello was on board United Airlines flight from Denver (DEN) to Burbank (BUR) to divert to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Tuesday night, January 7, 2025. Originally set to land at Hollywood Burbank Airport, as the airplane approached, it became clear a reroute would have to take place.
Shocked by the inferno below, Viniello captured pictures and video of the roaring flames with the city lights in the background.
Upon landing at LAX, the passengers applauded the pilot and flight crew for their skill and professionalism. "It was an applause-worthy landing," Viniello told Newsweek.
Tai Wright from North Hollywood also shared pictures from her diverted flight, also due to land at Hollywood Burbank Airport on Tuesday. Wright captured pictures of the fires below from aboard American Airlines Flight 2597, traveling from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
"We were making our descent at the time of the photos. Right after taking them, the heat inside the aircraft started to rise, and the smoke smell filled the cabin," Wright told Newsweek.
"The general mood of the flight got very tense and quiet up until we landed some 20 to 30 minutes afterward. The entire landing was rocky, with the aircraft swaying and turning in all directions right up until touchdown, and everyone on board applauded with good reason after we touched ground.
"Personally, I had an initial reaction of keeping the environment calm and lighthearted as we were flying overhead, making conversation to keep those around me—and myself—from panicking too much. I had a lot of adrenaline rushing through me, and that didn't fade until I arrived home in the Uber and finally cried it out," Wright said.
Flight trackers appear to show flights operated by multiple airlines taking a diverted route in light of the fires. Newsweek reached out to American Airlines and United Airlines out of hours for comment.
The Pacific Palisades Fire is part of a larger crisis unfolding across Southern California, where multiple blazes have erupted in the past 48 hours. The Eaton Fire, near Altadena, quickly consumed 400 acres Tuesday evening, prompting evacuation orders for parts of Altadena and Pasadena. The Hurst Fire in Sylmar has already scorched 100 acres near the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has taken similar action at the city level. The Los Angeles Fire Department has been stretched thin, with Captain Sheila Kelliher saying that firefighters are "in for a fight tonight" as they battle these ferocious blazes.
"Everything that the weather service has been saying is that we are going to have the peak of the wind event from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.," Kelliher told CNN. "We don't have a number of structures lost, but just listening to the radio, there are plenty of structures on fire. This is a tough one."
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