Satellite imagery shows the scale and spread of the Palisades Fire in Southern California, which started on Tuesday.
Newsweek has contacted the California Fire Service via email for updates on the situation.
Why It Matters
Around 49,000 residents in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades have now been told to evacuate. Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley said around 10,367 homes and 13,208 structures were at risk of destruction, according to Business Insider.
A dire situation is unfolding tonight as wildfires rage in Southern California.
Communities continue to be significantly impacted by the Palisades and Eaton Fires. pic.twitter.com/75nPVo24l6
What To Know
Satellite footage from the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at Colorado State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows the spread of the fire along the coastline.
CIRA posted the video on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday morning and wrote, "A dire situation is unfolding tonight as wildfires rage in Southern California. Communities continue to be significantly impacted by the Palisades and Eaton Fires."
The Palisades fire was first reported at 10:30 a.m. local time and by 7:30 p.m. it had raged over more than 2,921 acres of land, according to California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The footage shared by CIRA shows the moment another fire broke out, which appears to be in the region of Altadena, where the Eaton Fire began. There was also another fire, the Hurst Fire in Sylmar, which started later in the day on Tuesday.
The Eaton Fire rapidly scorched 400 acres in the hills above Altadena, while the Hurst Fire charred 100 acres of land near the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, according to fire officials.
As of Wednesday morning, the scale of the devastation left by the Eaton Fire spread to 1,000 acres. The fire has now prompted evacuation orders in parts of the neighboring cities of Arcadia and Sierra Madre.
The Hurst Fire prompted a mandatory evacuation order for people in the Cascades and Sunshine Canyon area.
As the fire damages the area's infrastructure, Powerages.com has reported that over 302,000 households are currently without power.
What People Are Saying
Eliza Leonchenko, who was visiting a friend in Santa Monica, told NBC News: "If people are not feeling the fire and are just seeing it, they might think it's not getting closer and not getting more dangerous. During the day we were like, 'Oh my god, it's so far', but then suddenly it was so close. I've never seen something like this movie. This is like a horror movie."
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, said on Tuesday: "To the thousands of families impacted by this horrific fire – the City of Los Angeles is providing resources and shelter as this emergency continues."
"To the hundreds of brave firefighters and first responders who have been responding all day to this blaze – we thank you. The City is working aggressively to confront this emergency."
What's Next
Evacuation orders have been expanded to multiple areas in Altadena and La Cañada Flintridge in California due to the Eaton Fire. Pasadena has also issued mandatory evacuation orders for the area north of Orange Grove and Rosemead Boulevard, east of Lake Avenue, and west of Michillinda Avenue.
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