A fast-moving wildfire erupted Tuesday morning in the mountains above Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, fueled by extreme high winds. The blaze, originating near the Paseo Miramar neighborhood above Palisades Drive, rapidly consumed brush and threatened nearby homes and Palisades Charter High School, prompting an immediate evacuation. Eyewitnesses reported seeing burning homes and cars, with embers leaping across canyons to the Marquez Knolls neighborhood. The speed of the fire forced residents on Palisades Drive to abandon their vehicles and flee towards the ocean. While no injuries or fatalities have been reported, and the cause remains under investigation, the incident underscored the region’s vulnerability to wildfires.
The chaotic evacuation led to significant traffic congestion along Sunset Boulevard and Palisades Drive as residents and emergency vehicles struggled for space. Despite the urgency, a sense of calm prevailed, with residents offering mutual assistance. Parents, however, expressed frustration with the Los Angeles Unified School District’s requirement to complete forms before retrieving their children from the evacuated school, adding to the stress of the situation.
The fire occurred under an extreme weather alert, with strong north-northeast winds predicted from Tuesday morning through Wednesday evening. Although the past two winters brought substantial rainfall, potentially mitigating dryness, the increased brush density, coupled with the absence of significant rainfall this winter, created highly flammable conditions. This incident follows a large Malibu wildfire last month that threatened Pepperdine University but resulted in no casualties, highlighting the ongoing wildfire risk in the region.