A wildfire that started in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles on Tuesday morning has spread across the west of the city at an alarming rate throughout Tuesday and overnight.
High winds and very dry conditions further fuelled the flames, causing the blaze to rip through neighbourhoods at alarming speeds. The fires reportedly spread from a size of 10 acres to nearly 3,000 in a matter of hours.
Firefighters have been battling the flames throughout the night, as residents were forced to flee amid evacuation orders affecting tens of thousands of people.
Photographers have captured dramatic scenes across the west of the city as firefighters work to control the fires.
The BBC’s Regan Morris reported on fires raging out of control, leaving those without power and phone signal unable to receive updates on the latest evacuation alerts.
Meanwhile, CBS reporter Jonathan Vigliotti said firefighters were no longer “trying to save” houses in the Palisades, “they’re trying to prevent these flames from jumping to other neighbourhoods”.
With five fires still burning in Los Angeles, the two largest – Eaton and Palisades – are entirely uncontained.
These before-and-after satellite images of those two areas show the extent of the damage caused.
Together, the Eaton and Palisades fires are burning nearly 26,400 acres of land in LA.
Evacuees with pets search for places to shelter them
Residents who are evacuating with their pets are struggling to find places to keep them.
At least eight pet day care centres have opened their doors to small animals needing a place to stay while their owner is unable to return home.
Another four shelters are accommodating large animals, such as horses.
Meanwhile, what appears to be a desert tortoise has been spotted by a Reuters photographer roaming the streets among evacuees from the Eaton fire in Altadena.
BBC
