Firefighters in the Los Angeles area were struggling to control three other large fires that killed five people and put 130,000 people under evacuation orders.
A fast-spreading fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday night, threatening one of Los Angeles' most iconic landmarks as firefighters struggled to control three other large fires that killed five people, put 130,000 people under evacuation orders and They devastated communities from the Pacific coast to inland Pasadena.
The Sunset Fire began Wednesday night as authorities held a news conference to inform residents of efforts to combat the massive fires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena and warn that fire danger remained high. Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley rushed out after announcing the new fire and shortly after an evacuation order was issued.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame was packed with people and the streets around the TCL Chinese Theater and Madame Tussauds Museum were packed with stop-and-go traffic as sirens blared and helicopters flew low to drop water on the flames, which were just a stone's throw away. just a mile away. People left hotels carrying suitcases while some onlookers walked toward the flames, recording the fire with their phones.
Within a few hours, firefighters had made great progress. Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said they were able to keep the fire under control because “we hit it hard and fast and Mother Nature was a little kinder to us today than she was yesterday.”
A day earlier, hurricane-force winds blew embers into the air, igniting block after block in the coastal Pacific Palisades neighborhood, as well as in Altadena, a community near Pasadena that is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) to the east.
Nearly 2,000 homes, businesses and other structures have been destroyed in those fires, called the Palisades and Eaton fires, and the number is expected to rise. All five deaths recorded so far were from the Eaton fire.
The Palisades fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles history, with at least 1,000 structures burned. More than a half-dozen schools in the area were damaged or destroyed, including Palisades Charter High School, which has appeared in many Hollywood productions, including the 1976 horror film “Carrie” and the television series “Teen Wolf,” they said. the authorities. UCLA has canceled classes for the week.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said air operations were putting out the flames. He warned they were still facing “erratic winds,” although not like Tuesday night, when planes were grounded and much of the destruction occurred.
In Pasadena, Fire Chief Chad Augustin said the city's water system was overloaded and was further hampered by power outages, but even without those problems, firefighters would not have been able to stop the fire due to the intense winds that fanned the flames.
“Those erratic wind gusts were throwing embers several kilometers ahead of the fire,” he said.
As flames moved through his neighborhood, José Velásquez doused his family's Altadena home with water as embers fell on the roof. He managed to save his house, which also houses the family business selling churros, a Mexican sweet. Others were not so lucky. Many of their neighbors were at work when they lost their homes.
“So we had to call some people and then we had messages from other people asking if their house was still standing,” he said. “We had to tell them no.”
In Pacific Palisades, a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity homes, the extent of the destruction was beginning to become clear:
Block after block of California Mission-style homes and bungalows were reduced to charred remains. An ornate iron railing wrapped around the smoking shell of a house. Swimming pools were blackened with soot and sports cars collapsed on melted tires.
The apocalyptic scenes stretched for miles.