A ferocious new wildfire has erupted in the Hollywood Hills – sparking a mass evacuation of the iconic Hollywood Boulevard, amid warnings that another 100,000 residents should be prepared to evacuate their homes.
The hellish, fast-moving inferno sweeping through the Hills triggered the dramatic evacuation order at 6pm local time on Wednesday – impacting at least 20 acres already near Runyon Canyon.
At least five people have lost their lives in the devastating natural disaster so far – with 500 structures completely obliterated and thousands of people left with nothing but ash across the City of Angels.
Now, the Sunset Fire is set to wreak burning havoc in the celebrity epicenter, causing the famous strip home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame to be evacuated.
The alert read: ‘A Mandatory Evacuation Order is now in place for Laurel Canyon Blvd (on the west) to Mulholland Dr (on the north) to 101 Freeway (on the east) down to Hollywood Blvd (on the south).’
ABC 7 reporter Chris Christi was in the skies watching the Palisades fire when he spotted the newest blaze from his helicopter.
Speaking from above the blaze, he said: ‘Very concerning sight here. Just north of Hollywood Boulevard. This thing has exploded in size. This is all very thick fuel that is fueling this brush fire.
‘They have immediately called for the 20 closest trucks to come out here, but accessing this fire is going to require more than trucks.
‘This thing is blowing up before our eyes. It is a very sizeable fire that is spreading rapidly.’
Hollywood Hills is ablaze in yet another fire
A new wildfire has erupted in the Hollwood Hills sparking a mass evacuation of Hollywood Boulevard amid warnings another 100,000 residents should be prepared to evacuate their homes
Hollywood Hills is now on fire, sparking fears for tourist hotspots
A new evacuation order came about 6pm on Wednesday local time as a fast-moving fire swept through the Hills, impacting at least 10 acres already near Runyon Canyon
At least 1,000 homes and structures have already been lost across California, but with fires still burning it’s impossible for officials to get a grip on the true scale of loss.
A trio of the smaller fires which were burning across the state are now contained, but at least are still burning in addition to the Hollywood Hills blaze which has just ignited.
Mayor of Pasadena Victor M. Gordo revealed on Wednesday afternoon 100,000 people were already under mandatory evacuation orders, and there are another 100,000 now warned to also leave, the New York Times reported.
The alert has been given to residents in danger zones which have not yet been upgraded to mandatory evacuation areas, but could soon be.
Kyle Alarid, a captain with the Palo Alto Fire Department, said stretched first responders and fire crews are ‘triaging’ homes in fire-ravaged neighborhoods.
He said it is simply not possible to save them all, despite the best efforts of the exhausted crew, who worked through the night to protect what they could.
‘It’s always hard, because you can save one but it feels like you can never save enough.’
To make matters worse, the National Weather Service says gusty winds and very dry conditions would continue to fuel fires in the Los Angeles area in the days ahead.
Forecasters predicted wind gusts of 35-55 mph, which could rise higher in the mountains and foothills.
Meteorologists said Los Angeles and Ventura counties would have weather conducive to fire through Friday, meaning low relative humidity, strong winds, unstable air and drought.
A small silver lining is that winds have temporarily dissipated enough for aircraft to assist in fighting the fires, Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustine said.
‘Tonight we have very mild wind conditions where we can get aircraft and a ton of additional resources getting their hands around this fire,’ Augustin said.
‘That’s what gives me confidence that we’re going to get a handle on this fire.’
Picutred: The destruction near Eaton Canyon
Vehicles left behind have been leveled
After a brief reprieve overnight tonight, wilds are expected to pick up again on Thursday and into Friday.
The fire chief warned that it was still an active fire with risk of spread over the next day.
‘Do I expect a risk of fire spread tomorrow? Yes. Do I expect erratic fire weather like we saw last night? No,’ he said.
Authorities in California said that the Palisades fire has now grown to 15,832 acres, while the Eaton fire stands at 10,600 acres, followed by the Hurst at 505 acres.
Three other smaller fires which broke out throughout Wednesday have since been contained, authorities said.
And now, locals the ritziest neighborhoods in Los Angeles – home to celebrity enclaves and million-dollar mansions, have received alerts warning them to boil their tap water before consumption.
‘This applies to water that is used for brushing teeth, making ice cubes, and food preparation such as washing produce,’ the notice states.
Firefighters protect a structure as the Eaton Fire advances
U.S flag flies as fire engulfs a structure while the Palisades Fire burns during a windstorm
Fre ravaged businesses are seen after the Palisades Fire swept though
In bold, capitalized letters, residents are warned that until further notice, they must ‘only use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking purposes.’
Tap water should be boiled for one minute and then cooled.
The alert comes amid revelations that water supplies have been running low, impacting the heroic efforts of first responders trying to put out the blazes.
Los Angeles Fire Captain Erik Scott said: ‘We did experience some challenges with water pressure while battling the Pacific Palisades fire, particularly yesterday.’
‘We worked real closely with the Department of Water and Power, and they did proactively fill all of the available water storage tanks. But the problem is, the water availability was impacted at the higher elevations. The pressure wasn’t quite what we needed, and so it affected some fire hydrants.’
In all, three enormous water tanks carrying a million gallons of water each ran out.
The first was dry by 4.45pm Tuesday, the second by 8.30pm and the third at 3am Wednesday.
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