- By Nidhi Giri
- Wed, 08 Jan 2025 10:44 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Los Angeles Wildfire: A wildfire in Los Angeles on Tuesday forced 30,000 people to evacuate with over 13,000 buildings and 10,000 houses under threat, Los Angeles Fire Department. Firefighters struggled to get the fire under control amid a fierce wind storm hitting Southern California. The Pacific Palisades fire grew to nearly 3,000 acres following which California Governor Gavin Newsom and the City of Los Angeles declared a state of emergency.
“This is a highly dangerous windstorm that’s creating extreme fire risk – and we’re not out of the woods. We’re already seeing the destructive impacts with this fire in Pacific Palisades that grew rapidly in a matter of minutes,” said Gavin Newsom in a statement.
The fire was dangerously close to the Getty Villa, a hilltop museum in Malibu. However, the administrators confirmed that the museum was safe.
It said in a statement, “Fortunately, Getty had made extensive efforts to clear brush from the surrounding area as part of its fire mitigation efforts throughout the year. Some trees and vegetation on site have burned, but staff and the collection remain safe."
Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said that wind conditions were expected to worsen, adding, “We are not out of danger. The National Weather Service has predicted that the winds are going to pick up and get worse."
Mandatory evacuation order has been issued for the residents in the area from Merrimac Road west to Topanga Canyon Boulevard and south to Pacific Coast Highway.
Much of Southern California is also under red flag alerts for fire danger. California Fire said in an update on X (formerly Twitter), “Stay vigilant, avoid activities that could spark fires and have an evacuation plan ready."