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A fast-moving wildfire broke out in Pacific Palisades Tuesday morning, forcing thousands from their homes, torching hundreds of acres and sending fire crews scrambling in an attempt to battle back the blaze.
By midday Tuesday, the LAFD announced mandatory evacuation orders for approximately 30,000 people, covering a wide area that officials expect to grow and change quickly through the night.
Just before 8:00 PM evacuation mandates were expanded to include east Kenter Avenue and north to Mulholland Road, still stretching south to PCH and west to generally Topanga Canyon Boulevard, according to Los Angeles Fire Department.
Shortly after, Santa Monica issued an evacuation order for all areas of the city north of San Vicente Boulevard.
Metro announced late Tuesday that it has suspended bus Lines 134 and 602 until further notice due to fire.
According to Mey Lyn Mitteenn, a public communications officer, Line 134 service has been completely suspended, while Line 602 will be detoured, operating only via Sunset Boulevard between Allenford Avenue, near Paul Revere Charter Middle School, and Kinross Avenue in Westwood Village.
Line 602 in both directions from Sunset and Allenford Avenue to the coast at Sunset Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway is canceled due to the fire evacuation zone. The latest service updates and detours are available by calling 323-GO-METRO or at @metrolaalerts on the social network X.
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During a Tuesday afternoon press conference, LAPD Chief Kristin Crowley said that roughly 13,200 structures are endangered, including 10,367 residences.
No injuries have been reported from the fire.
Santa Monica city officials say the westbound Santa Monica (10) Freeway is being CLOSED at Lincoln Boulevard, along with northbound Pacific Coast Highway, to assist with evacuation efforts.
Traffic was gridlocked on Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset Boulevard as residents attempt to evacuate the area.
LAFD officials said vehicles were abandoned in the area, and a bulldozer was used to move some of them out of the intersection.
An evacuation center was established at the Westwood Recreation Center, 1350 S. Sepulveda Blvd., while large animals can be taken to Pierce College at 6201 Winnetka Ave., or the Los Angeles Equestrian Center at 480 Riverside Drive in Burbank. Small animals can be taken to the Agoura Animal Care Center, 29525 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills.
Reports of fire spotting have also led officials to suggest people in the surrounding areas shelter in place. Still, LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley tells KNX News that the situation is dynamic and asks residents to stay updated and be ready to leave if messaging changes about their area.
The fire broke out as much of Southern California is under red flag warnings, with dangerous winds putting the region at high risk for blazes to break out.
As of 6:18 PM, the brusher grew to 2,921 acres amid the high winds, according to Cal Fire.
By early evening, the flames had jumped to the south side of PCH, reaching the coastline. The fire also continued spreading both east and west, reportedly jumping Tuna Canyon Road as it advanced toward Malibu.
Multiple structures could be seen burning in the fire zone, and there were repeated reports of police and fire crews working to rescue people from burning buildings -- but there were no immediate reports of any injuries. On at least two occasions, crews responded to homes where people were in residential swimming pools to escape the flames.
KNX News' Pete Demetriou reported witnessing at least two houses engulfed in flames on Luna Vista Dr.
Due to the fire and wind conditions, several Los Angeles Unified School District campuses relocated students.
-- Students at Palisades Charter Elementary School and Marquez Charter Elementary School were relocated to Brentwood Elementary Science Magnet at 740 Greta Green Way in Los Angeles;
-- Paul Revere Charter Middle School relocated to University High School Charter, 11800 Texas Ave., Los Angeles; and
-- Topanga Elementary Charter classes were moved to Woodland Hills Academy, 20800 Burbank Blvd.
All schools in the Pasadena Unified School District will be CLOSED on Wednesday due to this and the growing Eaton Fire burning in the Altadena area.
The district will offer Grab & Go meals for pickup at 10 a.m. noon at Madison Elementary, 515 E. Ashtabula St.; McKinley School, 325 S. Oak Knoll Ave.; and Willard, 301 Madre St.
Palisades Charter High School, which has been at least partially damaged by the flames, is not in session this week.
All Malibu schools will be closed on Wednesday also, according to the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District. The district's Santa Monica campuses are expected to be open, but a final decision will be made at 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Video from the scene showed what appeared to be structures burning on the campus of Palisades Charter High School, which was expected to remain closed for the week. ABC7 also showed video of what appeared to be Theatre Palisades on Temescal Canyon Road -- near the high school -- completely engulfed in flames.
The Getty Villa museum will remain closed until Monday, according to a statement posted on the Getty's website. Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, issued a statement Tuesday evening that the staff and art collection at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades "remain safe," although "some trees and vegetation on site have burned."
The Villa, which houses a treasured collection of Greek and Roman antiquities, is normally closed to the public on Tuesdays.
"Fortunately, Getty had made extensive efforts to clear brush from the surrounding area as part of its fire mitigation efforts throughout the year," Fleming said. "Some trees and vegetation on site have burned, but staff and the collection remain safe. Additional fire prevention measures in place at the Villa include water storage on-site. Irrigation was immediately deployed throughout the grounds Tuesday morning. Museum galleries and library archives were sealed off from smoke by state-of-the-art air handling systems. The double-walled construction of the galleries also provides significant protection for the collections.
"We are grateful for the tireless work of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department, and other agencies to keep the Villa and its staff safe, as well as for the on-site presence of fire trucks throughout the day."
Early Tuesday afternoon, crews raced to LAFD Fire Station 23 along Sunset Boulevard, which was reported to be burning. There was no immediate update on damage to that structure.
The cause of the fire was unknown.
The fire erupted amid fierce Santa Ana winds that forecasters said could develop into the worst windstorm in the Southland in a decade. Red flag warnings of critical fire danger were expected to be in place until Thursday evening.
Fire and elected officials warned that the peak gusts of the wind event were anticipated to slam the fire area between 10 p.m. Tuesday and early Wednesday morning, which could dramatically increase the size of the fire overnight.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said authorities hope to keep water-dropping aircraft flying throughout the night, but officials will have to monitor wind speeds, which could potentially ground the aircraft for safety.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger had signed an emergency proclamation in response to the fire, and the city of Los Angeles also issued an emergency declaration. Gov. Gavin Newsom later signed a state of emergency proclamation from the state.
Newsom, noting that President Joe Biden was in the Los Angeles area when the fire erupted, said Biden had given immediate approval to federal funding to help cover the firefighting effort. Newsom said it only took a text message to Biden to get the funding approved.
The White House issued a statement saying Biden "has been briefed on the wildfires in Los Angeles and at his direction his team is in contact with state and local officials to offer any federal assistance as needed. In response to the governor's request, FEMA has just approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant to support the impacted community and help reimburse California for firefighting costs."
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass took to social media to urge residents to heed evacuation orders. The mayor declared a state of emergency late Tuesday night to amplify response efforts to the devastating fire.
A press conference is scheduled for 8:00 AM Wednesday to provide updates on the fire.
This is a developing story.
City News Service contributed to this article.
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