Driven by punishing and unrelenting Santa Ana winds, a massive brush fire is ripping through the Pacific Palisades area, destroying or damaging an unknown number of structures and forcing thousands of people from their homes as it moved toward Malibu on the west and Santa Monica on the southeast with no reported containment.
The fire was reported around 10:30 am Tuesday in the area of Piedra Morada and Monte Hermoso drives. The fire continued to grow exponentially throughout the day thanks to heavy fuel loads and powerful Santa Ana winds. By 6:30 pm, the fire was mapped at nearly 3- thousand acres.
A brush fire erupted in the Eaton Canyon area, with flames also fanned by gusting Santa Ana winds quickly scarring hundreds of acres and burning multiple structures. The fire was reported at about 6:20 Tuesday night. in the area of Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive in the hills above Altadena.
Initially dubbed the Close Fire but later changed to the Eaton Canyon Fire, the blaze was initially estimated at about 10 acres, but it quickly exploded across 200 acres, then to 400 acres by 8 pm, driven by Santa Ana winds that prompted critical fire danger warnings throughout the region. The blaze is currently estimated to have burned over 3000 acress and believed to have grown significantly larger.
The Hurst Fire in Sylmar has burned more than 500 acres with no containment. The blaze was reported around 10:30 pm Tuesday night and within a half-hour had burned more than 100 acres. It grew in size to 500 acres by 1:30 am Wednesday morning.
Immediate evacuation was ordered for the area north of the Foothill Freeway from Roxford Street to the Golden State and Antelope Valley Freeway split. The Foothill Freeway in Sylmar is closed in both directions in the vicinity of the fire. Evacuation centers have been set up in Pacoima, Northridge and Panorama City.
