Fires tear through Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Pasadena and Sylmar

Good morning. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

• 99-mph winds brought a night of terror as fires devastate SoCal communities.
• The great California exodus has ended — thanks in part to legal immigration.
• Berkeley and UCLA admitted more Black and Latino students.
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper.

Wildfires are tearing through Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Pasadena and Sylmar

Multiple fast-moving wildfires have engulfed parts of Southern California, causing thousands to evacuate.

At least three named fires – the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires – erupted Tuesday amid intense winds that have amplified the devastation of the blazes. Two more fires erupted early Wednesday.

Here’s what we know about the efforts to contain the fires.

The Palisades fire

The blaze started around 10:30 a.m near homes in L.A.’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood. An extreme windstorm fanned the fire, prompting mandatory evacuations that clogged roads with cars as residents fled flames that spread into residential areas and burned homes. Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued north to Mulholland Drive, east to Kenter Avenue and south to Pacific Coast Highway. The grounds of the famous Getty Villa Museum were also burning as of Tuesday evening, per an LAFD radio call. Fire officials said that trees and brush were ablaze and that flames were approaching structures, but the museum said the Villa and its art had been spared so far.

Here is the latest information from emergency officials:

• The fire had spread to more than 2,900 acres as of Tuesday evening.
• Containment is at 0%.
• About 30,000 residents have been evacuated from 10,000 households, according to LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell.
• LAFD officials said homes have been destroyed but did not share a precise number.
• No serious injuries have been reported.
• The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

The ongoing emergency is a visceral example of the ferocious fire weather that puts communities developed into wildlands at heightened risk — especially during a notably dry wet season.

A woman pushes her belongings near Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga Canyon Boulevard as the Palisades fire rages down the hills.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

The Eaton fire

The fast-moving blaze broke out Tuesday night in the hills above Altadena near Eaton Canyon, burning more than 400 acres and resulting in mandatory evacuations in parts of Pasadena, eastern Glendale, all of La Cañada Flintridge and northern Monrovia.

“We’re not playing around here,” Pasadena spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said. “This is serious.”

Several homes have burned, but an exact number was unavailable. All schools will be closed Wednesday in the Pasadena Unified School District because of the fire. Several other school districts including Alhambra, Glendale, Burbank, San Marino and South Pasadena are also closing.

The Hurst fire

The Hurst fire erupted Tuesday night, burning more than 500 acres by about 2 a.m. and threatening areas of Sylmar.

Mandatory evacuation orders were in place for north of the 210 Freeway from Roxford to the Interstate 5 / 14 Freeway split. Evacuation centers have been set up at the Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, at 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd. in Pacoima; Northridge Park, 10120 Reseda Blvd. in Northridge; and the Sepulveda Recreation Center, at 8825 Kester Ave. in Panorama City.

Firefighters battle a house fire off Bollinger Drive in Pacific Palisades after a brush fire quickly consumed acres of vegetation.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Dangerous fire weather realized

The “life-threatening, destructive, widespread windstorm” was expected to be strongest overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Wind gusts of up to 99 mph were recorded in the region Tuesday night. Weather service officials issued red flag warnings for large swaths of L.A. and Ventura counties, warning Southern California residents to expect power outages.

Combine the strong winds with the fact that this year’s wet season has so far not lived up to that title and it’s clear that the region is primed for devastating fire.

A mother carries her child while they evacuate.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Much of the Southland is now considered in moderate drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

“Current forecasts show little hope that a needed storm could develop in the next few weeks,” Times reporter Grace Toohey wrote last week. “And the Southern California landscape — ripe for wildfire and never far from chronic water shortages — is paying the price.”

The windy week will bring more hazards

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain noted that this windstorm is unlike a Santa Ana wind event that affects mountain areas the most. And despite the fact that the winds are forecast to weaken as the week goes on, he said the fire danger will stick around.

“The atmospheric blow dryer is really going to dry things out even further, and because this is going to last several days, the vegetation will become progressively dryer the longer the wind event goes on,” Swain said in a media release. “Some of the strongest winds will be at the beginning of the event, but some of the driest vegetation will actually come at the end.

The Times newsroom continues to cover the Palisades fire. You can read more of our reporting below. You can also check LAFD’s website for more information.

• These are the schools closed due to the fires.
• These are the roads and freeways closed due to the fires.
• ‘It’s like an inferno.’ Pacific Palisades fire explodes as thousands of residents flee
• ‘Run for your lives’: Motorists trying to flee Pacific Palisades face flames, chaos, danger
• Palisades fire: Evacuations, road closures, shelters, schools, forecast
• ‘Hell of a way to start a new year’: Gov. Newsom visits site of fire

Check back all day for updates.

Today’s top stories

An Exxon Mobil operation in Baton Rouge, La.

(Barry Lewis/InPictures via Getty Images)

Exxon Mobil sued California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta over his plastic recycling claims

• The oil giant’s defamation lawsuit comes months after Bonta sued Exxon Mobil, accusing it of exaggerating the extent in which plastics can be recycled by portraying them as universally recyclable.
• The legal battle underscores a widening rift between California and oil companies, a battle that raises questions about the future of gasoline prices if more companies leave the state.

Berkeley and UCLA admitted more Black and Latino students

• The two universities bucked national trends at elite institutions that saw declines in new Black and Latino students in the first class since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action.
• Meanwhile, the University of California enrolled a record number of Californians last fall.

Trump is already making his “America First” mantra a priority

• The president-elect said his administration would rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”
• He also weighed in on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, promising to carry out vague threats if hostages are not returned to Israel by Inauguration Day.

What else is going on

• A mom was convicted of murder after her abuser killed their baby. Now she could be freed.
• Amid fears about Hollywood’s future, L.A. approves $1 billion Television City project.
• A bird flu outbreak has Californians paying steep prices for eggs.
• L.A. County ends $400 fee for bodies transported to the medical examiner for investigation following violent or unexpected deaths.
• A hotel worker accused of supplying pop star Liam Payne with drugs before his death has reportedly surrendered to police.
• An investor from “Shark Tank” and a former owner of the Dodgers are teaming up to try to save TikTok.
  

Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here.

Commentary and opinions

• Just because Donald Trump says he can do something doesn’t mean he can, writes Stephen A. Myrow, who served as a senior U.S. Treasury Department official in 2008.
• Trump could make an improvement to U.S. foreign policy, write Samuel Moyn, a professor of law and history at Yale, and Trita Parsi of the Better Order Project at the Quincy Institute.
• Here’s how the hit movie “It Ends With Us” spawned a universe of lawsuits and PR battles, columnist Robin Abcarian explains.
• For the first time in 200 years it’s great to be a beaver in California, writes Leila Philip, author of “Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America.”

This morning’s must reads

Dozens of people seeking asylum are detained by border patrol after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

The great California exodus has ended — thanks in part to legal immigration. A Times analysis shows which counties were the most impacted by new arrivals who helped the state rebound from an unprecedented population drop during the pandemic.

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected].

For your downtime

(Los Angeles Times illustration)

Going out

• 🐇🎀 More than just cute, kawaii is a lifestyle. Embrace it at these 12 adorable spots in L.A.
• 🖼️ Eight pop-ups, drops and L.A. art shows to kick off your new year.

Staying in

• 📺 Joyous and heartbreaking ‘Daughters’ — now playing on Netflix — reunites girls with their incarcerated dads.
• 🍽️ Here’s a recipe for Fountain Grains and Greens’ grilled beet greens.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

And finally ... your great photo of the day

A sunset view in Mammoth Lakes.

(Frank Damon)

Today’s great photo is from Frank Damon of Pacific Palisades: a snapshot of the “magnificent landscape and sunsets of Mammoth Lakes” during the winter holidays.

Frank writes: “Mammoth Lakes is one of the most beautiful places in California. The mountains are majestic, the skies can be very dramatic around sunset and the skiing is world class. It is one of my favorite places to visit and spend time, every season of the year.”

Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Defne Karabatur, fellow
Andrew Campa, Sunday reporter
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Hunter Clauss, multiplatform editor
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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