Thousands evacuated in Los Angeles and southern California

Authorities have advised individuals to “collect your family, pets, essential items, and evacuation supplies”.

Last month, wildfires forced thousands of Malibu residents to evacuate, including celebrities such as Cher and Dick van Dyke.

Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, has declared more evacuations due to the continuing wildfires.

Earlier on Wednesday, Bass stated that a state of emergency has been proclaimed and expressed gratitude to responders for their hard work.

President Biden indicated he is being “frequently updated” on the wildfires and has extended any “federal support” for those combating the flames.

Biden experienced the situation personally, having to spend a night in Los Angeles due to strong winds.

He was scheduled to depart the city on Tuesday after designating two national monuments, but his flight was delayed until Wednesday.

At least two film premieres have been called off due to the fires.

The US premiere of the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man, scheduled for Wednesday night, has been scrapped because of the “hazardous conditions”.

The film features the former Take That artist portrayed by a CGI chimp, representing how he feels like a “performing monkey”.

Additionally, the red-carpet premiere of Jennifer Lopez’s new film Unstoppable was also postponed. It was set to take place on Tuesday.

Surrounding trees and vegetation near the esteemed Getty Villa Museum in the Pacific Palisades area were set ablaze, but the museum and its collections were unharmed, as stated in a post on X.

The Getty, founded by J. Paul Getty, the American oil magnate and collector, features Greek and Roman antiquities in a reconstructed Roman country estate.

In a statement on X, the museum indicated it would be closed until at least next Monday.

Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, the renowned actor and director, are among the residents of the Pacific Palisades area facing evacuation warnings as “extreme” winds reaching up to 100 mph are anticipated.

Read more: California fire: 30,000 ordered to evacuate as winds escalate the fire

James Woods, the actor, shared video and images of the wildfire advancing towards his residence in the Palisades.

The footage depicted flames engulfing bushes and passing through palm trees on a hill adjacent to his house, with one claim of his neighbor’s house being ablaze. In a post, he remarked: “It’s a soul-testing experience, losing everything at once, I must admit.”

In another comment, he expressed uncertainty about the status of his home, stating, “I don’t know at this moment if our home is still intact, but sadly, houses on our little street are not.”

A long-time resident of the Palisades, Will Adams, informed the Associated Press that he had never seen anything akin to the current wildfires, despite residing in the area for 56 years.

He mentioned hearing loud popping and banging noises “like small explosions” as the fire spread through his neighborhood.

“It’s unbelievable, it’s everywhere, in all the hidden corners of the Palisades. One home is secure, the next is engulfed in flames,” Adams stated.

Over 13,000 structures are currently at risk from the Pacific Palisades wildfire, according to officials.

While there are no official statistics on how many buildings have been destroyed as of yet, Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, visited the scene and noted that numerous homes had been lost.

Staff had to swiftly evacuate residents from a care facility near the Eaton fire in Altadena.

They needed to transport dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street to a parking lot where they waited in their nightwear for ambulances and other vehicles to take them to safety.

Images captured residents receiving care on the street and being loaded into waiting buses during evacuations.

The flames are fueled by strong winds reaching over 60 mph (97 kph) in some areas.

Meteorologists have warned that wind speeds may intensify in the coming hours, generating isolated gusts that may exceed 100 mph (160 kph), particularly in locations that have not seen significant rainfall in months, heightening the risk of fire expansion.

These developments have led the Los Angeles Fire Department to make an unusual request for off-duty firefighters to assist. Wind conditions have also made it difficult for aviation firefighting efforts.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reports that at least 3,015 acres have been scorched by the wildfires.

Officials indicate that there are at least three individual blazes: one in the Pacific Palisades area, frequented by Hollywood stars; a second near Pasadena known as the Eaton Fire; and the third, the Hurst Fire, occurs in Sylmar, in the San Fernando Valley area northwest of Los Angeles.

The Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles is among those affected by the wildfires.