Devastating wildfires swept across Los Angeles on Wednesday, forcing residents to make desperate escapes from their burning homes amidst intense winds and thick smoke clouds.
A fire that began on Tuesday evening near a nature reserve in the northeastern LA foothills expanded so quickly that staff at an elderly care facility had to evacuate dozens of residents.
In a separate incident that began earlier, flames engulfed the Pacific Palisades district, an upscale coastal neighbourhood with prominent residents and featured in the Beach Boys’ 1960s song “Surfin’ USA”. The evacuation became chaotic as roads became blocked when numerous people left their vehicles behind and proceeded on foot, carrying their belongings.
Satellite images and videos from flights have shown the intensity of the blazes.
Passengers also recorded and shared the view from the sky.
A video showed flames completely engulfing the Southern California coastal area.
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass on Wednesday morning urged residents to follow evacuation and parking orders, using shelters set up by authorities if needed.
“Stay vigilant and stay safe,” she wrote in a post on X, saying the windstorm was expected to worsen through the morning.
The National Weather Service said in an advisory: “This is a particularly dangerous situation for portions of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties!”