Pacific Palisades Wildfire: Homes Threatened; Residents Evacuating On Foot; Sheriff Warns Of “Immediate Threat To Life” – Updated

UPDATED at 12:30 p.m.: With winds forecast between 40 and 60 miles per hour, a wildfire broke out in Pacific Palisades near Temescal Canyon at about 10:30 this morning.

What began as a 10 acre blaze in the area of N Piedra Morada Dr and quickly spread to become a 200-plus acre blaze in less than an hour, threatening homes with smoke blowing West toward the Getty Villa. Eastbound Pacific Coast Highway has been closed at Topanga Canyon Boulevard due to that brush fire burning in the Pacific Palisades area.

At about 12:30 p.m., with local roads choked with traffic, some residents were evacuating on foot, according to Captain Eric Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Evacuation orders were issued at about noon for the area around Piedra Morada, according to multiple news outlets. Areas near Topanga to the west and Rustic Canyon to the east were reportedly under evacuation warnings. Emergency officials are reportedly urging anyone in the path of the fire to leave the area.

In fact, one former ABC7 local TV reporter was live on the air from her home and had to get off when she received the evacuation order. An alert sent out by the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff Station warned of “immediate threat to life.” See map below.

Local TV stations broke into coverage of former President Jimmy Carter’s memorial services to cover the incident, with remote crews staging shots from the beach parking lots on PCH with a billowing black plume in the background. The smoke could also be seen across most of West Los Angeles.

Actor James Woods posted close-up video of black smoke coming over a ridge in one neighborhood.

The National Weather Service in has been warning for several days that today’s windstorm would bring extreme fire conditions as it couples very high winds with very low humidity. Winds were clocked at 46 mph in the Palisades this morning.