The Eaton fire, burning out-of-control near Pasadena east of Los Angeles, was quickly increasing in size on Wednesday morning amid dangerous high winds, according to California fire officials.
As of 6 a.m. Pacific, the fire covered more than 2,200 acres, according to Cal Fire, more than double its size a few hours before. It was the second biggest fire burning in Southern California on Wednesday morning after the Palisades fire west of Los Angeles.
Evacuation orders were rapidly expanded on Wednesday for the communities of Altadena and La Cañada Flintridge, near Pasadena, where officials urged residents to leave immediately.
More than 52,000 residents were under mandatory evacuation orders because of the Eaton fire, and a further 46,000 were under evacuation warnings, according to a social media post by the Angeles National Forest, north of Altadena. Tens of thousands of structures were threatened, it said.
The Eaton fire is one of several blazes raging in and around Los Angeles, where tens of thousands of residents in total have been ordered to evacuate. As of Wednesday morning, based on sensor data from satellite and radar, the Eaton fire appeared to be the most intense and expanding most rapidly, as gusty winds pushed the blaze west toward more densely populated areas.
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