Wildfires raged across Southern California on Wednesday, leaving at least two people dead and prompting thousands of evacuations as blazes closed in on Los Angeles neighborhoods like the Pacific Palisades and residents hurried to escape. Maps of the region show where the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire and others are engulfing thousands of acres of land.
Updating map of Southern California fires
An updating map created by CBS News’ data team charts the expanse of the Palisades Fire, a roaring blaze that has burned through approximately 2,920 acres since it broke out Tuesday morning in the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. Currently the largest wildfire in Southern California, the Palisades Fire grew out of a brush fire that exploded as powerful winds ripped through the area.
Firefighters are also battling the Eaton Fire, which trails the Palisades Fire closely in size and has consumed at least 2,200 acres in northern Los Angeles County, as well as the smaller, newer Hurst and Woodley Fires.
Where are the Los Angeles fire evacuation zones?
At least 70,000 residents of Los Angeles County have been ordered to evacuate as of Wednesday morning, officials said, with the Palisades Fire alone urging 30,000 of those evacuations. Altogether, the fires threaten at least 28,000 structures in different sections of the county, and Los Angeles Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said that 1,000 have already been destroyed in the Palisades area.
Maps published by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, delineate areas where evacuation orders and warnings are in place. Mandatory evacuation orders are shown in red and warnings are shown in yellow.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ spokesperson confirmed that her family’s Los Angeles home was included in one of the evacuation orders.
The Palisades and Eaton Fires have spurned the most substantial evacuations, and images taken in both areas capture harrowing scenes of smoke clouds billowing up into the sky and structures swallowed by flames. The Hurst Fire, which originated in the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles late Tuesday night, prompted additional evacuations by morning as it spread quickly to at least 500 acres.
Another blaze, the Woodley Fire, broke out Wednesday morning near a Los Angeles nature reserve. That fire has not prompted evacuations, although Cal Fire warned that strong winds were pushing it southward.
No part of any of these four major wildfires has been contained, according to Cal Fire. The agency is continuing to update comprehensive lists of evacuation zones in the incident reports for each active wildfire on its website.
Where did the Los Angeles fires start?
The Palisades Fire initially erupted Tuesday morning near the Pacific Palisades, an upscale and partly coastal residential area in northwestern Los Angeles. It began as a brush fire that spiraled out of control because of ongoing wind in the region.
Sheila Kelliher, a Los Angeles County Fire Department captain, told “CBS Mornings” Wednesday that fighting the wildfires is “incredibly challenging and volatile and unpredictable,” calling the winds “ferocious” while imploring people in evacuation zones to heed officials’ instructions and “get out when those warnings come.”
“Pack up, get ready to go,” Kelliher said. “Sometimes as you can see the cars had to be left behind and a lot of times just even getting out on foot, you’ve got to get going.”
Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She typically covers breaking news, extreme weather and issues involving social and criminal justice. Emily Mae previously wrote for outlets like the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.
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