Raging wildfire prompts evacuations in Los Angeles

A wildfire has raged across an upscale section of Los Angeles, sending large billows of smoke over much of the metropolitan area and causing traffic jams as people fled their homes under evacuation orders.

At least 1,262 acres of the Pacific Palisades area between Santa Monica and Malibu had burned, officials said on Tuesday, after they had already warned of extreme fire danger from dry, powerful winds.

The size of the fire grew sixfold in a matter of hours on Tuesday.

Witnesses reported a number of homes on fire, with flames nearly scorching their cars when people fled the hills of Topanga Canyon as the fire spread from there down to the Pacific Ocean.

Firefighters in planes scooped water from the sea to drop it on the nearby flames.

Flames engulfed homes, and bulldozers cleared abandoned vehicles from roads so emergency vehicles could pass, television images showed.

With only one major road leading from the canyon to the coast and only one coastal highway leading to safety, traffic crawled to a halt, leading people to flee on foot.

One man said he was attempting to retrieve items from his home when he was stopped by firefighters, and flaming debris landed in the road.

"So, it seemed to me, let's get out of here. Whatever I lose, I lose. There's nothing I can do about it," said the man who identified himself only as Peter.

Cindy Festa, another Pacific Palisades resident, said that as she evacuated out of the canyon fires were "this close to the cars," demonstrating with her thumb and forefinger.

"People left their cars on Palisades Drive. Burning up the hillside. The palm trees - everything is going," Festa said from her car.

Low humidity, dry vegetation

Near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway, two hybrid vehicles burned while firefighters battled a large blaze just up the hill, and others barricaded their station by parking firetrucks out front.

Before the fire started, the National Weather Service had issued its highest alert for extreme fire conditions for much of Los Angeles County from Tuesday through Thursday, predicting wind gusts of 80 to 130 kph with isolated winds of 130 to 160 kph in the mountains and foothills.

That is combined with low humidity and dry vegetation due to a lack of rain.

"In other words, this is about as bad as it gets in terms of fire weather," the Los Angeles office of the National Weather Service said on X.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ordered emergency measures that mobilised city departments to prepare for downed power lines and trees likely to cause power outages.

Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Erik Scott urged against complacency because of cool winter weather, warning of "explosive wildfire behaviour" in a public service message.

Wildfires are an expected part of life in the US West and play a vital role in the natural cycle.

But scientists say human-caused climate change is altering weather patterns.