A palm tree burns at Sunset Beach during a wildfire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of west Los Angeles, January 7. REUTERS/Mike Blake
Thousands evacuate as windy conditions create out of control infernos
Three separate wildfires are spreading rapidly through Los Angeles County in the neighborhoods of Pacific Palisades and Sylmar and outside the city of Pasadena.
As of early Wednesday, fire officials in the area say they have contained zero percent of the fires and that because of the blustering Santa Ana winds, the fires are expected to worsen before any containment happens.
More than 30,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate while more than 200,000 residents were without power.
Pasadena Fire Department Chief Chad Augustin told Fox News that the Eaton Fire, the one near Pasadena, is "definitely the worst brush fire and worst incident that Pasadena has seen in its history."
Officials are calling these fires the "worst case scenario" as a significant number of homes and businesses have been lost to the fires.
“This really is a worst-case scenario.” Chief Chad Augustin of the Pasadena Fire Department says first responders are still “multiple hours” from wind gusts slowing down enough to battle the wildfires from the air. More: https://t.co/BGtFqkWknc pic.twitter.com/7geyeDg3sq
Reports as of Wednesday morning say that nearly 3,000 acres have already burned, with more expected to be consumed by the fires.
The windy conditions have made it nearly impossible for firefighters to fight the fires from the air.
Dr. Ariel Cohen, the meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service in Los Angeles, told CNN that these wildfires are "one of the worst situations we've ever seen."
"Heed those warnings. It's a matter of life and death." The #PalisadesFire has quickly exploded to more than 700 acres - here's the very latest on what's happening with @NWSLosAngeles meteorologist Dr. Ariel Cohen: pic.twitter.com/tKDHeypfoN
The wildfires have been caused by a perfect storm of volatile weather conditions. Extreme wind combined with unusually dry conditions in what is typically the rainy season for Southern California has allowed these fires to grow and spread at a rapid pace.
Cohen had a dire message for residents during his CNN interview, "I'm pleading with you," he said. "If you get the evacuation order from emergency management, take it seriously and evacuate. Your life will depend on it."
