Images show Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, other California blazes

Firefighters are continuing to battle a series of wildfires that broke out Tuesday and Wednesday in Los Angeles County. Fueled by a windstorm, the blazes have so far engulfed thousands of acres of land, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

Stunning images emerging from areas affected by the particularly destructive Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire show the early extent of the damage, primarily in the affluent Los Angeles neighborhood Pacific Palisades and northern valley community Altadena.

Time-lapse satellite video published overnight by the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, a project between Colorado State University researchers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, painted a harrowing picture from above.  

“A dire situation is unfolding tonight as wildfires rage in Southern California,” the institute wrote in a social media post. “Communities continue to be significantly impacted by the Palisades and Eaton Fires.”

A dire situation is unfolding tonight as wildfires rage in Southern California.

Communities continue to be significantly impacted by the Palisades and Eaton Fires. pic.twitter.com/75nPVo24l6

— CIRA (@CIRA_CSU) January 8, 2025

The blazes grew out of an explosive brush fire that spread across northwestern Los Angeles early Tuesday, fueled by powerful winds that tore through the region. At least 30,000 residents were forced to evacuate their homes in the Pacific Palisades, a coastal neighborhood between Santa Monica in western L.A. County and Malibu, because of the Palisades Fire, which was initially reported at 10:30 a.m. PT that morning.

It had grown to more than 15,000 acres Wednesday, with zero containment, Cal Fire said. The Los Angeles County Fire Department estimated that the Palisades Fire threatened more than 10,300 homes, with at least 1,000 structures already damaged or destroyed.

L.A. fire officials said they received reports of multiple burn victims within 24 hours of the blaze taking shape, and warned more people were at risk. Several major roadways in the county were jammed by heavy traffic as residents attempted to flee in their cars, prompting many to abandon their vehicles in the road and continue on foot.

The Eaton Fire broke out Tuesday night, in the hills above Altadena in northern L.A. County, farther inland than the Palisades. That blaze also prompted evacuation orders as the fire unfurled over at least 1,000 acres overnight, Cal Fire said. Cal Fire said the Eaton fire had engulfed more than 10,000 by Wednesday afternoon.

Some additional evacuations got underway later Tuesday in the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles, where a third fire, the Hurst Fire, broke out and quickly spread across hundreds of acres. 

Another fire, the Woodley Fire, erupted Wednesday morning near the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve and Woodley Park. Cal Fire said strong winds were pushing this blaze south and it “poses a threat of crossing Burbank Boulevard.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in response to the wildfires, warning Tuesday that “we’re not out of the woods.”

“This is a highly dangerous windstorm that’s creating extreme fire risk,” Newsom said in a statement. “We’re already seeing the destructive impacts with this fire in Pacific Palisades that grew rapidly in a matter of minutes.”