Palisades Fire in California forces drivers to abandon cars as they flee Santa Ana

As the Pacific Palisades wildfire in Los Angeles quickly grew Tuesday afternoon amid a destructive windstorm, some residents chose to leave, others followed evacuation orders and others were forced to walk among the smoke and ash, abandoning their cars stuck in gridlock as flames dangerously approached. 

At 10:30 a.m. the Palisades Fire was estimated to be 20 acres, and an hour later it had grown to 200 acres. By around 6:30 p.m., Cal Fire said it stood at 2,921 acres and continues to grow in size. Pacific Palisades is a coastal neighborhood in northwest Los Angeles. 

“This happened in the spur of the moment,” resident Krishan Chaudry said. “We were looking at the smoke, then all of a sudden we saw fire everywhere.”  

About 30,000 people have been evacuated, and an estimated 10,367 houses remain threatened by the quickly moving flames, Los Angeles Fire Department and law enforcement officials said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.