Watch | Wildfires threatening Los Angeles as California firefighters battle three blazes

The famous city of California’s Los Angeles has been battling three wildfires since Tuesday. These fires have forced thousands of people to flee their homes for safety. Firefighters are battling it out there on multiple fronts to contain the spread of these forest fires.

The Palisades fire was first reported on Tuesday morning. It is said to have spread from an area of about 20 acres to over 200 acres in less than half-an-hour. The authorities issued a hurried order for 30,000 people to evacuate from their homes to safe places.

The Eaton fire was reported on Tuesday evening, and within hours it spread to over 1,000 acres emerging from the hills above Pasadena.

The third wildfire is the Hurst fire, which was reported late Tuesday night north of San Fernando. It is also reported to have spread to over 500 acres, triggering evacuation orders in neighbouring Santa Clarita.

California firefighters continue to fight Santa Ana wind-whipped wildfires destroying homes, clogging roadways. Officials say the worst is yet to come.

The flames from a fire that broke out Tuesday evening near a nature preserve in the inland foothills northeast of the city spread so rapidly that staff at a senior living center had to push dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street to a parking lot. The residents waited there in their bedclothes as embers fell around them until ambulances, buses and even construction vans arrived to take them to safety.

Another blaze that started hours earlier ripped through the city’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood, a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity residences. In the frantic haste to get to safety, roadways became impassable when scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some toting suitcases. The traffic jam on Palisades Drive prevented emergency vehicles from getting through and a bulldozer was brought in to push the abandoned cars to the side and create a path.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced that the mandatory evacuation zone for the fire had expanded.

The fast-moving fire prompted the Los Angeles Fire Department to take the rare step of putting out a plea for off-duty firefighters to help. It was too windy for firefighting aircraft to fly, further hampering the fight.

Flames were being pushed by Santa Ana winds topping 60 mph (97 kph) in some places. The winds were expected to increase overnight, producing isolated gusts that could top 100 mph (160 kph) in mountains and foothills — including in areas that haven’t seen substantial rain in months.

Officials didn’t give an estimate of structures damaged or destroyed in the Pacific Palisades wildfire, but they said about 30,000 residents were under evacuation orders and more than 13,000 structures were under threat. Gov. Gavin Newsom visited the scene and said many homes had burned.

By evening the flames had spread into neighboring Malibu and several people there were being treated for burn injuries and a firefighter had a serious head injury and was taken to a hospital, according to Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott.

“By no stretch of the imagination are we out of the woods,” Newsom warned residents, saying the worst of the winds were expected between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency to support the communities impacted by the Palisades fire.

President Joe Biden said that he was being frequently briefed on the wildfires in west Los Angeles and that he and his team and I were in touch with state and local officials.

Biden also offered any federal assistance needed to help suppress the Pacific Palisades fire.

Actor James Woods posted on X, “To all the wonderful people who’ve reached out to us, thank you for being so concerned.”

He added that they were able to evacuate successfully but did not know if their home was still standing.