Wildfire Sparks Panicked Evacuations In Los Angeles Suburb

A fast-moving wildfire in a Los Angeles suburb burned buildings and sparked panic, with thousands ordered to evacuate Tuesday as "life threatening" winds whipped the region.

Frightened residents abandoned their cars on one of the only roads in and out of the upscale Pacific Palisades area, fleeing on foot from the 770-acre (310-hectare) blaze engulfing an area crammed with multi-million dollar homes in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Several buildings appeared to have burned, with footage from the scene showing flames roaring up the hillsides and palm trees ablaze.

Actor Steve Guttenberg -- star of 1984 comedy "Police Academy" -- said he was trying to help to get friends out of the area, but the roads were jammed.

"If you leave your car... leave the key in there so a guy like me can move your car so that these fire trucks can get up there. It's really, really important," he told a reporter on broadcaster KTLA.

Firefighters used bulldozers to push abandoned cars out of the way and to forge a path.

Dozens of vehicles -- including expensive models like BMWs and Mercedes -- were shoved to one side on live television, many crumpling as they moved, with alarms going off.

The fire erupted mid-morning and swelled quickly, with dozens of firefighters deployed to battle the blaze, including from the air.

Evacuation warnings were in place for a wide area, with the fire twisting and turning in the wind.

One resident, who gave his name as Gary, told KTLA hot ashes were raining down on his community of Sea Ridge.

"I've seen this on TV before, and I never thought wind could affect fire like this," he said.

"There was smoke in the distance, and I was assured that it would not come over the hill... Five minutes later, it's coming down the hill. Everyone panicked, that's when everybody made a run and went to go and pack their houses up."

Pacific Palisades resident Andrew Hires told AFP he got a text alerting him to the fire as his child was at the dentist about to have a tooth extracted.

"We pulled off the mask and ran to car," he said.

"We got stuck for 20 minutes at corner of Palisades Drive and Sunset where kids were getting evacuated from Calvary School."

The fire came as the area was being hit by seasonal Santa Ana winds that forecasters said could develop into the worst windstorm in a decade.

Gusts of up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) an hour were expected in parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the National Weather Service said.

"HEADS UP!!! A LIFE-THREATENING, DESTRUCTIVE, Widespread Windstorm is expected Tue afternoon-Weds morning across much of Ventura/LA," the NWS said.

Red flag warnings of critical fire danger -- the highest level of alert -- were expected to remain in place until Thursday evening.

"This looks pretty, pretty concerning," said meteorologist Daniel Swain.

"It's going to be, I think, a rough night. And what's going on now is only just the beginning, because weather conditions are going to get a lot worse."

US President Joe Biden was in Los Angeles on Tuesday, where he had been expected to announce the creation of two new national monuments.

But the announcement was cancelled in the strong winds.

Hollywood events including a red-carpet premiere of Jennifer Lopez's new film "Unstoppable" were also called off.

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.

Southern California had two decades of drought that were followed by two exceptionally wet years, which has left the countryside primed to burn.

"The fire risk... is far higher given this hydro climate whiplash from very wet conditions the past two years, lots of abundant growth of what are known as herbaceous fuels, grass and brush, followed by what is now the driest start to the rainy season on record," said Swain.