Palisades Fire prompts power outages for tens of thousands
LOS ANGELES - Tens of thousands of customers are without power as the Palisades Fire destroys homes and scorches surrounding areas.
Power companies are shutting off power to customers as a preventative measure to reduce the risk of equipment sparking a fire.
The fire swiftly consumed nearly 2 square miles (just over 5 square kilometers) of land in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in western Los Angeles, sending up a dramatic plume of smoke visible across the city.
TOPSHOT - Fire personnel respond to homes destroyed while a helicopter drops water as the Palisades Fire grows in Pacific Palisades, California on January 7, 2025. A fast-moving wildfire in a Los Angeles suburb burned buildings and sparked panic, wit
Current outages
According to Southern California Edison’s outage status map, there are 54 total outages as of 6:41 p.m. and approximately 71,272 customers are impacted.
Another 757 outages are scheduled which could possibly impact another approximately 42,781 customers.
When did the fire start?
Fire crews responded to the area of Piedra Morada and Monte Hermoso drives at about 10:30 a.m.
How big is the fire?
The Palisades fire has burned approximately 2,921 acres, according to the CalFire website.
Currently, the fire is 0% contained.
Evacuations
An estimated 30,000 people have been issued a mandatory evacuation order.
Over 10,000 households and another 15,000 buildings, including businesses, were evacuated, according to LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell.
An evacuation order was issued for the Sunset Mesa area.
Evacuation warnings are in place from Topanga Canyon on the west to Rustic Canyon on the east.
Fire crews on scene requested evacuations for the entire area down to Pacific Coast Highway.
According to LA City, those not in the evacuation area should shelter in place and stay off the roads to allow first responders and evacuees to move quickly.
Structures impacted
During a press conference Tuesday afternoon, LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley said roughly 13,200 structures are endangered, including 10,367 residences.
While some structures have been damaged, there is no immediate word on the number of buildings that have been damaged or destroyed.
Video from the scene showed multiple homes on fire in the area of Shadow Mountain Drive and Bienveneda Ave. Due to limited resources, FOX 11's Matthew Seedorff, who was in the area, reported seeing no firefighters in the neighborhood around noontime. Seedorff then sprung into action, taking a garden hose to attempt to put out flames.