Los Angeles: California governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after around 30,000 people were ordered to evacuate due to a fast-moving wildfire in Southern California.
“As Southern California faces dangerous winds and extreme fire weather through Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom visited Pacific Palisades today and met with local and state fire officials to support their response to the Palisades Fire,” said the governor’s office in a statement.
The wildfire was first reported in mid-morning in the Pacific Palisades, an affluent residential neighborhood in Los Angeles. The blaze had exploded to over 1,260 acres (around 5.1 sq km) as of Tuesday afternoon.
While on the ground in Pacific Palisades, Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency to support the communities impacted by the fire.
“This is a highly dangerous windstorm that’s creating extreme fire risk — and we’re not out of the woods,” said Newsom, adding: “We’re already seeing the destructive impacts with this fire in Pacific Palisades that grew rapidly in a matter of minutes.”
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley told local news outlets that multiple homes have been damaged by the flame and over 10,000 homes were threatened by the fire.
