Palisades residents describe flight from LA wildfire inferno
2025-01-08
Category: news

As firefighters in California battle three different blazes in and around Los Angeles, residents in the affluent suburb of Palisades have told the BBC how they fled the approaching flames.Pacific Palisades resident David Latt said he and his wife had just 10 minutes to grab important documents and family photographs before being stuck in a traffic jam for two hours as they tried to escape.Speaking to the Radio 4 Today programme Mr Latt said he had been unware of the fires until a neighbour warned him."I didn't know what he was even talking about until I went outside and I saw, about four blocks away up a hill, a very large plume of black smoke. And then I realised; 'oh, we need to get out of here!'"
Mr Latt said most people are aware of the need to pack a "grab-and-go bag" containing important documents like passports and other essential items. He wanted to make sure he had "all the receipts we needed to file our taxes… and we gathered more family photographs, albums, artwork, that we could get into our two cars".After collecting their most important belongings, he took a moment to film the wildfires from his roof and check the direction of the wind. When he realised it was blowing in his direction, he knew it was time to move - just minutes after getting the warning.With access to and from his area limited to just one road, Mr Latt said they were stuck in a traffic jam for two hours as they attempted to flee.Bordering Malibu, Pacific Palisades is a haven of hillside streets and winding roads nestled against the Santa Monica Mountains and extending down to beaches along the Pacific Ocean.
Mr Latt is unsure of what has happened to his home, and does not believe they will know much more for at least a day; extremely high winds are forecast later on Wednesday night and into Thursday which could fan the flames to whip up more fires across Los Angeles."What we know from experience is that even though the firefighters are doing a remarkable job in putting out areas of fire, but some sparks remain... the wind picks it up, carries the embers which can go across the street or a mile away... That's what the concern is in LA tonight," Mr Latt said.The speed of which he saw firefighting aircraft in the skies gave him some confidence in a "frightening situation", he added.
Follow latest updates on the LA wildfiresWatch: Smoke billows as thousands evacuate in LA'Run for your lives!' residents abandon cars to flee fire on footTimelapse shows rapid spread of Palisades wildfireWatch: Inside a neighbourhood totally lost in infernoPacific Palisades: The celebrity LA area ravaged by wildfire
In Palisades, firefighters told people to get out of their cars as the blaze approached, fanned by gusts of winds sometimes topping 100mph (160km/h)."The fire was right up against the cars," resident Marsha Horowitz told the BBC.Celebrities were also among those fleeing.Schitt's Creek actor Eugene Levy lives in the area and told local media he was forced to evacuate his home. "The smoke looked pretty black and intense over Temescal Canyon. I couldn't see any flames but the smoke was very dark," he told the Los Angeles Times.Mr Latt and his wife made it to safety, but unease has gripped residents in the city as the three wildfires rage on its northern and western outskirts.Whipped up by strong winds, the fires have destroyed homes, clogged roads and forced more than 30,000 people to flee. With at least 50,000 homes without power, other people in affected neighbourhoods have been driving until they get a signal to try and make calls or connect to the internet, unsure what to do.If they go to sleep, they worry they will not know when to evacuate. Many can see flames from their homes, but are unsure if they are close enough to leave.Many people have have children and pets, and are unsure of where to go.
Journalist Amrita Khalid lives in coastal city of Santa Monica, which is also being evacuated.She told the BBC World Service's Newsday radio programme that the day began like any other."I can't stress to you how normal this morning was in Santa Monica. It just seemed like another nice winter morning. But then, I was walking home from the gym and I just noticed big black billowing clouds of smoke."She then decided to leave her home for a safer location and says a photo of her neighbourhood that was shared with her affirmed her decision to leave."It looks like Mars, it looks bright red," she said. "So I'm kind of glad I left. I think better be safe than sorry."