LIVE COVERAGE: Los Angeles Wildfires Prompt Evacuations

The strongest Santa Ana winds in over a decade that whipped wildfire and chaos through the Pacific Palisades on Tuesday worsened overnight, with 2,921 acres burned at 0% containment as of Wednesday morning, reports The WRAP.

The 99mph gusts fanning an uncontrolled blaze led to over 30,000 evacuations and cancellations of events from movie premieres to a planned airport departure by President Joe Biden. Meanwhile, the nearby Eaton fire has burned 2,227 acres with the Hurst fire at 500 acres.

The Getty Villa museum, Palisades High School and the Bel Air Beach Club were among the locations affected by the raging flames that the fire department struggled to get under control amid howling winds. Grounds at the Getty were burned, although the priceless antiquities in the villa were reported safe. Palisades High School, meanwhile, became engulfed in flames and in videos shared online appeared in a dire state.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a state of emergency proclamation, while Los Angeles officials also braced with a state-of-emergency declaration with the fire marching toward western neighborhoods like Brentwood and Bel Air. Forestry officials released an interactive map for residents to track the fire’s spread. Nineteen local school districts are closed for Wednesday.

By nightfall Tuesday, the fire had spread to nearly 3,000 acres, destroying luxury homes in the celebrity-filled enclave and public buildings alike. Meanwhile in nearby Santa Monica, which shares an approximately 2-mile-long northern border with Pacific Palisades, authorities ordered mandatory evacuations for residents living near the fire. 

📻🔥Listen To LIVE KNX News coverage HERE.

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Fires also broke out elsewhere in the region, most notably in Eaton Canyon, north of Altadena, where early Tuesday evening, hillside flames were visible from nearby Pasadena. Evacuations are under way closer to the fire though the number of affected residents is not currently known. A third fire erupted in Sylmar around 10:15 p.m., burning through at least 50 acres and spreading.

Flames and smoke choked the Southern California sky with eerie red light and smoke that drifted out to sea. Numerous state and local agencies scrambled firefighters, airplanes and helicopters to battle the blaze, but there was no indication that it was even partially contained.

Outstanding local TV coverage

When the fires are at their worst, southern California's TV stations are at their best. The hyperlocal live coverage alerts residents to evacuation warnings; gives real-time info about shelters and other resources; and shows exactly where and how the fires are spreading. 

From CNN, here are a few observations from watching hours of local coverage:

• Journalists earn trust and respect by being neighbors first. One KTLA reporter grabbed a garden hose and tried to protect a nearby house during a live shot overnight. Another reporter said "a couple of residents took shelter in our news van" after evacuating.
• Local connections make a big difference. KABC's Josh Haskell grew up in the neighborhood where one fire started, and he brought that local expertise to his live shots. "It's honestly made me sick to my stomach," he said, seeing beloved local landmarks on fire.
• L.A. stations are known for their helicopters, but the intense winds mean that virtually all the live shots are coming from the ground, not the air, making it difficult to see the full scope of the emergency. Live shots have been occasionally interrupted due to the brutal conditions, and some stations have relied on backup generators due to power outages.