Written by Jackie Luna, Joe Brock, and Matt McKnight

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Raging wildfires surrounded Los Angeles on Wednesday, killing at least five people, destroying hundreds of homes and stretching firefighting resources and water supplies to the limit, while more than 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate.

Strong winds hampered firefighting operations and fueled the fires, which have been burning unhindered since they began on Tuesday.

Five separate fires have burned in Los Angeles County, all 0% contained according to state officials, including a pair of blazes that put the city in a pincer movement.

On the west side, the Palisades Fire scorched 15,832 acres (6,406 hectares) and 1,000 structures in the hills between Santa Monica and Malibu, racing down Topanga Canyon until it reached the natural Pacific fire barrier on Tuesday. It was truly one of the most devastating fires in Los Angeles history.

To the east, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains Eaton The fire has destroyed another 10,600 acres (4,289 hectares) and killed at least five people, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told KNX radio. Private forecasting firm AccuWeather estimated initial damage and economic losses at more than $50 billion.

“We are facing a historic natural disaster,” Los Angeles County Emergency Management Director Kevin McGowan said at a news conference. “I think that can’t be stated strongly enough.”

The sky over Los Angeles glowed red in some areas and was covered in thick smoke. Nearly 1 million homes and businesses were without power in Los Angeles County, according to PowerOutage.us.

“The winds picked up, and the flames rose to about 30 or 40 feet (9 to 12 metres), and you hear pop, pop, pop. It sounded like a war zone,” said Kevin Williams, an evacuee from Eaton Fire. Reuters At an evacuation center in Pasadena, he describes gas canisters in his neighbors’ homes that began to explode under the heat of the flames.

Water problems

Three smaller fires in the county also stretched already stretched firefighting resources, with water shortages impacting Pacific Palisades, an upscale coastal area where wildfires have scorched 15,832 acres (6,406 hectares).

“There are not enough firefighters in Los Angeles County to handle four separate fires of this size,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said.

Demand for water also caused some taps to run dry in Pacific Palisades after the last of the area’s three large water tanks became empty, officials said.

“We’ve pushed the system to the limits. We’re fighting wildfires with urban water systems, and that’s a real challenge,” Janice Quiñones, CEO of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said at a news conference.

Pacific Palisades relies on three tanks, each holding about 1 million gallons (3.78 million liters), and the demand for water to fight fires at lower elevations makes it difficult to refill water tanks at higher altitudes, she said.

Some hydrants ran dry around 3 a.m., and with wind and smoke limiting the ability to provide air support, firefighters were left without enough water to fight the flames.

Nestled in the hills with stunning ocean views, Pacific Palisades is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the country with a typical home worth $3.7 million as of the end of 2023, according to Zillow (NASDAQ:), more than all but four other neighborhoods. Zip codes in the United States.

It is also home to many film, television and music stars including Jamie Lee Curtis, Mandy Moore, and Mark Hamill, all of whom were forced to flee their homes.

The fires broke out at a particularly vulnerable time in Southern California, which has yet to see significant rainfall since the start of the water year in October. Then came strong Santa Ana winds, bringing dry desert air from the east toward the coastal mountains, fanning the flames of wildfires as they blew over hilltops and down through canyons.

Scientists said the fires, which broke out outside the traditional wildfire season, represent the latest in extreme weather events that are likely to escalate further as global temperatures continue to rise in the coming decades.

President Joe Biden, who remained in Los Angeles after Air Force One was grounded due to high winds on Tuesday, joined California Gov. Gavin Newsom at the Santa Monica Fire Station for a briefing on firefighting efforts.

“The impacts (of the fires include) more than a thousand buildings already destroyed, more than a hundred thousand people evacuated, lives lost, traditions, ways of life, and places torn apart,” Newsom, who declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, said. .

Biden pledged any assistance he could provide in his final days in office before handing it over to President-elect Donald Trump on January 20.

“We are doing anything and everything as much as it takes to contain these fires… to make sure we get back to normal,” Biden said. “It’s going to be a hell of a long way. It’s going to take some time.”

Local officials warned that gusty winds were expected to continue throughout the day.

“We are not out of the woods yet, with strong winds continuing to move through the city and county today,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Christine Crowley said.

As the fire spread and residents began to be evacuated after the fires broke out on Tuesday, the roads became so crowded that some people abandoned their cars to escape the fire. Emergency responders were going door to door to press evacuation orders.

Sean Tate, 45, said he fled his home in Altadena, a suburb of Los Angeles at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, at 4:15 a.m. when he saw flames heading toward his home.

“I ran out of the house because I heard something flying from the roof,” Tate said at an evacuation center in Pasadena.

“We packed up the SUV and headed out here,” he said. “I chose to keep my laptop, my diabetes medication, and a little food.”

David Reed said he had no choice but to leave his home in Pacific Palisades when police officers showed up at his door and “laid down the law” when he saw flames approaching his home.

“I grabbed my trombone and the latest book I’ve been reading, which is my Jack Kerouac anthology here, because I’m a beatnik,” Reid said.