Written by Jorge Garcia and Mike Blake

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A fast-growing wildfire broke out in an upscale area of ​​Los Angeles on Tuesday, destroying homes and causing traffic jams while 30,000 people were evacuated under huge plumes of smoke that covered much of the capital area.

At least 2,921 acres (1,182 hectares) of Pacific Palisades between the coastal settlements of Santa Monica and Malibu have burned, officials said, having already warned of extreme fire danger due to strong winds arriving after prolonged dry weather.

The fire spread as officials warned that the worst wind conditions were expected overnight, leading to fears that more neighborhoods could be forced to flee. The city of Santa Monica later ordered evacuations in the north end of the city.

Witnesses reported that a number of homes caught fire and their cars were nearly consumed by flames as people fled the hills of Topanga Canyon, from where the flames spread to the Pacific Ocean.

“We feel very fortunate at this point that no injuries have been reported,” Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Christine Crowley said at a news conference, adding that more than 25,000 people in 10,000 homes are at risk.

Firefighters in planes collected water from the sea to drop it on nearby fires. Television footage showed flames engulfing homes and bulldozers removing abandoned cars from the roads so emergency vehicles could pass.

As the sun set over Los Angeles, towering orange flames lit up the hills leading into Topanga Valley.

The fire wiped out some trees on the grounds of the Getty Villa, a museum filled with priceless works of art, but the collection remained largely safe due to preventative efforts to trim trees surrounding the buildings, the museum said.

With only one main road leading from the valley to the coast, and one coastal highway leading to safety, traffic came to a standstill, forcing people to flee on foot.

Cindy Vista, a resident of Pacific Palisades, said that as she was evacuated from the valley, the fires were “very close to the cars,” indicating with her thumb and index finger.

“People left their cars on Palisades Road. The hills burned. The palm trees, everything is fine,” Vista said from her car.

Before the fire broke out, the National Weather Service issued its highest level of warning for severe fire conditions for much of Los Angeles County from Tuesday to Thursday, forecasting wind gusts of 50 to 80 mph (80 to 130 kph).

With low humidity and dry vegetation due to lack of rain, conditions were “very poor in terms of fire weather,” the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles office told X.

He added that Governor Gavin Newsom, who declared a state of emergency, said the state had deployed personnel, fire trucks and aircraft elsewhere in Southern California because of the fire risk to the broader region.

“We hope we are wrong, but we expect other fires to occur simultaneously,” Newsom said at the news conference.

A second fire was named Eaton The fire later broke out about 30 miles (50 km) away in the foothills above Pasadena, burning 200 acres (80 hectares), Cal Fire said.

High winds changed President Joe Biden’s travel plans, grounding Air Force One in Los Angeles. He had planned to make a short trip inland to the Coachella Valley to attend the ceremony for two new national monuments in California but the event was rescheduled for a later date at the White House.

“I have offered any federal assistance needed to help extinguish the horrific Pacific Palisades fire,” Biden said in a statement. Biden said a federal grant has already been approved to help compensate California for its response to the fires.

Pacific Palisades is home to many Hollywood stars. Actor James Woods said on Channel X that he had managed to evacuate but added: “I don’t know at this moment if our house is still standing.”

Actor Steve Guttenberg told KTLA-TV that friends of his were prevented from evacuating because others had left their cars on the road.

“It’s really important for everyone to band together and not worry about their personal belongings. Just get out,” Guttenberg said. “Get your loved ones and get out.”