Fire engulfs Los Angeles, 30,000 evacuated

(Patria) - A wildfire is raging through a luxurious part of Los Angeles, destroying homes and causing traffic jams, as 30,000 people evacuated under huge clouds of smoke that have covered most of the city area.

At least 510 hectares of the Pacific Palisades area, between Santa Monica and Malibu, have burned, officials said after warning of extreme fire danger due to strong winds that arrived after a prolonged drought.

Witnesses reported a large number of houses in flames, which almost burned their cars as they fled the Topanga Canyon hills as the fire spread to the Pacific Ocean.

Palisades Charter High School, a famous filming location in Los Angeles, has appeared in more than 30 films and series, including Carrie, The Parent Trap, and Teen Wolf.

Among the school's former students are famous names from Hollywood, such as J.J. Abrams and will.i.am from the group Black Eyed Peas.

According to numerous reports from American media, the fire has surrounded the school complex, and journalist Matthew Seedorff posted a video on the X platform.

As darkness fell, it remained unclear whether the school had completely burned down.

The Los Angeles Times quoted a school board member's advisor who stated that the baseball field and tennis courts were on fire, but it has not yet been confirmed whether the classrooms have also burned.

According to data from the PowerOutage.us website, as of 9:15 PM Pacific Time, about 184,400 customers in Los Angeles County are without electricity.