How You Know the LA County Wildfire Is Going to Be Catastrophic

The brush fire raging for hours in Los Angeles County will be catastrophic, and you don’t need to be a firefighter or part of an emergency response team to know that. Have you seen these images? Some have rightly described them as apocalyptic. Nursing homes had to be evacuated. It's a nightmare, with videos of people fleeing their homes with the fire on their heels. It's wild.

I can’t tell you how unprecedented it is for a major city fire department to consider a full recall.

This is unquestionably a severe situation: https://t.co/CbxsCFIvYs
— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) January 8, 2025

All #LAFD members currently off-duty are to call the DOC 213-576-8962 with their availability for recall. #palisadesfire
— LAFD 🔥 (@LAFD) January 8, 2025

This is horrifying and heartbreaking.

Two men escape from home as fire barrels towards them at the Palisades fire pic.twitter.com/ZnooGK3llJ
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 8, 2025

THIS. IS. HORRIFYING.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE POOR PEOPLE 🙏 pic.twitter.com/2B0U6wqOAj
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 8, 2025

🚨 SHOCK FOOTAGE -- ABSOLUTE HORROR UNFOLDING NOW: Elderly nursing home patients are being raced across the roadways to get away from extreme fire danger in Pasadena.pic.twitter.com/D1pZwIHBUH
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 8, 2025

The LAFD also decided to issue a total recall of all firefighters to help fight the blaze. Any off-duty personnel are meant to report for duty. Police are reportedly overwhelmed, with abandoned cars making deployment of emergency crews more cumbersome. Bulldozers were deployed to plow away the vehicles. Actor Steve Guttenberg implored people to leave their car keys behind so he and other volunteers could move them for the fire trucks. The fire jumped the Pacific Coast Highway yesterday.

🚨The Palisades Fire has jumped the Pacific Coast Highwaypic.twitter.com/oSKYG4lavK
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 8, 2025

It’s heartbreaking to witness the loss of a vibrant community. So many landmarks have already been lost to the Palisades Fire and sadly the worst is yet to come. So far the fire has not reached the Palisades Village - the main shopping area, but flames are blocks away. pic.twitter.com/iAS31Fptil
— Jonathan Vigliotti 🐋 (@JonVigliotti) January 8, 2025

Nightmare Fuel
Two men and a dog trapped in a home surrounded by the Palisades fire. pic.twitter.com/YDCkFmLNbH
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) January 8, 2025

Neighborhood after neighborhood… GONE. This is the heart of the Palisades. pic.twitter.com/HPVvbyCKmT
— Jonathan Vigliotti 🐋 (@JonVigliotti) January 8, 2025

Breitbart editor Joel Pollak, who lives in the Palisades, said the “evacuation should have been earlier (received orders after we left), Police should have directed traffic to avoid panic, [and] Schools took too long to release kids.”

Our family escaped Palisades before gridlock. Safe but our house may burn down. Observations:

- Evacuation should have been earlier (received orders after we left)
- Police should have directed traffic to avoid panic
- Schools took too long to release kids
- Fireworks = disaster
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) January 7, 2025

I’m going to make this very clear, if you live anywhere north of the 10 and west of the 405. BE READY TO LEAVE NOW. The fire departments have given up on structural protection outside of those boundaries. Please trust your local infamous fault. For Altadena and even Pasadena, do…
— The San Andreas Fault (@sanandreafault) January 8, 2025

Prayers up, folks. This fire is going to be a horrific one. Meanwhile, is the National Guard going to be deployed? Who’s in charge?

Wow https://t.co/JfdZ6MeXlk
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 8, 2025

Another problem is that all aircraft have been grounded due to high winds, so firefighting from air assets is out for now. The worst is coming, with 80-105 mph gusts expected.

The #PalisadesFire is absolutely exploding in West LA and is quickly moving toward homes in Pacific Palisades. The images just continue to get worse. Sadly, the weather for Wednesday calls for even worse winds gusting 60-90 MPH in the Santa Ana Mountains.

Evacuate if you are in… pic.twitter.com/PkwIBfl46C
— Noah Bergren (@NbergWX) January 8, 2025

View from the sky above LA.
Pacific Palisades and Malibu engulfed in flames. Absolutely Horrific. pic.twitter.com/Q5O8XgEHng
— Dan Hellie (@DanHellie) January 8, 2025

Winds will not die down much until noon on Wednesday around Los Angeles ... the worst is yet to come in next few hours with 80-105 mph gusts. This is a hurricane of fire. pic.twitter.com/GzBpqf9vzX
— Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) January 8, 2025

UPDATE: Santa Monica is under evacuation orders.