The Hollywood Hills fire requires additional evacuations, and 27,000 acres have burned in Los Angeles County
The fifth forest fire that broke out Los Angeles County on Wednesday evening forced additional evacuations as firefighters battle the fires that have so far consumed 27,000 acres – nearly the size of the entire city of San Francisco – across the county.
The Sunset Fire erupted in the Hollywood Hills above Hollywood Boulevard, near Runyon Canyon, threatening some of Los Angles’ most popular tourist hotspots – including the iconic Hollywood sign.
About a mile from the fire, streets along the Hollywood Walk of Fame were bustling with stop-and-go traffic around the TCL Chinese Theater and Madame Tussauds. Some people dragged suitcases out of the hotel, while others walked towards the flames, filming the fire on their phones, as sirens blared and low-flying helicopters flew overhead to pour water on the flames.
The latest blaze comes as firefighters in Los Angeles and neighboring communities battle the Palisades Fire, the Hurst Fire, the Lidia Fire and the Eaton Fire, the last of which claimed the lives of five people. At least 130,000 people were ordered to evacuate.
Water is dropped by helicopter on the burning Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Nearly 2,000 homes, businesses and other structures were destroyed in the Palisades and Eaton fires.
Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said they were able to contain the latest fire in the Hollywood Hills because “we hit it hard and fast and Mother Nature was a little kinder to us today than she was yesterday.”
The firemen were solving intense winds which further fueled the fire.
The Palisades Fire burned a beach property Wednesday in Malibu, California. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Sheila Kelliher told Fox News on Wednesday that she saw winds “up to 70, 80, even 100 mph” and described the scorched hillsides as “dramatic and apocalyptic.”
Wind gusts in the region are forecast to reach speeds of up to 55 mph on Thursday.
The the two biggest fires in the region – the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire – remain at 0% containment, Cal Fire said early Thursday. Meanwhile, firefighters said the Hurst Fire is 10% contained, while the Lydia Fire is 40% contained.
Flames engulfed a home in Pacific Palisades, California on Wednesday. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
California Governor Gavin Newsom said more than 7,500 firefighters are on the ground battling multiple fires, which officials say have consumed a total of about 42 square miles.
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A red flag warning is currently in effect for Los Angeles and Ventura counties because of “the potential for rapid fire spread and extreme fire behavior,” the National Weather Service said.
Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz and Greg Norman, along with The Associated Press, contributed to this report.
