By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-08 18:06:43 | Updated at 2025-01-09 07:58:53
14 hours ago
Devastated Pacific Palisades residents have returned to their neighborhood to find their homes and businesses reduced to rubble and ash by deadly wildfires.
Harrowing video reveals the once-bustling Los Angeles enclave is now an eerie ghost town.
CBS correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti was unable to contain his emotion as he drove through the smoldering streets on Wednesday.
'Oh my god, look at this, beyond comprehension,' he is heard saying as he tears up. 'It's very sad.'
The video shows the charred remains of several businesses and homes, with plumes of smoke seen rising in the background.
The apocalyptic scene shows crumpled power cables above piles of rubble lying in between the city's iconic palm trees.
Vigliotti reported that the mall survived the devastation but that, 'everything else is gone'.
The once ritzy neighborhood has been decimated by the blaze which began on Tuesday and spread rapidly amid 60mph Santa Ana winds.
Pacific Palisades residents have returned to the neighborhood to find their homes and businesses reduced to rubble and ash by deadly wildfires
Some 30,000 residents in Pacific Palisades and surrounding areas are now under mandatory evacuation orders
Under normal circumstances, the Pacific Palisades is a bustling, ritzy LA enclave beloved by the Hollywood elites
Some 30,000 residents in Pacific Palisades and surrounding areas are now under mandatory evacuation orders, amid warnings there is an immediate threat to their lives.
At least four separate blazes are burning in the metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena.
As of 8am local time the fires were 0 percent contained. Two people have been killed and many more injured after the blazes tore through more than 5,000 acres.
The deaths were linked to the fire in Eaton, though the exact nature of what caused them has not been released.
LA fire chief Anthony Marrone said as many as 1,000 structures have been destroyed in the LA fires.
With thousands of firefighters already attacking the flames, the Los Angeles Fire Department put out a plea for off-duty firefighters to help, and weather conditions were too windy for firefighting aircraft to fly, further hampering the fight.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has now declared a state of emergency amid warnings the situation could worsen.
A CBS reporter captured the scenes of devastation in the once bustling metropolitan hub
California Governor Gavin Newsom has now declared a state of emergency after four separate blazes were identified
Torrance Firefighters are seen gearing up to fight the Palisades Fire. High winds have meant that tackling the blazes is proving difficult
Southern California Edison shut off power to nearly 120,000 customers in six counties over safety concerns due to high winds and the risk of wildfires.
Another 440,000 customers could face similar shutoffs depending on the weather.
Among the high-profile evacuations were former husband and wife Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck and their three children.
The ex-couple fled together after Affleck was ordered to leave his $20 million bachelor bad just blocks from Garner's home.
Star Wars actor Mark Hamill and actor James Wood have also been evacuated, while reality stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt have lost their home.
Two people have been arrested for looting amid the chaos, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
Daniel Swain, climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, told CNN the ongoing fires in southern California could be historically costly.
Southern California Edison shut off power to nearly 120,000 customers in six counties
As of 8am local time the fires were 0 percent contained LA fire chief Anthony Marrone confirmed
'It is plausible that the Palisades Fire, in particular, will become the costliest on record period, not just in California, but in general,' Swain told CNN.
'We’ve likely checked that box this time. I’m hoping we don’t check other boxes as well.'
