Pacific Palisades fire: Evacuations, road closures, shelters

Firefighters are battling a fast moving fire that broke out along Piedra Morada Drive in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday morning and quickly grew to more than 1,200 acres.

The blaze, which started around 10:30 a.m., has damaged several homes and has forced thousands to evacuate. Some residents had to leave their cars on the side of the road in their attempt to leave. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

Southern California will be hit over the next two days with dry, unpredictable and strong winds — possibly up to 100 mph in some parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the National Weather Service has warned. Amid a parched landscape, the major wind event is again bringing particularly dangerous fire conditions — meaning that if a fire sparks, it could quickly spread into an erratic, fast-moving wildfire.

Evacuations

• Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued from Merrimac Road west to Topanga Canyon Boulevard and south to Pacific Coast Highway, according to the LAFD.
• Topanga Canyon Beach and Tuna Canyon Park in Los Angeles County are also under mandatory evacuation orders.
• The swath between Carbon Beach in Malibu and Las Flores Canyon Road up to Piuma Road is under an evacuation warning. Fire officials have warned the surrounding area to be prepared to leave quickly.

Shelters

• Westwood Recreation Center at 1350 S. Sepulveda Boulevard. The shelter also accepts small animals.

Road closures

• Southbound Pacific Coast Highway is closed at Topanga Canyon Boulevard
• Southbound Pacific Coast Highway is closed at Las Flores Canyon Road
• Southbound Pacific Coast Highway at Coastline Drive