Watch: Residents Realize They're Right in Path of Wildfire as It Burns Over Ridge
Some California residents got an uncomfortably close look at the sheer power of a wildfire after the blaze quickly burned its way up a hill.
The near-miss happened Monday during a brush fire in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades.
According to KABC, the fire has already scorched 40 acres, and was only 10 percent contained by the end of Monday.
Now-lifted evacuation orders made fighting the fire more difficult, as fire crews and fleeing residents were forced to share the narrow and winding roads. Around 150 firefighters were sent to fight the fire, both by air and on the ground.
Video from the blaze shows the moment the fire reaches the top of a hillside, engulfing a tree in a matter of seconds while panicked residents flee from a nearby house.
As flames head up the hill close to homes in the Pacific Palisades and engulf a tree, residents flee the neighborhood. Watch live: https://t.co/mMvw6Xeg6V pic.twitter.com/UPob5aFpJ7
— KTLA (@KTLA) October 21, 2019
As of yet, no injuries or destroyed structures have been reported.
The fire is the latest in a series of blazes in California. Driven by dry conditions, the infernos can reduce thousands of acres to ash while firefighters struggle to contain them.
The frightening pace of the Palisades fire’s spread in the video appears to be due to the terrain.
Heat rises, and this fire obviously had no problem cutting through a hillside full of dry brush.
“This is an extremely challenging fire for hand crews,” a Los Angeles Fire Department official said. “They’re essentially clawing their way up this hillside with rocks coming down at them.”
“We’re hitting it hard and fast,” Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.
Dense vegetation and winds provide the fuel and air for these firestorms, with lightning strikes, power lines, or careless individuals providing the spark that ignites the blazes.
California power company PG&E, already under scrutiny for its role in previous fires, has been cutting power to certain areas when the fire risk gets too high.
The blackouts leave many in the dark, including many shocked owners of solar panels.
Though it may seem extreme, this drastic step is needed to help prevent more fires that could easily take lives and destroy property.
As Pacific Palisade residents saw firsthand, it only takes seconds for a wildfire to consume whatever is in its path.
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