Wildfire engulfs affluent LA neighborhood (VIDEO)

Fanned by high winds, a huge blaze in the Pacific Palisades area has prompted mass evacuations and a state of emergency

A wind-whipped wildfire tore across the celebrity area of Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles on Tuesday, triggering the evacuation of more than 30,000 residents and putting 13,000 buildings under threat, Reuters has reported.

According to officials cited by the news agency, the fire in the affluent neighborhood, between the coastal towns of Santa Monica and Malibu, has consumed nearly 12 square kilometers, sending up a plume of smoke, visible across LA.

The fire was first reported at 10:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, prompting thousands of evacuations across the district and into neighboring Malibu. A second blaze dubbed the Eaton Fire started several hours later near Pasadena, and a third named the Hurst Fire swept through Sylmar, in the San Fernando Valley to the northwest of Los Angeles, prompting more evacuations.

The fire began shortly after the start of the Santa Ana windstorm, which according to the National Weather Service could be the strongest to affect Southern California in over a decade. In addition, drought conditions have returned to the south of the state, according to an update from the US Drought Monitor, released last week.

The powerful Santa Ana winds coupled with three major wildfires have left almost 300,000 homes and businesses in Los Angeles without electricity. There were 299,987 customers without power as of Wednesday morning, according to the tracking website poweroutage.us.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in the southern part of the state, to help communities tackle the wildfires.

“We’re already seeing the destructive impacts with this fire in Pacific Palisades that grew rapidly in a matter of minutes,” Newsom said in a statement. “If you’re in Southern California, please pay attention to weather reports and follow any guidance from emergency officials.”

Motorists along Sunset Boulevard and Palisades Drive were told to abandon their cars to enable swifter evacuation, as roads became choked with tight traffic. Meanwhile, the coastal highway has been completely shut down in the Malibu.

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said at a press conference that over 25,000 people in 10,000 homes were threatened by the blazes. However, she noted that there were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.