LOS ANGELES (AP) — A fast-moving fire in the Hollywood Hills erupted Wednesday night as more evacuations were ordered for Los Angeles residents and fire crews battled three other major blazes that killed at least five people. The Sunset Fire was burning near the Hollywood Bowl and other iconic landmarks in the Hollywood Hills. Winds were easing and firefighters from across the state were relieving exhausted crews, but the danger was far from over.
As officials provided an update on the fires, a new blaze broke out in the Hollywood Hills, and evacuation orders were also extended to Santa Monica. More than 1,000 structures, mostly homes, have been destroyed, and more than 130,000 people are under evacuation orders in the metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, a number that continues to shift as new fires erupt. A thick smoke wafted over many parts of Los Angeles.
More than half a dozen schools in the area were either damaged or destroyed, including Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in many Hollywood productions, including the 1976 horror movie “Carrie” and the TV series “Teen Wolf,” officials said. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said firefighters from across California and elsewhere had arrived to help along with air operations that were dousing flames. She warned they still faced “erratic winds,” though not of hurricane force like Tuesday evening, when much of the destruction occurred.
In Pasadena, Fire Chief Chad Augusti.
