'Run for your lives!' LA residents abandon cars to flee wildfire on foot

In Los Angeles, a fast-moving wildfire forced many residents to abandon their cars and flee on foot to escape the flames. Eyewitnesses described the scene as resembling a Hollywood disaster movie, with people screaming and running for safety. The fire, which started as a typical brush fire, quickly escalated into a massive inferno due to strong winds, racing towards the Pacific Palisades area. As the fire spread, officials ordered 30,000 people to evacuate their homes, as the blaze expanded from just 10 acres to several thousand acres in a matter of hours. The Pacific Palisades is a beautiful neighborhood known for its winding roads and hillside streets that lead down to the beaches along the Pacific Ocean. As the fire approached, the main road, the Pacific Coast Highway, became heavily congested with traffic, making it impossible for many drivers to escape. Marsha Horowitz, a local resident, recounted how firefighters urged people to leave their vehicles as the flames drew near. She stated, 'The fire was right up against the cars. ' Another resident, who rushed home from her job in Hollywood, described her frantic escape. After abandoning her car, she ran home to grab her cat, only to be hit by flaming palm tree debris as she fled. 'I'm getting hit with palm leaves on fire, I ran into a car,' she recalled, expressing her fear and panic. As the fire raged on, many evacuees witnessed their homes being consumed by flames. Among those affected were several celebrities, including actor James Woods, who had to evacuate his property. Steve Guttenberg, another resident and actor, urged those who left their cars behind to leave their keys inside so that firefighters could move the vehicles to clear a path for emergency responders. 'This is not a parking lot,' he emphasized, highlighting the urgency of the situation. Bulldozers were later brought in to clear the abandoned cars, allowing fire trucks to access the area more easily. The Pacific Palisades is home to many well-known figures, including Jennifer Aniston, Bradley Cooper, and Tom Hanks, all of whom were also at risk from the advancing flames. In the nearby Topanga Canyon, residents faced similar challenges as they attempted to escape the wildfire. One woman named Melanie tried to leave but found her escape route engulfed in flames. She had to make a quick U-turn to avoid driving into the fire, stating, 'I would have been driving right into the fire. ' Even those living six miles away in Venice Beach reported seeing the flames and feeling the impact of the fire. Kelsey Trainor described the chaos as ash fell around her while the fire jumped from one side of the road to the other. 'People were getting out of the cars with their dogs and babies and bags, they were crying and screaming,' she said, noting that the road was completely blocked for an hour. Ellen Delosh-Bacher shared her experience of rushing from downtown Los Angeles to her home, where her elderly mother and two dogs were waiting. She encountered gridlock at Sunset Boulevard and Palisades Drive, witnessing fire erupting behind a nearby Starbucks. Police officers were shouting at stuck motorists to 'Run for your lives! ' In a desperate attempt to escape, she left her car with the keys still in the ignition and ran half a mile down to the beach. 'This is like an apocalypse,' she exclaimed, capturing the fear and urgency of the moment. The situation in Los Angeles serves as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by wildfires and the need for residents to be prepared for emergencies.