LA’s iconic Hollywood Boulevard is evacuated as fire erupts in celebrity epicenter

A fierce new wildfire has broken out in the Hollywood Hills, prompting a mass evacuation of the iconic Hollywood Boulevard amid warnings that another 100,000 residents should be prepared to evacuate their homes.

The hellish, fast-moving inferno sweeping through the hills prompted the dramatic evacuation order at 6pm local time on Wednesday, already affecting at least 20 hectares near Runyon Canyon.

At least five people have died so far in the devastating natural disaster – which completely destroyed a thousand structures and left thousands of people in the City of Angels with nothing but ashes.

Now the Sunset Fire is about to wreak havoc in the celebrity epicenter, forcing the evacuation of the famous strip, home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The alert read: “A mandatory evacuation order is now in effect for Laurel Canyon Blvd (west) to Mulholland Dr (north) to 101 Freeway (east) to Hollywood Blvd (south).”

Witnesses who saw the new fire said the flames “exploded in size” as the area is fertile with dense bush that unfortunately fuels the inferno.

ABC 7 reporter Chris Christi said from above the fire in a helicopter: “Very disturbing sight here. Just north of Hollywood Boulevard. This thing has exploded in size. This is all very thick fuel fueling this thicket.

“They immediately called for the 20 nearest trucks to come out, but gaining access to this fire will require more than just trucks.

“This thing is blowing up before our eyes. It is a very extensive fire that is spreading quickly.’

Thousands of homes and structures have already been lost across California, but with the fires still burning, it is impossible for officials to get a handle on the true extent of the losses.

A trio of smaller fires burning across the state are now under control, but at least they are still burning alongside the Hollywood Hills fire that just ignited.

Pasadena Mayor Victor M. Gordo revealed Wednesday afternoon that 100,000 people had already been issued mandatory evacuation orders, and another 100,000 people have now been warned to leave as well, the New York Times reported.

The warning has been issued to residents in danger zones that have not yet been upgraded to mandatory evacuation areas, but could soon be so.

Kyle Alarid, a captain with the Palo Alto Fire Department, said stretched first responders and firefighters are “triaging” homes in fire-ravaged neighborhoods.

He said it was simply not possible to save them all, despite the best efforts of the exhausted crew, who worked through the night to protect what they could.

“It’s always hard because you can save one, but it feels like you can never save enough.”

To make matters worse, the National Weather Service says gusty winds and very dry conditions will continue to fuel fires in the Los Angeles area in the coming days.

Forecasters predicted wind gusts of 55-90 km per hour, which could rise higher in the mountains and foothills.

Meteorologists said Los Angeles and Ventura counties would have weather conducive to fire through Friday, meaning low relative humidity, high winds, unstable air and drought.

One small ray of hope is that the winds have temporarily subsided enough for planes to help fight the fires, Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustine said.

“Tonight we have very mild wind conditions that will allow us to get aircraft and a lot of additional resources to get around this fire,” Augustin said.

“That gives me confidence that we will get this fire under control.”

After a brief reprieve overnight this evening, the wilds are expected to pick up again on Thursday and Friday.

The fire chief warned that it was still an active fire that could spread the next day.

‘Do I expect a risk of fire spreading tomorrow? Yes. Do I expect erratic firefighting like we saw last night? No,’ he said.

Authorities in California said the Palisades fire has now grown to 15,832 hectares, while the Eaton fire is at 10,600 hectares, followed by the Hurst at 505 hectares.

Three other smaller fires that broke out on Wednesday have since been brought under control, authorities said.

And now, local residents of Los Angeles’ swankiest neighborhoods — home to celebrity enclaves and multimillion-dollar mansions — have received notices warning them to boil their tap water before consuming it.

“This applies to water used for brushing teeth, making ice cubes and preparing food, such as washing produce,” the release said.

In bold capital letters, residents are warned that until further notice they should ‘only use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking’.

Tap water should be boiled for a minute and then cooled.

The alarm comes amid revelations that water supplies are running low, impacting the heroic efforts of first responders trying to extinguish the fires.

Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Erik Scott said, “We have experienced some issues with water pressure while battling the Pacific Palisades fire, especially yesterday.”

“We have been working very closely with the Ministry of Water and Energy, and they have proactively filled all available water storage tanks. But the problem is that the availability of water on the higher ground was affected. The pressure wasn’t quite what we needed, and that affected some of the hydrants.”

A total of three enormous water tanks, each containing one million liters of water, became empty.

The first was dry at 4:45 PM on Tuesday, the second at 8:30 PM and the third at 3:00 AM on Wednesday.