US-WEATHER-FIRE

(AFP) People take photos of the Palisades Fire from Will Rogers State Beach in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 7, 2025. A ferocious wildfire in a Los Angeles suburb devoured buildings and sparked panicked evacuations January 7, as hurricane-force winds tore through the region.

More than 200 acres (80 hectares) was burning in Pacific Palisades, a upscale spot with multi-million dollar homes in the Santa Monica Mountains, shuttering a key highway and blanketing the area with thick smoke.

Around 30,000 people were ordered to evacuate the fast-spreading flames, which leveled multiple homes as powerful winds spread embers far and wide.

(Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)