Hollywood Hills faces mandatory evacuations as Sunset Fire breaks out in famed LA neighborhood
Hollywood Hills residents were forced to evacuate on Wednesday night after a new wildfire broke out in the famed, celebrity-packed Los Angeles neighborhood.
The Sunset Fire has so far torched more than 40 acres near the landmarks such as the Dolby and TCL Chinese Theaters, the Hollywood Roosevelt, the Jim Henson Company Studios, the Hollywood Bowl and historic Whitley Heights.
An immediate mandatory evacuation order was issued for parts of the community, including along the iconic Hollywood Boulevard – leading to major traffic jams as locals fled for their lives.
An evacuation order for parts of the Hollywood Hills, including the famed Hollywood Boulevard, has been issued by the Los Angeles Fire Department as the Sunset Fire broke out Wednesday night. AP
A helicopter flies, as smoke rises from the Sunset Fire in the hills overlooking the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, U.S. January 8, 2025. REUTERS
“This could be a critical situation,” retired LA County Fire Captain Bob Goldman told KTLA.
“If you look at the top of the ridges where the embers are blowing off of, the smoke is moving sideways, everything is moving horizontally, which means it’s going to be sending those embers way downrange,” Goldman said.
Margaret Stewart, public information officer at LAFD, had similarly dire warnings Wednesday.
An immediate mandatory evacuation has been issued for Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the West, Hollywood Boulevard to the south, Mulholland Drive to the North, and 101 Freeway to the East, according to a release from the LAFD. Getty Images
Firefighters operate as smoke and flames rise from the Sunset Fire in the hills overlooking the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, U.S. January 8, 2025. REUTERS
“I cannot emphasize strongly enough for everyone to follow our evacuation orders,” she told NBC LA.
“The brush in this canyon is very thick. We don’t have the wind we have last night, but it’s still a wind-driven fire.’
Hollywood Boulevard was closed off to traffic between La Brea Avenue and Crescent Heights Boulevard, Deadline reported.
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Video posted to social media shows hundreds of cars in gridlock traffic as the flames inch closer to homes and businesses.
Blocks that are the home to tourist spots such as Madame Tussauds were lined with cars as the escape from the City of Angels continued its dystopic turn.
The Sunset Fire was not contained in any capacity — though the Santa Ana Winds that have fueled the LA fires are expected to abate somewhat overnight.
A helicopter performs a water drop, as smoke and flames rise from the Sunset Fire in the hills overlooking the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, U.S. January 8, 2025. REUTERS
Firefighters are currently on scene in the Hollywood Hills, attempting to prevent the fire from spreading to the resident laden parts of the neighborhood.
More than 130,000 people are currently under evacuation order in Los Angeles and more than 2,000 structures have been destroyed, according to the Las Angeles Times.
A total of five fires have broken out in Los Angeles since Tuesday.
