The famous yet dangerous Santa Anna winds know no bounds. They have impacted Southern California for as long as people have lived there.
That unfortunate reality has reared its ugly head again this week. These powerful gusts have created a large, powerful fire that has forced 30,000 residents to evacuate from the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to NBC News. Firefighters from all over Southern California have raced to the scene, fighting to extinguish the fire. But the blaze has expanded to encompass over 1,200 acres, threatening hundreds of thousands of residents. It does not appear that conditions will improve overnight.
“People did evacuate. It was slow to evacuate,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told NBC News.
“I have been briefed that the evacuations were slow, but they did occur.”
Pacific Palisades Highland community residents first reported the fire at 10:30 a.m. PT on Tuesday. This neighborhood sits about five miles west of Riviera Country Club, which will host Tiger Woods’ Genesis Invitational next month. Hideki Matsuyama, who broke the PGA Tour scoring record last week at The Sentry, won last year’s title at the famous course.
Originally, Riviera was not included in the red evacuation zone, which poses the highest level of danger. Anyone within the red zone must evacuate. As the fire strengthened, though, local officials expanded the red zone to include the Riviera, which will also host the U.S. Open in 2031.
Thankfully, no deaths or injuries have been reported so far. But the situation remains as dangerous as ever. Hopefully, firefighters will have control of it soon.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
