Fresh evacuation orders as deadly LA wildfires expand with locals told to stay inside over smoke fears
smoke to roaring flames: Inside the first hours of the deadly Pacific Palisades fire
The new evacuation orders were issued on Friday night after it emerged that the Palisades Fire in the western edge of the city started heading in a new direction.
Residents in the Brentwood neighbourhood and the foothills of the San Fernando Valley were ordered to flee their homes as the blaze barrelled towards their areas.
A mandatory evacuation order had earlier been issued covering Sunset Boulevard North to Encino Reservoir and from the 405 Freeway West to Mandeville Canyon.
At least 11 people have been killed since the deadly blazes first began tearing through the city earlier this week.
The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) has also told students to prepare for a possible evacuation as the nearby Palisades fire continues to sweep across the region.
UCLA said in a statement, noting that an evacuation warning has been issued in a zone adjacent to the campus.
“This is NOT an evacuation alert.
“We are asking Bruins on campus to remain vigilant and be ready to evacuate, should the alert be extended to our campus,” it said, referring to UCLA students by their nickname.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles County’s public health authority has now declared a local health emergency, with smoke and ash from the fires sparking poor air quality.
“It said in a statement that the fires and strong winds have “severely degraded air quality…posing immediate and long-term risks to public health”.
