What to Know
- The Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills was one of six LA County wildfires burning Wednesday on a day of strong, but decreasing, winds.
- The fire started just before 6 p.m. west of the Runyon Canyon hiking area.
- Evacuations were ordered as water-dropping helicopters attacked flames.
- More than 80,000 people are under evacuation orders in Los Angeles County.
Water-dropping helicopters attacked a brush fire in the Hollywood Hills that started started Wednesday night near homes and the scenic Runyon Canyon hiking trails.
The fire cast an orange glow over the area in the 2300 block of North Solar Drive, between Runyon Canyon and Wattles Park. The location is west of the Hollywood Bowl music venue and the 101 Freeway.
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Mandatory evacuations were ordered for the Sunset Fire, which grew to 50 acres as of 8:30 p.m. Those evacuations were lifted Thursday morning.
Traffic was backing up on nearby streets, including some below the fire in Hollywood, where the fire's eerie glow was visible. Law enforcement officers could be seen doing door-to-door checking on residents. Video showed fire engines maneuvering up narrow canyon roads in neighborhoods overlooking the Los Angeles basin to the south.
Details about how the fire started just before 6 p.m. were not immediately available.
Benjamin Vega was among those evacuated from his home.
"We've lived here about 16 years, and this is the first time we've had to evacuate," Vega said. "We definitely were not expecting a fire in my neighborhood tonight."
Firefighters said the terrain in the area is steep and rugged, making an attack from the air the best option.
"I cannot emphasize strongly enough for everyone to follow our evacuation orders," said Margaret Stewart, public information officer at Los Angeles Fire Department It's a very densely populated area. Get out immediately.
"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."
The fire is one of at least six burning in Los Angeles County as the region remains under a red flag warning. Decreasing, but still strong, winds are in the forecast through Thursday.
The windstorm began Tuesday just as the Palisades Fire broke out in Pacific Palisades on the LA County coast. That fire has destroyed hundreds of buildings and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate.
In the Altadena area northeast of Los Angeles, the five people died in the Eaton Fire and several homes and businesses have burned.
Fire also were burning in the Sylmar and Acton areas north of Los Angeles.
More than 80,000 people are under evacuation orders in Los Angeles County.
