Devil winds fan Malibu wildfires

Evacuations since Tuesday
Devil winds fan Malibu wildfires

Firefighters tackle Wildfire in Los Angeles, next to a weather radar showing wildfire smoke visible on the map.

Efforts to contain the blaze, smoke can be seen on the

In the Californian coastal town of Malibu, flames from a forest fire have grown out of control, leading to damages and eviction notices.

A mandatory evacuation zone has been implemented, while evacuation warnings cover around 20,000 people as the blaze continues to be fuelled by winds. Thousands of residents have departed the affected areas.

Sections of the famous Pacific Coast Highway are closed, with multiple structures damaged amid power outages. More than 1,500 firefighters were operating to contain the blaze on Tuesday, but the threat remains.

Devil winds fuel the fire

The cause of the fire is currently unknown. However, the flames were fanned by strong Santa Ana winds and were able to spread quickly towards the coast.

Did you know?

The Santa Ana winds in Southern California, also known as the "devil winds", are foehn-like desert winds. In winter, temperatures in Los Angeles can rise to 30 degrees as a result.

It was only in November that a fierce forest fire - also fanned by Santa Ana winds - destroyed numerous houses in southern California.

Arabian desert turned winter wonderlandNovember cold snap

Weather & Radar editorial team

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