Palisades residents describe escaping the inferno of the Los Angeles wildfires

As firefighters in California battle three different fires in and around Los Angeles, residents of the affluent suburb of Palisades have told the BBC how they fled the oncoming flames.

Pacific Palisades resident David Lutt said he and his wife had just 10 minutes to grab important documents and family photos before they were stuck in traffic for two hours trying to escape.

Speaking to Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Latt said he was unaware of the fires until a neighbor alerted him.

“I didn’t even know what he was talking about until I went outside and saw a very large column of black smoke about four blocks away on the hill. And then I realized, “Oh, we’ve got to get out of here!”

Mr Lat said most people are aware of the need to pack a “carry-on bag” containing important documents such as passports and other essentials. He wanted to make sure he had “all the receipts we need to file our taxes … and we’ve packed more family photos, albums, artwork so we can get into our two cars.”

After gathering their most important belongings, he took a moment to remove the wildfires from his roof and check the wind direction. When he realized it was blowing in his direction, he knew it was time to move – just minutes after receiving the warning.

Mr Lat said access to and from his area was limited to just one road and they were stuck in traffic for two hours as they tried to escape.

Bordering Malibu, Pacific Palisades is a haven of hillside streets and winding roads set against the Santa Monica Mountains and stretching to beaches along the Pacific Ocean.

Mr. Lott isn’t sure what happened to his house and doesn’t believe they’ll know more for at least another day; Very strong winds are forecast later Wednesday night and into Thursday, which could fan the flames and start more fires in Los Angeles.

“We know from experience that even though firefighters do a great job of putting out fires, some sparks remain … the wind picks them up, carries embers that can be carried across the street or a mile away … That’s what causes concern in Los Angeles tonight,” Mr. Latt said.

The speed with which he saw the fire planes in the sky gave him some confidence in the “terrible situation”, he added.

In Palisade, firefighters ordered people to get out of their cars as the fire approached, fanned by wind gusts that sometimes reached 100 mph (160 km/h).

“The fire was directly against the cars,” resident Marsha Horowitz told the BBC.

Celebrities were also among those who fled.

Sheets Creek actor Eugene Levy lives in the area and told local media he was forced to evacuate his home. “The smoke looked pretty black and heavy over Temescal Canyon. I didn’t see any flames, but the smoke was very dark.” he told the Los Angeles Times.

Mr Luth and his wife made it to safety, but anxious residents of the town were engulfed by three wildfires raging on its northern and western outskirts.

Fires fueled by strong winds destroyed homes, blocked roads and forced the evacuation of more than 30,000 people.

With at least 50,000 homes without power, other people in the affected areas drove around until they got a signal to try to make calls or connect to the Internet, not knowing what to do.

When they go to bed, they worry that they won’t know when to evacuate. Many can see the flames from their homes but are not sure they are close enough to leave.

Many people have children and pets and don’t know where to go.

Journalist Amrita Khalid lives in the coastal city of Santa Monica, which is also being evacuated.

She told the BBC World Service’s Newsday radio program that the day started like any other.

“I can’t tell you how ordinary this morning was in Santa Monica. It just seemed like another fine winter morning. But then I was walking home from the gym and I noticed big black puffs of smoke.”

She then decided to leave her home for a safer location and says a photo she shared of her neighborhood confirmed her decision to leave.

“It looks like Mars, looks bright red,” she said. “So I’m glad I left. Better safe than sorry, I guess.”