CBS News reports at 5:44 p.m.:
A dangerous wildfire that broke out early Monday in Los Angeles was threatening hundreds of homes near the world-famous Getty Center. Strong winds were spreading the fast-growing fire that was burning along a major freeway west of downtown.
Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas told reporters firefighters were overwhelmed. “They had to make some tough decisions on which houses they were able to protect,” Terrazas said. “Many times it depends upon where the ember lands.”
In Northern California, improving conditions could help crews gain ground on wildfires that have forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick told reporters Monday morning that authorities weren’t yet allowing people to reenter areas burned by the so-called Kincade Fire, the state’s largest.
In Los Angeles, the fire department said the Getty Fire burned over 600 acres. Several neighborhoods were under evacuation orders, and at least eight homes were destroyed, Mayor Eric Garcetti said.
A video posted on social media by a motorist shows one side of Highway 405 was turned into a towering inferno, CBS News correspondent Carter Evans reports. Fire officials called it a dynamic situation.
The flames were being fanned by high winds, which seemed to have calmed down a little before dawn, Evans reports. One of those displaced from his home by the several fires burning near Los Angeles was Lakers star LeBron James.
He tweeted Monday morning he had to evacuate his home suddenly and was driving around trying to find a place to go with his family. He followed up later saying he finally found a safe place.
Senator Kamala Harris also said that her family in California has evacuated due to the wildfires.
Related:
CNN live updates
Latest update from the Washington Post
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